The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-05-16

invested. lie was laughIng C0nce1tedly, and stroking his carefully waxed imperial with self satisfied air, when Dirk came in, and was immediately hailed by a man who was no friend of his-the man. ager of some ground which was always tumbling into Dirk's claims and smash ing his gear.
 l did not hear exactly what he said, but my attention was suddenly arrested by seeing Dirk make a bound at the Frenchman, and seize him by the throat, while his eyes fairly blazed with passion. The Frenchman tried to elude his grasp, and in a moment Dirk had dashed him to the floor and was standing over him, raging with fury.
 "You miserable liar and scoundrel," ]" he cried, if ever hear of your mention ing my wife's name again, I'll kill youl , Then he strode out of tue saloon.
 A silence fell on the company stand ing round the fallen Frenchman, and as he staggered to his feet and slunk away into side-room, where the rattle of the dice went on all day long and far into the night, no one found so much as a word to throw after him.
 l met Dirk on several occasions after this curious episode, but, as if by mutual consent, we avoided the subject. One night, however, whea the moon was sailing majestically overhead and light ing up the dusty rosd between "the Pan" and Kimberley with a flood of lambent light was riding slowly into camp when heard the rapid patteripg of horse behind me, and turning in the saddle confronted Dirk. He was agi tatea and angry, and without word of greeting plunged into the subject upper most in his mind.
 Do you know, old fellow" he said, I've just been told by digger at Hallis' that that rascally little French man has been repeating his lies about being intimate with my wife in Paris be tore she came out here. Not only that, but he says he has a miniature of her which she gave him set in gold. The unmitigated liar l If l find time shall canter over to his cabin the other side of the mine to night, and if he can't pro- duce that souvenir it will be hard for him. If he does, it won't be in his possession longl'
 c. Don't do anything rash, Dirk" I said. Remember, there is another to think of besides yourself" | That's what it is that buthers me, old tellow," he replied and then, refining in his horse, and jogging along by my side, he told me his trouble. It appeared that his wife denied any intimacy with the trenchman, but stated that her father tired to force his attentions on her in the old days when he was a half starved ballet.master, and she struggling as- pirant at Paris theatre. The miniature was new feature in the story, and Dirk firmly believed it to be myth, but was bent on finding out whether it was or not
 After a while he grew calmer, and paid more attention to my entreaties to him to proceed with caution.
 On parting, he shook me by the hand, and his last words, shouted to me as he gallope1 off at the turning for "The Oasis," were:
 "l sha'n't trouble the little French man tonight, but let him keep out of my wayw
 The next morning the body of Jules Lacroix was found lying on the floor of his cabin, with an ugly hole in the left temple. In one hand he grasped tightly part of gold chain and the swivel of a miniature. There was the fresh spoor of horse not far from the door, and the bullet found in the brain fitted Dirk's re- volver to nicety.
 It was not long before Dirk was in cus- tody, and the case looked black against him. His threat to shoot the French man was well remembered his excited demeanor in Hallis' bar at the Pan, when the news of the Frenchman's reiterated assertion of a former intimacy with his wife was brought to him, was commented upon. and the circumstantial evio ence was strong.
 As for Dirk himself he utterly denied going near the Frenchman's cabin on the night of the murder, and he ac- counted for the fact that he did not reach home for nearly an hour after leaving me by saying that, feeling hot and ex- cited, he went for scamper over the veldt, and the Leauty of the m oonlit night caused him to stay out longer than he intended.
 He pressed me to tell all knew about the matter, and l reluctantly did so, making the most of his expressed deter imitation on leaving me not to visit the Frenchman that evening.
 The trial dragged on until late in the night. and at i2 o'clock the jury came into the court with verdict of Guilty." shall never forget the look of mute agony on his wife's face as Dirk stood up to be sentenced to death, or the calm, proud way in which he heard his doom. CHAPTER II.
 "Mark my words, boys. Sylvester's wife will get him reprieved."
 The speaker vas lounging at the coun- ter of the Yellow Bar, i" in the Transvaal Road, and his words evoked a murmur of sympathy.
 Ever since the conviction efforts had been made in all directions to prevent the dread sentence of the law being carried out, and Sylvester's wife had become the heroine of the camp. There were few who did not believe that he shot the Frenchman sut why should he die for an offence which was light compared