Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1838-08-01

The chef obeyed, and Alfonso turned on
ola dish into it, an enormous clouted cream
(amelet so,Dqc,) and said, "come now, or
with the cap, and sec you don't first spill 0
drop.
He was forced TO comply, and the unhap.
Ply Ude, (udes,) his face and white jacket
streaming with the contents of the plat, was
followed out of the room with Kisses and
bursts Of laughter.
Thus went on the dinner, and with its
concert of broken plates, dishes, glasses and
bottles, accompanied by noises of all sorts,
which rose to .fortissimo, as the wine, OF
which they drank TO excess, got into their
heads.
The desert which succeeded the second
cezrse, was ended by what they call salad.
This salad was thus mixed. They turned
up the four corners Of the table cloth, and
rolled therein all the fragments that were
left. AT this juncture, the walters disap-
peared, conjecturing shrewdly that if they
stayed any longer, the feast might be
too grand for them. In short, when all that
remained of the desert was bundled well
up, the collegians got on the table, and at
the risk of cutting their feet with the frag-
ments of crockery, and splinters of the bro
kew glass, danced thereon, till every thing
was pounded, smashed and broken. Then
the table cloth, with all il contained, the sal.
ad, was thrown out of the window andaf.
tor it the table, then the chairs, then the
rest of the furniture and when there was
nothing more to destroy, the frenzied youths
thought they could do no better than throw
out /; and all thirteen followed
the leader" Alfonso, and jumped from the
first floor in the court.
There is saying that over drunkards
watches an especial Providence. But there
are, il seems, two; for the students on this
occasion, found one Of their own, which
doubtless befriended them in this mad
leap. Certain it is that none of the par.
;y met with the slightest accident, and glo
riously drunk, they rushed out into the
street, after one of the most remarkable or
gies that had taken place for some time at
Poitiers.
They made brilliant entree into the cafe
"a general place of rendezvous for the stu.
dents and officers when they were not at
daggers drawn.
Two Of the latter were playing at bill
lizards when they entered. But Alfonso,
without waiting till the game was ended,
asked, or rather demanded in an authoritvc
zone, mat the table siivu'd DC Sivvn up for {,
single pool Of thirteen.
Thinkink that the object was, us usual, TO
decide who should pay for dinner, or demi
chasse ct chasse, the players did not seem
inclined to comply with this requisition but
when they learned that more momentous
affair, duel, was on foot, they fastened to
lay down their cues. A duel every thing
must yield TO that.
There were but few military mon present
for that very day there was soirce at the
general.commandant's of the garrison and
those few consisted of veterans, who pre-.
fcrred passing the evening 1T the cafe, to
putting on silk stockings and shoes, or of
chenapanS, who in the regiment went by
the name of crane or borreaur de cranes.
The old grognards, however, did not quit
the room. The chenapans interchanged
glances with each other; and one or two
of the sub.ieutenants, who had como to
take their demi.taSSe before they went to
the ball also remained. They had all
more or less formed pretty shrewd guess
of what was TO happen; and, for the honor
of tho service, wanted the quarrel to break
out.
In our schools and garrisons at Paris, we
are totally unacquainted with the esprit du
corps which engages whole regiment, and
an entire body Of young men, in duel,
when two are only concerned; nor can we
form any notion how slight a thing a duel
is considered, where it is the custom to dc.
eide all questions sword in hand. la.
bit is all in all and people soon learn to
think no more of fighting than of going 10
breakfast.
1t becomes general epidemic; and a
person who, lost in the world of Paris, where
he is unknown, might hesitate about de-
handing satisia; ton for an insult however
gross, would in that atmosphere, be ready
any day or hour of the day, 10 call man out
for merely looking a, him.
TIC pun was DcpuI' lNCNti u'u u ''' :
ty, when a large sum of money depended
on the issue of the game, play with more
caro- and caution than those thirteen, TO de-
eide which was to fight. BY degrees the
players lost their three lives, and the num-
Der was at last reduced to two these two
were the stranger guest and Alfonso. The
lockers. on watched anxiously every stroke.
Those balls, that, as they rolled, carried
with them the fate of a man, wero followed
with earnest looks. The officers came
nearer and nearer, aud ranged themselves
round the table. They wero not little in
terested to know whether they, or rather
one Of them-which they knew not was
to enter the list with freshman, no doubt
unpractised in fencing, or with one of tho
most adroit and terrible duclists of tho uni.
versity.
The chances were against them. The
stranger lost.