New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-06-20
a Duel In Jest.

duey WUFtu UOtlD8 ~ V1ctQfo u CuIN1Ft ~ EumpU
In the year sixteen hundred and nineteen.
10 vslsntia noble lord, whom the discreet chron-
iclsr calls, - be cals Al the persous il the tale By
6ctitious name, held feast q the wedding q his
invited al his brother knights from As and near -
asst 1t bis festival and there were among the guests
many young nobges who were only candidates for In
sposss as w i ssoSsss q u NJ yo.Ds s.ss.s,
Frscasio who had bat two ancestors misiBg ont Of 8
pedigree that went bsck III H. wsy 70 BIZ dstin-
guishsd father Adam, was especially merry - the
fathers to mention At dinpes, Fnsss5o ~ rear big
victim. and in sport thrsw into hi fscs . emp Of
Spenish wine, that drenched The curl out Of biz hair
the young men at knight who ~ aboat 70 Be his
brotherinlaw, being already pisbted u biz lister.
By this knight the insult was st repaid 10 kind.
Another cap q wins was thrown 4 Ne aggrsasscr.
friend OF Fracaso's, who Happened TO ut at the
other end Of the table, hurled thenhis cup Of wine
at the new con1batant but this, in III passage,
sprinked no les than six people, who Immediately
champion. The SIX cups Of wine, travelling down the
table, sprinked many guests, and in short time
there was general discharge q foil wine cups from
The table was thrown down. and the guests struggled
with one another in the dark But 81 this not was
maintained in jest no knight dshonored himself by
the drawing Of deadly weapon. When the lights
were rekndled general amnesty was declares, the
tables restored, and everybody returned quietly
to the celebration Of the wedding least except one
knight, who had the mouth Of lion and chickens
heart. H. j. r,aI-s gas II fs IS ssAsass,s4 s5
This knight, Roderick, mingled big threats with
the laughter Of bis comrades. He Was MT 70 b.
changed 80 easily. he never len UNPUBLISHED 3
churl who BY. daylight rubbed against bb clothes
in passing and was be to forgive those who brought
their hands too near him in the dark It Wa tsue
that be had not been taken by the thr0st; but
body had lain with his nose against his bodtsole.
The other knights sought to sppeass their friend
with reasonable and good-natured words When
these failed they returned to ther cups, and paid
further heed to him. Roderck Stood spart, still full
turned TO the table, and growled ~ - drank until he
had drunk himself into stupid silence. Somebody
then advised that be should be carried Up % bed and
be was nut to bed by his compauions
In the morning Roderick awoks somssfat uncer-
tain to bis position. He slept in the sams room
with twelve or fourteen other knights Of his own
rank. They talking in their beds to one another
He feigned sleep that be might be guided In bis COM
duct by their manner Of discussion They wsre very
charitable to their comrades Is knights ought 10 be.
Their poor friend Roderck was an honest fellow, but
was no sword and gunpowder whatever in their mem
| ton OF him. This caused him to take heart. He
had humbled himself by looking like tipsy bragg
| gart he would give them to understand that il b
| had used bold words overnight, he was doughty
| man also when be was sober In the morning. His
| courage must not all be set down to the winecup.
Suddenly, therefore, he jumped out OF bed in visible
wrath, threw open the window, and called to his
/
/ he had been put to bed last night be would fight
the man who had degraded him BY putting him to
bed. His expectation was, that his friends would a
they had done before, enreat him to be reasonable
and that he would accordingly be reasonable after
| having shown his pluck.
But that which had been pitied in Roderick drunk
was despised in Roderick sober. The knights only
shrugged their shoulders and their braggart friend,
bound to act out his part, left them with terrible
air of displeasure.
!" What is this y they said. when he was gone.
To hiu apdu NJ ttn -
bed? Who is it that has to fight him
f." The friend who first suggested sending him to
bed was !, said CASTOR Cibo. It was !, TOO, Who
lighted him to bed with the leg ola chair. Fetch me
some paper!i'
So CASTOR had pen and paper brought, and sat up
in his bed to write challenge Of tremendous length
and strength which he was required to read 10 tho
| whole chamber. 1t was declared to be improperly
abusive. It would drive Roderick mad to rage, and
compel mortal issue TO what ought to be light
and cool duel, ending, perhaps, with flesh wound.
~ shall not wet my pen twice for this hero, Gas
ton said.
l The challenge, therefore, was sent, but was not
opened by Roderick in the presence Of the squire
Greet my Lord CASTOR cibo with al, friendship
and say will promptly answer were the words
that came back by the messenger. They were fol
lowed by note beginning, My dear brother, y won
dering at the offence taken by one to whom no pro
vocation had been given eonfessing that the writer
had been ON the previous night beast accepting
Gastons powerful abuse as brotherly admonition
J that be would have taken from no other man on
earth, and apologisng to the whole company Of the
bedroom for his violence that morning, when he had
not perfectly returned to his sober senses.
CASTOR would have dismissed the writer with con
tempt; while. like generous old knight. he wished
to suppress the. letter. But he had read aloud his
challenge and he was compelled also to read aloud
his answer to it. Then he was urged to go to Rode
rick and tell him that at least for appearance sake,
that it might suffice if they both rode ont into the
wood, without seconds to fight and there instead Of
killing one another, killed the time for half an hour.
1t was enough to say that they had fought Treaty
was, however, at last made for fight with pistoll
, loaded only with their wadding of roe's hair.
Under this compact Roderick went out TO battle.
All the ladies of the castle at the window to see
the duests depart. The towards secret had moi
been betrayed to them and. for the honor Of the
order, never was. He was allowed to edify them BY
trying his two pistols, by making bis horse rear fur
ousy, and by carrying two spare horses as be
loudly proclaimed to in the fight if his own steed
was shot under him. one to carry him to Andalusa
when he had killed his man. Castor, as challenger,
had already ridden forth and taken his position in the
meadow.
The knights of the bedchamher, who would NOT
have crossed the threshold TO look at anything
common as an ordinary duel kept their counsel, and
suppressed their laughter they galloped out with
their heroic friend who little thought that they
in the secret of his courage They formed sides, but
Roderick claimed battle without seconds. He was
in fierce mood, be said. A second might do some
thing to anger him. and easily compel him to second
two men in day. So the antagonists met, and, after
short parley in which the young coward assured
himself that his old friend had nothing harder than
roes hair in his pistols and that it was impossible
they should have been changed BY any accident, the
duel on horseback with primeva pistols was fought
much after the manner OF the duel of CATER Jobsten
who fred half a nightcap at his enemy and covered
him with fluff, but received in return bladder oil
pigs blood, that made murdered man Of him before
the eyes of all beholders.
There is nothing very clever in the story as sto
ry; but, record of the good old times, it shows
pleasantly how the rough behavior of brotherhood
Of knights was seasoned with q restricted sense o.
courtesy and Of the duty of forbearance towards
one another. Judged by that modern standard which
we are SO often warned against applying to the
measure of orefathers, the knight Of old was
odd mixture of the ruffian and the gentleman.
A LIGHT DRINKER. ~ A Scotch parson once
preached long sermon against dram drinking, a
vice prevalent in his parish, and from which, report
said, he was not free himself Whatever We do, my
brethren, do it with moderation, and, above ALL be
moderate in dram drinking. When you get up, in
deed, ye may take dram, and another just betor'
} breakfast, and perhaps another after but dinni
always be dram drinking. II ye are out the morn
+ you may just brace yourself mp with another dram
and perhaps take anither before luncheon and some
fear, take one after, which is not very bameabe
but dnna be always dram drumming away. Nae
body can scruple for one lust before dinner, anG