The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1865-10-04

w AA " ALL ANOs AOOe
The Duel on the Dixie.
1t was q fair day on the river Ohio. Tn
grand saloons Of the steamer Kishicoouilla
were crowded with passengers. The ladies Il
the after por ton loungcd upon luxurious divans
slipping cooling beverages, or sleeping over 70
cent literature, and in and out among then
played . dark.eyed child who now and ther
cried petulantly for his papa. The latter sa
| in the dim. close, forward cabin, at one of The
many card tables. He was pale and agitated
for he was losing heavily. Little BY little
Fortune had beckoned him on, and now that
she was receding he gambled recklessly; bul
the cool, clever gentleman, with curling hair
sitting opposite, swept off the eagles without q
smile. The loser was wild, at each misfortune
he doubled his stakes, the winner always closing
with him, though carelessly; and it was mol
hard to read in the formers darkening face tha,
he counted his losses seriously. 1t was game
Of poker, and there were many participants
but these two divided all attention. Five cards
were dealt to each, and the players wagered
upon the relative values of the suits Of se.
quencea If the troubled man held four tens
the other was certain TO hold four knayes
twice he held all the kings: the other called
~ do not oTh a dime IA the world - cried the
pale gentleman at last; will you place two hun.
dred dollars against my watch7"
The person with the flowing hair bowed
politely. ~ ..1'. -"
II 60 the watch upon my hand |" cried the
pale man, sanguinely desperate.
ri raise you two hundred dollars, ;" answered
the cool person, gravely. "You have hand.
some emerald upon your fnger-will you stake
it for that amount7' ar - ..t &. = r.......
The pale man threw the ring down with
curse.
II show four queens !" he said. '---.'. .s.a
"The ring and watch are mine," replied the
other, calmly. III show four kings!'
The pale man sprang from his chair with
houl. Il call God to witness that have been
swindled!" he Kissed. 81 am disgraced, ruin.
ed! The money which have lost was not
mine. That man has made me thief, and he
wears upon his finger my poor wifeis wedding
ring" In another instant he had scattered his
brains over the bystanders.
Tho survivor wiped bis coat complacently
and lit q fresh cigar.
The steamer was pausing at some station,
and amid the haste and confusion, he stepped
pleasantly ashore. The lines had been cast
adrift; the wheels spun round again; the boat
moved on, when shrill, piercing scream arose
from the throng. 1t was the dark.eyed child,
and he had found his papa. -
"Come here, nay little mars'r." said an old
negro steward, lifting the boy aloft and wiping
his eyes. "Does ye see gentleman yonder on
de quay-a mos respectable gen remaa agwyn
jewels" -
The boy marked fercsly through his tears
the shapely limbs and long bright ringlets, and
on the strangers white hand the glitter of the
dead mans gem. A gush of grief drowned
out the scene, and the steamer drifted slowly
away.
Twenty years followed, and each yeae.nis
messed upon the westasn waters its host Of dupes
rnd black legs. But among the latter class
there was one singularly eccentris-Aad SUGGEST:
full. He never lost. ~
There were no impossibilties in the games
which he played. He was necromancer; with
some there were chances-hs made all chances
q certainty. He plundsred the poor and the
rich. yet cast their purses back again with scorn
in his dark eyes; and he was invariably search.
ing for gcntlenanly tourist with flowing hair,
upon whose track he seemed to be forever, vet
whom he never found. At times he would leap
from the gaming table, as q steamer passed,
exolaianing that he saw the object Of his search,
and Offering the captain his fortune to turn and
overtaks him. He remarked him upon RATS,
and landings, and in receding villages, and
among the thousand faces of busy cities. Yet
with those glimpses, the figure passed away,
and the years dragged by, and the travelling
public thought the young man cfazy-though
not upon the subject of cards.
They met one day-the pursuer and the
pursued-after all those twenty years. 1t was
fair afternoon upon the steamer Kishicoquil.
las. They sat in the forward cabin at one of
fho mar fahI nd
of the pursuer was dark with ancient blood
stains. .a.f. . ' .s.
~ beg your pardon" he said quietly, bending
his dark eyes upon his opponent; twill you
change places with met"
The flowing hair of the other was very grey,
but he was calm as winter, and for a moment
only he faltered. ..... e.-.-
''Ii you insist" be answered quietly. ut
can give you no advantage" -. : ..r.
They were wonderfully matched, but the
young man won. They wagered extravagant.
ly, and they waited deliberately; but the young
man always won. ,,.- III. -. j Is.
81 will play you my watch" said the elderly
person; and the young man again won
"Here are sleeve buttons, and here is =
brooch ne said again, "let Us 60 on;" and the
young man won. ....-....- '.s -...-.. ....-.
81 have nothing morc," smiled the pursued,
as cold as stalagmite.
II see handsome ring upon your finger
an emerald-will you haz1ard that7'' .r
"It is my last ornament" he muttered: 81
show four queens"
"And !" shrieked the dark. eyed youth, toss.
ing away gold. table and chairs, 81 show four
kings the ring is mine. You won it from my
father, whom you murdered. His blood fell
where you stand, and where I will have
yours" -..... ....-....
They grappled at once; knives flashed in the
dark, close cabin, and pistols snapped. The
boats officers and bystanders dashed in and tore
them apart, and they would have beaten the
young man for raising his hand against grey
hairs.
"Givs de boy far play ;" cried an old negro
steward. II knows 'em bolf! Desc eyes saw
de father of de young Mass stretched At de
oder's feet. Set 'em ashore, Captain. Give
each knife, and let de boat 70 on."
They placed them on the slippery dike--s
marsh on one side. where Shiny allieators lay
basking, and on the other the broad, turbid Mis-.
sissippi. The passengers crowded aft; the great
hulk of the steamer swiftly drove onward
They fell upon each other in the clear light Of
the afternoon, their knives ghtsered Q moment
and then the avenger stood alone, with the grey
hairs at his feet. ~ .le r
A boat, coming down the river, put in for the
solitary tourist, and the rival vessels began to
measure speed. Their crews bueyed them on
with wager and hussah. They summoned
every inch Of steam to whirl their cleaning
wheels, and the timber in either craft trembled
like shipwreck. There was booming crash
a gush Of vapor and 6re, and shrieks piercing
the sky and the river-the hindmost steamer
burst into fragments; the avenged and avenge
we're equal.
VILFYINa GEN. BENTON We notice q srea
deal of slang and slandcr upon Thomas H
Benton, Jr., going the rounds of the Republi
can press. We haYa known Gen RenAo,