The Van Buren press., 1869-11-30


decks being cleared for action, the strAng
er locked the door, placed the key on TIL
mantel. peice behind him, and said 4
II think you might have helped q lit
, tie; but never miad. Will YOU give I'M
your attention for five minutes r.
Perfectly" AW Ge f
"Thank you. am, as have telt
you, Frenchmnn, bus | was educated II
England at one Of her famous publ,
schools. Jlad been sent TO one of ou
own Lycees, ! should, perhaps, hav,
gained more book kno Wedge; but, as /
Is, l have learned some things which W,
do not teach, and one Of them Is, not tt
take mean advaneayc OF any man, bu
to keep my swn head with my own hands
| Do you understand me, Monsieur X
Comtc ?" 5,.,,.,,..' =, ..,..,'9s.l,..I
II cannot flstter myself that do"
4 !" Ha! Then must be more explicit
4 / learned, then, that one who takes ad
vantage OF mere brute strength agains
the weak, or who, practised in any art
cempcls one unpractiscd in it to content
with him. is a coward and a knavc. Do
you follow me now, Monsieur lie Comte p
"I came here. Monsieur
(" Never mind for what you came; be
content vita what youwili get For ex-
ample---to follow what was observing
If man skilled with the smail sword,
for the mere vicious leve OF quarreling,
goads to madness a boy who has never
fenced in his life, and kills him, that man
Is a murderer and more---a cowafdly
murderer, aud q knavish.n leauiis5 9a
~ think l catch your meaning; but il
you have pistols here foamed the bul,
! ly. b.
al do not come to eat strawberries
with pistols in my pocket replied the
other in the same caml tone he had used
throughout. ALLOW me to continue.
At that school Of which l have spoken,
and in the society OF men who have
grown out OF it, ana others where the
same habit OF thought prevails, II would
be considered that = man who had boen
guilty os cowardice and knavery as hav
mentioned. would be justly punished If,
some day, he should be paid in his own
coin by meeting some one who would
take him at the same disadvantage as ho
placed that poor boy at" s bna s9olo'a
sour seconds shall fx your own weap-
ons, Monsieur," said the Count q let
this farce end" ~ 't'' '''
Presently. Those gentlemen whose
opinions now venture to express, not
having that craze for blood which dis
tinguishcs some--who have not had u
similar enlightened oducation--would
probably think thut such coward and
knavs as we have been considering would
best meet his deserts by receiving hui
initiating castigation beiitting his knave-
ry and his .cowardice." ,s...s... .,- ~
All see; ! have a lawyer to deal
4" Yes. have studied n little law, but
j regret to say an about to break one
Of its provisions" rbIatslz lei4
"You will fight me then 2"
"Yes. In the school we have been
speaking Of, learned, among other
things, the use of my hands; and, II /
mistake not, am about to give yen as
sound thrashing as any bully ever got
"You would take advantage Of your
skill in the boxi' said the Count getting
little pale.
"ExaetIy. just as you took advantage
Of your skill In the small.sword with
poor young B. fG W rs ed
"But it is degrading-brutal !"
"My dear Monsieur, just consider.
You are four inches taller and some thir-
ty to forty Kilograms heavier than ! am.
l have seldom seen 30 fine an outside.
If you were to hit me a good swinging
blow II would 90 hard with me. In the
same way. il poor young b. had
got over your guard, 1t would.have gone
hard with you. But then, l shall only
black both your, eyes, and perhaps dc
prive you OF a tooth or so, nnhappily in
front; whereas youkilled aim" 3S i''i'f
- will not accept this barbarous en-.
counter" "eu.,c l,E IN real9 uuamf
"You must; i have done talking
Would you like little brandy before We
begin? NoI Place yourself on guard,
then, IL you please. Whom l have done
with you, aud you arcIat TO appear, then
you shall have your revepge--even with
the small sword, If you please, A pres
ent, bully GO ward-knaye, take that
and that, and that 'H s''i'' ii'
And the wiry little Anglo Frank was
az good as his word In less time than
1t takes TO write it the great braggart was
rendered unpresentable for many long
day. That number one caused him to
see fifty suns besming In the armament
with his right eye, Mat number two pro
duccd similar phenomenon with its
left that number three obliged him to
swallow front tooth, and to observe
the ceiling more attcntively than he had
hitherto done And when one or two
other Mdts had completely cowcd him.
aud he threw open the window and called
for help, the strawberry.eater, took him
by the neck and--well, another and lower
part, and flung him out Of it on to the
flo wcr-bed below.
The strawberry. eater remained 4 month
at Bordeaux to fulfil his promise Of givs
ing the Count his revenge. But then,
again. tho bully met with more than his
match. The strawberry-oater had bad
Angelo for a master as well as Owen
Swift, and after few PAGES the Count,
who was too eager to kill his man, felt
an unpleasant sensation In his right
shoulder The seconds interposed, and
there was an end Of the affair 1t was his
last duel Some one produced sketch
Of him as lio appeared being thrown out
OF the hotel window, and ridicule 80
% n E,ancbm NJ rt,1 tho cnuutrv