The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-08-21

her fame she married DIRK sylvester,
and if ever y mar deserved hisbrldehe
did, for his passion wore him almost to
a shadow; and his dark eyes cleaned
dangerously if q rival presumed as
much as 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, ana
even accepted their diamonds, she
laughed openly at all of them. Dirk
was proprietor of one of the richest
claims at the New Rush; and the mo-
ment heand Marie met the host gilmore
or less hopeful sultOrS saw Their
chances were over. She seemed TO
have fallen in love with him quite as
much as he had with her, and would
have married him long before she dId,
but that her father bcsOught her to
continue on the stage a little longer
for his benefit. At last the old gentle
man drank himself into the CarnarVOn
Hospital, and only came out since to
occupy one of the graves when are
always yawning, ready duginthe KIM
barley Cemetery, for victims to fever
and alcohol; and then Marie La COur
became to us and all our world,
"Sylvester's wife"
They took a little villa at the ex-
tremity of Putoitspan road, q neat
veranda-surrOunded residence, screen
ed from the dust and heat by tall
! blue gums, andhaif covered with creep
ers and tropical flowers. After that
we saw little of the so well known
Marie La Cour. Occasionally, at long
intervals, they would invite q few
bachelor friends-myself in~cluded-tO
witness their bliss, and on such even
ings the great buIl-frOgS which invaded
| the garden OF "the CASTS, as their place
was rightly named, would hush their
! vile croakingas Sylvester y wife thrilled
forth some gay ~chansonette to the ac-
compartment of the BrOadWOOd which
Dirk specially imported for her from
Europe; or sometimes the happy pair
would ride over to a picnic on the
banks OF the meandering Modder river,
and Mrs. Sylvester would deign to as
tOnish us with the feats of markSman-
ship which she would accomplish with
the prettyreyOlver-ivor handled and
chased with gold-which Dirk had
| given her.
One night as IstrOlled into the Albert
saloon for a game of billiards, found
a knot of diggers gathered around q
new ARRIVAL handsome little French
man, who had come to the Fields to
look after some claims in (which Pari-
sian firm had invested. Hewaslaugh-
ing cOnceitedly, and stroking his care
| fully waxed imperial with a self-satis-
fled air, when Dirk came in, and was
Immediately hailed by aman who was
no friend Of his-the manager of some
ground which was always tumbling IN
to Dirk's claims. and smashing his
gear.
Ibid not hear exactly what he said,
but my attention was suddenly arrest
ed by seeing Dirk make a bound atthe
Frenchman, and seize him by the
throat, while his eyes fairly blazed with
passion. The Frenchman tried to elude
his grasp, but in a moment Dirk had
dashed him tothe floor and Twas stand
ing over him, raging with fury.
You miserable liar and scoundrel,"
he said, iii ever | hear ofyou mention
ing my wife's name again, I'll kill you'll"
Then he STROBE out Of the saloon.
A silence fell on the company stand
ing around the fallen Frenchman, and
as he staggered to his feet and skunk
away into a side room, where the rat
tie OF dice went OH all day long andfar
into the night, no one found so much
as a word to throw after him.
/ met Dick on several occasions af-
ter this curious episode, but, as if by
mutual consent, we avoided the sub
lect. One night, however, when the
moon was sailing majestically over
head and lighting UP the dusty road
between the Pan and Kimberley with
q flood OF lambent light, Twas riding
slowly into camp when / heard the
patterlng OF a horse behind me, and
turning IN the saddle confronted Dirk.
he was agitated and angry, and with
U q word OF greeting plunged into the
subject uppermost In his mind.
DO you know, Old fellow he said.
i've just been told by a digger at
Hallis's that that r~ascally little
Frenehman has been repeating his lies
about being intimate with my wife in
ParIs before she came out here. Not
only that, but he says he has d minia-
ture OF her which she gave'him, set in
gold. The unmitigated liar Ii / find
time ! shall canter over to his cabin
the other side OF hemineto-nicht and
II he can't produce that souvenir it
will be haId for him. If he does. it
won't be in his possession long"
| Don't do anything rash, Dirk
said Remember, there is another to
think OF beside yourself"
That's what it is that bothers me,
old fellow he replied; and then, rein
ing IN his horse snd Jogging along by.
my side, he told me his trouble. It
| appears that his wife denied any
intimacy with the Frenchman, but
stated that her father tried to force