The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-09-18
THE WIFE's SACRIFICE.
A Story Oft the Transvaal.

After tiffin on the second day of the
summer assizes for Griqualand West.
the languid interest which had hither-
to been taken in the proceedings sud
denly developed into something nearly
akin to excitement. Thejury had just
returned verdict of culpable homi-
ride against q dozen out of some fifty
Shangaans who stood huddled togeth-
rr, helpless and frightened, in the dock,
charged with participating in a fatal
tribal ARRAY at the Lone Star Diamond
Mining Company's compound; the
Judge hadduly sentenced theguping UNI
fortunates, and the jailers were endcav-
oring to sort them out from amongst
their unconvicted but probably no less
guilty comrades, when the Crown Pros
rcutor, a fresh-colored young English
man, with no small idea of his own
Importance, turned in his seat at the
barrister's table, and whispered to the
official who sat behind him to put for
ward Dirk Sylvester. The official rose
md repeated the name aloud; hum
Of Expectancy ran through the little
crowd OF spectators, and passed on to
the loungers outside, who eagerly
crowded into the corrugated iron tenn
pie of justice; gentlemen OF the long
robe and members of the press hurried
over from the Yellow Bar Just oppo-
site and the stalwart Zulu. attircd in
ranvas, marked with Il broad black
arrow, paused in his monotonous
Jerking OF the punkah cord in order to
latch IL slympse of "Baas" Sylvester,
as lie stepped into the dock.
The prisoner was n tall, handsome
colonial, with dark cleaning eyes,
black beard, and skin the paienass of
which had been ripened into swarthi-
ness by the fierce African sun. Hewas
erect and fearless; he threw a glance OF
defiance ut his enemies; he nodded with
smile to his friends. and then, as the
door OF Il private entrance to thcbody
of the court OpcGed. and IL figure
lraped in purest white, with bright
golden hair ripping i'll rich psofusion
over the sllapely shoulders, glidcd in
softly and quietly like q sunbeam from
the free world outside, lie leant over
the rail which interposed between him
and liberty, and hoarsely whispered
her namc-tlic dearest name OH e;lrth
TO him.
1t WAS Sylvcster's wife. She re.
.ponded quickly with look more clo-
luent than words; and then the
prisoner drew himself up to his full
height, folded his arms and listened in
iently as the clerk of thecourt.-ano old
friend with whom he had spent many
n registering evening in his bachelor
lays-droncd through the indictment,
and in a clear voice replied to the
.llargc of willful murder, mot guilty"
The Crown Prosecutor, in slow and
measured tones, began to sketch the
history of the crime; the Judge loungcd
back in his easy chair and leisureiy
sought for the clean pages in his record
book; the counsel for hedefense push
ed back his wig from his pcrspiring
brow, and hunted.out IL preference in an
almost forgotten work on the Roman
Dutch law, the special ors hushed their
mllrmuring; the punkah swayed regu-
larly to and fro overhead, and syi,
westerns wife, sitting there in the well
of the sitting court, with her sweet
blue eyes riveted on the pris ner, and
her luxuriant locks rising and falling
with the artificial breeze, looked to me
even more beautiful than two years
ago, when she nightly ravished the
hearts OF susceptible diggers in the
make.shift theatre in the Dufoitspan
road.
In those memorable bygone days she
was Mademoiselle Marie La Cour, and
the star OF IL travelling theatrical COM
pany, which, like most other "combi-
nations of talent" visiting the Dia-
mond Fields. never, as a whole, got
any further. The proprietor made so
much money i'll a short season that he
left to assume the iessceship of Il hi.
Australian house, and Marie's father
look over the management of the sheen
thus bereft of their shepherd. How
divinely she danced and sang; how she
brought the tears into the eyes OF
treat rough fellows, or made them
shake the rafters with their sonorous
laughter; how she futtered the hearts
of the bank mAgnatcs and the Jew
diamond merchants. and she caused
the treasury" to overflow with fat.
ness-are not all these things written
in the tablets of the memory OF every
dweller on the Fields? III the zenith Of
her fame she married Dirk Sylvester
and ii ever man deserved his bride he
did, forlis passion wore him almost to
Il shadow; and his dark eyes cleaned
dangerously il rival presumed as
much az to speak to her; and before
Dirk came upon the scene there were
rivals in plenty, but though Marie sip
ped the champagne they offered, and
even accepted their diamonds, she
laughed openly at all OF them. Dirl
was proprietor of one of the richest
claims at the New Rush; and the mo
ment eand Marie met the host ofmor.
or less hopeful suitors saw theil
chances were over. She seemed tc
haze fallen in love with him quite as
much as he had with her, and would
nave married him long before she did
but that her father besought her tc
continue on the stage little Longer
for his benefit. A. last the old gentle
man drank himself into the Carnarvol
Hospital, and only came out since tt
occupy one of the graves which ar,
always yawning, ready dugin the Kim
barley Cemetery, for victims to fcvc
and alcohol; and then Marie La Cou
became to us and NIL our world
"Sylvester's wife"
They took u little villa at the ex
trcmity of Putoitspan road. a nea
veranda-surroundcd residence, screen
cd from the dust and heat by tai
biue-gums, and half covered with creep
ers and tropical flowers. After tina
we saw little of the so well known
Marie La Cour. Occasionally, at lon,
intervals, they would invite u few
bachelor frie,ds--myself included-t,
witness their bliss. and OH such ever,
ings the great bull-frogs which invade
the garden of "the CASTS. as theirplac
was rightly named. would hush tllei
vile croaking rs Sylvestcr'sw wife thrilled
forth some gay cliansonette to the &C
compartment of the Broadwood wllicl
Dirk specially imported for her from
Europe: or sometimes the hapDy DaiI