LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1719, 23 August 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

BOROUGH-ENGLISH, A Tale of South African Like, By Copia Fandi, 5.0. L., Author of “Twelve True Tales of the Law.” Chapter X.—( Continued .) *lt seems a very serions affair,’ said the magistrate, when the depositions had been sworn; ‘ but you have not succeeded in striking the first blow, Mr Smith. At the Instance of Major Lowcraft I issued a warrant against you this morning. You know we never proceed by summons here.’ ‘ I have not been served with it,’ said Jack. ‘ You’ll have it presently, I suppose,’ said the magistrate but the Major cannot attend to-day ; he is so much knocked about so I have arranged to take the ease at noon to-motrow. When you get the summons, just come here with a surety, will you ? A hundred pounds apiece will do. You know we must be careful now there is a steamer in.’

‘Oh! there’s a [mail in, is there?’ said Jack.

* Yes, it came in this morning.’

‘ Then I’ll go and get my letters, and get served with the warrant and bring a surety.’ * # # *

111 and bruised as he was, Lowcraft was not long in forming his plans of revenge on the morning after his ignominious ride. He arranged the matter with himself thus. ‘ I had been paying my addresses to this lady for some time, and was her father's executor. I went to pay her a visit in ignorance of her marriage, which had only happened that day, and her husband, stung with jealousy, rushed into the room, and without any other provocation than my mere presence there, committed a violent, dangerous, and protracted assault upon me. Nothing which took place before he came in, and which was unknown to him can justify that assault, and, if it could, it cannot be laid before the court by the wife of the accused person, for she is not admissible as a witness on behalf of her husband in a criminal proceeding.’ That Sintwango had been a precipient witness of the scene with the girl did. not occur to him. * Then"’ he continued, ‘ after having been severely punished and bound over to keep the peace, I will ruin him by an action for damages which will be open for me under Roman-Dutch law, notwithstanding the prosecution.’

He sent for the doctor, who lanced his eyes and pronounced the bruises dangerous, consulted his attorney, and along with the physician, swore to a statement of the facts.

Hence the warrant which was prepared for Jack.

Charter XI. THE HERALDS AND THE LISTS,

The coart was crowded the next morning. All sorts of stories had got about. The curly-haired gentleman who chronicled the town’s doings for the “Messenger” had a paragraph headed ‘ Wild Domestic Fracas,’ in which (after stating that Mr John Smith, of the office ef Messieurs Chipstone and Westcombe, had married the beautiful daughter of a Yorkshire merchant, who 'had died'soon after hia arrival in the colony) he went on to say that a military gentleman, well known as a planter, had made an inopportune visit to the bride on the evening of the wedding day, for some purpose connected with property in the mother country which was at present a mystery, but that a serious assault had been the result, which would be taken into consideration in the police court that day, while the other matters arising out of this painful transaction were likely to afford congenial employment [to the gentlemen of the long robe. But this was not all. Mr Jeff Skigs, the transatlantic gentleman who worked for the “ Immigrant,” enlivened his column of wooden locals in the following strain : • Got it Bad.—A blood-red tale of love and jealousy floats down upon ns from the Berea, Mr Jack Smith, a blossoming shyster from the Yorkshire dales, only the day before yesterday bestowed his warm heart and stalwart person on a lady from the same county, whose majestic figure and knock-me down style of beauty has started the green-eyed monster pretty lively among the faded belles of this colony. She also has a large fortune, which wo trust Mr Smith will take care of along with its owner. But a military gentleman in the sugar line made untimely choice of the evening of the wedding-day to express hia admiration for that particular concatenation of female loveliness which had so lately assigned itself to the exclusive ownership of Mr Smith, whereupon the intruder received a rather rough reminder that ho was barking up the wrong tree ; for coming into contact several times In succession with a hard substance which it could not assimilate, his manly phiz got very much mixed up and lost that continuity of classic outline which was previously regarded as its especial charm. A police court prosecution which comes on to-day will enable the disappointed Lothario to indulge his paltry revenge, and to exhibit his contused features at the same time, but we trust that no technical rules of antiquated procedure will prevent our worthy magistrate from lending the sanction of the law to the dignified and manly attitude in which the party most concerned vindicated, the sacred tie of marriage. ’ ‘Dost know’t new wife to Jack Smith ?’ said one Yorky to another. ‘ Div I know her ? She’s niece to old Jerry Smith, of Broughtondale. and Jack’s cousin. Come to court, man 1’ And they went and many other Yorkiea too —for there were plenty of them —and what with the curiosity excited by the newspapers. and what with the friends of the parties, the place was crowded, and there were a good many who had to remain outside.

The small room in which the court sat presented an extraordinary picture. From the bench to the door it was crowded with men, and Dolly, who sat by her husband, was the only woman there. All the windows were open, and the lower part of each aperature was filled up by a row of heads, while the doorway which led to the offices in the rear of the chamber was blocked up by eager listeners.

Chapter XII. ROMAN-DUTCH AND BOROUGH ENGLISH,

The clerk of the peace attended to prosecute, and great was the curiosity when Lowcraft, on being called, entered the court from the magistrate’s private room. His story was a very short one. He was a friend of the lady’s father, and had paid his addresses to her with her father’s approval, but had desisted in consequence of her preference for the accused. The complainant was in the confidence of her father, who made him executor of his will. Rome months after her father’s death he paid the lady a visit, in ignorance of the fact that she had been married that day, when, after they had conversed for half au hour, her husband rushed into the room and inflicted the injuries complained of, which occupied half an hour. Jack put a few questions in cross-examina-tion. « When I entered did my wife say that you had burnt her uncle’s will, and that the ashes were on the floor ?’ ‘lt was not true.’

‘ But did she say so V ‘Yes ; but I must be allowed to state what happened. I was ardently attached to_ the lady, and was ignorant of her marriage, and, to show the purity of my devotion to her, I offered to burn the will, under which she might derive a fortune. I held it to the candle as if prepared to burn it; she tried to snatch it from me, and in the course of the struggle it caught fire, and was destroyed.’ ‘ You tried to preserve it ?’ ‘I did ; but it was impossible.’ _ ‘ When I asked you about it did you give me this explanation ?’ ‘ No ; you assaulted me at once.’ ‘ And continued doing so for half an hour ?’

{To le continued.)