The Ottawa free trader., 1849-12-29

the signal for immediate death. lie thouShl
Emma and her sweet babe, and bore the castiga
tion in silence
Amer this, clients deserted his otl,ce and gentle
men refused TO recognize him or return his salute
in the thoroughfares of business or during hi
morning strols over the hills Had his touch beer
contagon, or his breath pestilencc, he could no'
have been more carefully Stunned.
Another week passed and the degraded lawyer
was in a state Of mind bordering on insanity and
yet ali the while lie concealed the mental torture
from lis Gt.cctionste wife. One evening IN more
than common bitter snd gloomy mood, as he wal
ked through the public square, he was again accos,
tel bv Mike johnson, with his cooked pistol IN one
hand and uplifted cowhije in the other The
assault was the more accravating rs the place
was ,hroncedv with spectators.
Coward and villain" exclaimed Johnson, did
I moi tell YOU that wouldcoNhle YOU every week,
until whipped the courage ofs uan and a gen
tleman into your Yankee hider
Il am not a coward retorted Thomas. in ho.
low tone 50 uneIrthly free and wild thai: It caused
every hearer TO stare. AT the instant, his lips
were liv!l and Clen.hed between his teeth till the
blood ran. His ewes were red - mad dogs ani
the muscles o:hisface Guivered but his body and
limbs seemed to have the i-iiiiv of marble.
lie will fight nov" rang in an esger whisper
{
rble tokens Of The fend Groused--the tiend which
Turks, at different depths in all human nature.
III sou are MT coward. why will not YOU tich;r
asked the duelli,, somewhat struck in spite Of bis
thorough desperation hardened in the ho, gcre ola
dozen murders
Il viii tisLtifyou wish it," was The loud ringing
answer
Then you accept my Challenger
Il DO. VIII any enc present be so cool rs 20
actas M seconl' inquired the lawyer, addressing
the spectators
For minute or tvoUo one spoke. so great WAS
the dread of the ar,h duelli,t, SlAe johnson.
viii no enc in such mass ofgcncrous men te
my second T. repeated the lawyer, in louder tone
Twill" said a slril trumpet Ike voice, on tie
outskirts ofthe crowd and Il tall conmaua!n. ioTm
with bravery written on lis brow and the eagles
eve beneath 1t. made his way 10 the centre Of the
scene Of conteD;inn anl stood close fronting John
son, with a smiling glance before wL!,h the la:.
ter for an instant, quailed.
The question "yvhu j. lie who is he r. crcuL,
ted among the lockers on. But no one could an.
swer no one had ever seen him before and vet
everybody would have sworn 10 his courage, so
bold vet tranquil was his bearing.
Who are YOU !" inquired the dueliist, recover
IN, lis presence Of mind.
A stranger from Texas"
But who will ycuch for your resree,allity r.
u can give you vouchers sufficient" replied the
stranger, frovLu- till lis bruws looked frich;t-l
and then stood forward, whispered something to
Jyhnsous ear, audible alone to him
Il am sati fed said the dueliist aloud. anl
trembling perc,p'ibly. COL Morton, viii YOU
/ serve n my friend Z
! The individual at last addressed gave lis as.
sent
/ Now let Us adjourn TO some private room to
arrange the preimiuaEies remarked the stranger,
and the principals and seconds left the crowd
[ then increasing every minute and excited 10 mad
ness BY the thick crJ.wding events Of the hour
I \ meeting took place the following night in a
dark room, with the door locked and tn. two sec.
onds on the outside. The principals were placed
/ in opposite corners Of the room, which was TWEEN
/ " feet square. and each was armed with large
/ bowie knitc--no more. 1t was uidnight--n night
without even moon or stars Black pitch clouds
enyelopei the -ky, and Il slight shifting mist run-
dered the shadows of the earth more intense
Hence the room where the duel wa. about to be-
gin was wrapped in ayless darkness. The com.
batants could not even see the blades Of fthorowu
knives.
At first, they both stopped and stcathily IN.
tied and took oil their shoe. so as 20 make the
least possible noise in walking over the floor
The same thought hAi struck them at the same
time-to manGuyre for the advantage ground.
| Ihomos moved in a cycle, softly rs q cat, a
round the apartment ill he got within few feet
Of the corner where hi enemy had been placed.
and then paused to listen. For four or five sec.
onds he could hear nothing in the gravc-like 81
lence but the quick beats Of h- own busy hear,
Presently however, there crept into his efr a
scarcely audible sound, as Of suppressed breathing
in the corner Of the room which he had previous
ly left; and then he knew that his foe wa. irving
The same stratagem. At length Thomas conclu.
led to stand perfectly still and await Joln,on's
approach. Motionlcss now himself and al sar.
soon he could Distinguish soft rlstng noise, like
The dropping Of aakes Of wool, crcling round the
door and gradually advancing toward lin.
At last when the sound appeared within a
bout three feet Of the lawyers position be sud.
teny made bounding plunge with his knife, al.
med in the dark air, where he supposed the bo.
'om Of his foe to be. His blade struck against
that Of the other and few sparks Of fire rolled
1t the fierce collision and fell expiring to the floor
And then, for an instant the seconds without
he door heard sharp ringing Of steel, Croan. a
.all, and all again was silent ds the tomb, Tie
duel at midnight was ended but hoici They
were appalled, ut the horrible question.
MimS some minutes, and hearing nothing
more, Col. Morton and the stranger PREPARED a
light, unlocked the door and entered. The spec.
tacle was most affecting There lay the bloody
corpse Of the due,list johnson, mangled dreadful.
ly, and above it stoodthe erect and imposing form
Of the lawyer lhomas--unhurt, not a cut on nj,
kin or a rent in hiS clothing but weeping as if
his heart was broken.
lie started back as tie flashing light dazlled
his eyes, and growing pale as the dead at li4 feet
exclaimed in accents Of mmeasurable anguish
ooh, God how shall endure TO meet nv dear
Emma, with this murderous gore on my hands!
Such stains would dotilc the very gates Of hca-
ven, and backcn the very gates Of he'll itself"
lie did, however, afterwards meet Emma and
her babe but we shall not attempt to paint the
scene week Subsequently, he was .hut to pie
COS in his Office, while employed in writing.
The assassin WAS not known, hut supposed to be
n younger brother of the ducllist johnson
The stranger who acted in the combat as sec
ond of Thomas was indeed as he said from Tex.
as and then travelling though Mississippi, and
was the braycst man, perhaps, that ever drew the
breath Of liie-,lamcS Bowie who fell only with
t the fall Of the Alamo, when lis rcd knife was
drunk with the blood Of Mcxican1
R,adsr-But the moral You promised us a
moral.