Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1854-11-30
She is almost distracted with grief and anxi-

ety."
THE youth replied, with burs, Of deep
emotion, sit would indeed be happiness IN
die for one so lovely; but ] dare not, will
not exhibit these marks of violence on my
wounded face to ,he eyes Of such an angel"
At early dawn Of the following Cay, the
principals, seconds and in truth, nearly the
whole population of The village and sur
rounding country, were at the place fixed
for The mortal strife. II was necessary for
all to come with The FIRST blush of dewy
morn, if they wished TO witness the combat,
for in tha. warm cline o: the south, twilight
never lingers,-i i. may even be said TO exist.
You see, now, few pale stresks shooting
up out of sea of darkness; then, The glitter
Of reddish white ,ints on the corners Of grey
clouds, as if all the fields of air were sowed
with fresh roses; then broad burning glow
oil along the edges Of the horizon like an
immense river on fire, or the Inchoate con-
fsgratIon of the world, and ere you are a.
ware, the bright day-god leaps upon the
earth in all his glory.
As soon es the sun appeared, the weapons
were loaded, and placed in the hands Of The
principals. who took their respective stations
twenty PAGES apart. Face to face, and both
lssing death, with the muzzles Of their guns
resting on The ground, and looking steadily
a. each other, the foes stood waiting for The
fatal word.
The striking contrast between the two
antagonists could not fail TO be remarked
by the most careless observer. Hickman,
almost gian. in frame, with sharp, bony
features, bronzed and bilious complexion,
and great swelling bundles ofirriable nerves
lowered upon the field, with counlenance
proud, sneering and merciless, as if assured
of victory. He was abou. forty years fage.
Samuels did not exceed twen,y-one. His
face was almost feminine in lis soft, SYM
me,,ical beauty, with eyes of deep blue,
radient and sparkling like stars. His form
was siender and graceful, but harmonious
in its proportions, and every gee,ure, even
the sligh,es, movement of linb, b,-displsy
activity and energy as quick as the fash of
a thought.
Universal silence nowrei gned on the field,
save when some brilliant bird from the
nelghboring grove, uttered lis brief song Of
gladness, and then scared on high to drink
its fill of the morning sunbesms.
The word was TO be given by Capt. Lo-
gan, the second Of Hickman.
"Genllemen, are you ready!'
"Ready."
"FIrG,-one, two, three"
A general shout, in part Of establishment
and the residue of anger, rent the air. At
the word, with 9 motion rapid as lightning,
so rapid the eye could scarcely follow it,
-Samuels raised his piece and fred, and
Hickman fell corpse, without chance to
touch the trigger.
One Of the dead mans friends, in order
10 excite the crowd of spectators against the
victor, exclaimed in loud voice.
"He has played foul he fred before the
time"
But the revulsion had already taken place.
A sentiment of admiration had succeeded
that of indifference, among the on-lookers,
and there was no, one to sustain the speak
er. While the excitement continued, and
the single partisan of the dead man, was
endeavaring to &c. up a feeling against the
challenged party, young Samuels had re-
maned impossible, in appearance, as man
of marble, cold, pitliless haunted, den.onized
by the idea Of blood. But now, when his
fell purpose was consumated, and there
sould no longer be any doubt as TO the vieto-
ry,-when the peril of his hated enemy lay
llfeless before him, mass of inanlmate clay,
harmless as any clod Of the valley, with
slihenng limbs aud CLASSY eye, that never,
40, never more again,-should flash in
anger, or be filled with images of beauty,
or open ct the call of musical May morn
ings, till The final fre,-,hen in the full frui-
lion Of his triumph, cloud of unutIerable
sadness was seen on the face of the conquer
or, and he gave way to an sgony Of the Bit
leres. tears. Blu. whatever may have been
The character Of the thought so suddenly
striking the electric chain of feeling, with
such overwhelming power TO wiring the
soul with nameless torture, it went as it
came, ins,anlaneously; end Ssmuels, shun-
ming all unseemly Congratulations, hurried
away from the ground, in the carriage and
company of Zavala. He had passed the
FIRST crisis Of ecclimaion on the Rio Grande.
A BEAUTIFUL AroLoGUE.-A Shepherd
was mourning over the death Of his favor
tie child, aud in the passionate and rebelli-
Gus feelings Of his hear. was bitterly COM
planning that what he loved most .enderly,
and was in itself most lovely, had been ,a-
ken from him. Suddenly a stranger of
grave and venerable appearance stood before
him, and beckoned him forth into the field.
1t was night and not a word was spoken
ill they arrived a. the field, when the stran-
ger then addressed him:
"When you selec. one of these lambs
from The flock, you choose the best and
mos. beautiful among them. Why should
you murmur because ], the good Shepherd
of,he sheep, have selected from those which
YOU have nourished for me the one that was
mos. fiued for my eternal fold -