Connecticut western news., 1885-05-06
Wife.

SylveSter'S Wife.
 It was the summer assizes for Griqua- land West. The jury had just returned a verdict of culpable homicide against Q dozen out of some fifty Shangaans who stood huddled together, helpless and frightened, in the dock, charged with participation in fatal tribal affray at the Lone Star Diamond Mining Com pany's. compound 1; the Judge had duly sentenced the gaping unfortunates, and the iailors were endeavoring to sort them out from among their unconvicted com rades, when tue Grown Prosecutor, a fresh. .colored Englishman, with no small idea of his own importance, turned in his seat at the barristers' table, and whispered to the official who sat behind him to put forward Dick Sylvester.
 The prisoner was tall, handsome colonial, with dark gleaming eyes, black beard, and skin the paleness of which had been ripened into swarthiness by the fierce African sun. He was erect and fearless he threw glance of de- fiance at his enemies he nodded with smile to his friends, and then as the door of Q private entrance to the body of the court opened, and figure draped in purest white, with bright golden hair ripping in rich profusion over the shapely shoulders, glided in softly and quietly like a sunbeam from the free world outside, he leaned oyer the rail which interposed between him and liberty, and hoarsely whispered her name-the dearest name on earth to him.
 It was Sylvester's wife. She responded quickly with 8 look more eloquent than words and then the prisoner drew him. self up to his full height, folded his arms, listened intently as the clerk of court, an old friend with whom he had spent many registering evening in his bachelor days, droned through the in- dictment, and in clear voice replied to tho charge of wilful murder, '' Not guilty"
 The Grown Prosecutor began to sketch the history of the crime; the judge lounged back in his chair and leisurely sought for the clean pages in his record book the counsel for the de- fence pushed back his wig from his per- spring brow, and hunted out refer ence in an almost forgotten work on the Roman-Dutch law; the spectators hushed their murmuring; the punkah swayod regularly to and fro overhead; 1; and Sylyester's wife, sitting there in the we'll of the stifing court, with her sweet blue eyes rivited on the prisoner, and her luxuriant locks rising and falling with the artificial breeze, looked to me even more beautiful than two years ago, when she nightly raviahed the hearts of susceptible diggers in sthe -make-shift theater in the Dutoitspan Road.
 In those memorable bygone days she was Mademoiselle Marie La Cour, and the star of travelling theatrical com pany, which, like most other sscombina- lions of talent" visiting the Diamond Fields, never, as whole, got any fur ther. The proprietor made so much money 1n a short season that he left to assume Ahe lesseeship of big Austra- Han house, and Marie's father took over the management of the sheep thus be- reft of their shepherd. s,A -.'
 In the zenith of her fame she married Dirk Sylvester, and if ever a man de served his bride he did, for his passion wore him almost to shadow, and his dark eyes gleamed dangerously if rival presumed as much as to speak to her. Dirk was proprietor of one of the richest claims at the New Rush. She seemed to haye fallen in love with him quite as much as he had with her. if
 They took little villa at the extremit5 of Dutoitspan Road, neat xerandah1 surrounded residence, screened, fFoa. At dust and heat by tall blue gums, and half covered with creepers and tropica flowers. After that we saw little of the once 50 wgl,known Marie La Cour. Go casionally at long intervals they would invite few bachelor friends -myseli included-to witness their bliss, and or such evenings the great bullfrogs whict invaded the. garden of "the Oasis" a their place was rightly named, would hush theix vile eroaking as Sylvester wife trilled forth some gay ohansonett, to the accompaniment of the Broadwooc which Dirk specially imported for hel from Europe; or sometimes the. happy pair would ride over to picnic on thu banks of the neandering Modder River and Mrs. Sylvester would deign to as tonish usswith the feats of marksman ship which she could accomplish witl the pretty revoIver-ivory handled ant chased with gold which Dirk had give her. sf1s .E1 -
 One night, as,I strolled into the Alber Saloon for 8 game. of billiards, found knot of diggers gathered around nel arrival-A. .hands6me little Frenchman who had 6dme to the Fields to look afte some clafrn inswhi6h a Parisian firm hal invested. He was laughing conceitedly