The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-01-30

"He has injured me in a way that
nothing but his foul life can concel.
Before he came into the valley with
his polished manners and pretty face
I had the undivided attention Of F, C.;
but things are different now, as you
know" By this time Blair had
reached us, bearing in his hand a re-
volver, heavily gold and silver monn-
ted, and Ornamented; but it bore ira
ees of having long been exposed to
the elements; its barrel and cylinder
were tarnished and filled with sand, |
which would have taken long time
to accumulate there. AS soon as Ca
sew saw il, he arose to his feet and ex-
claimed "HaIlo, Blair where did you
come across my pistol? l lost it the
day before yesterday while in the
chase of an antelope, and had inten-
ded TO 90 and look for it to-day, but
as you have saved me the trouble, l
will just thank you and take posses
siOn.n
mot quite so fast, Colonel. This is
not your pistol, for you say you lost
yours the day before yesterday, and
this has evidently been lying where /
stumbled upon 1t for a year; and,
here Is another circumstance to con-
tradict your assertiOn-anOther's |
name engraved on the mounting"
aswered Blair, turning the weapon |
over, and exposing to view, the name
and date, 'George Wilson, 1885," cut |
deep in the silver mounting.
81 don't care q tinker's darn for the /
name. I guess l know my pistol |
when see it. Again say it is mine, |
and want it." answered Casey an
grily. i
sit is not yours, and you shall not |
have it. 1t is George Wilson's for
| have heard him speak of losing it. |
and seemed to regret its loss very |
much, not merely on aecOut OF its In
trinsic value, Dut because it was made |
q present to him by his Colonel, du-
ring the Mexican war, and for the
many lively memories it revives of
the olden time, within the DOminiOns
of the Don. And intend to have
the pleasure of restoring 1t to him as
soon as convenient" answered Blair
decisively.
"Then you mean to insinuate that
1 am liar, do yOu?"
az meant just what said-nOthing
more nor less.
"And 1 will have your life for it,"
Missed Casey, drawing his revolver.
Jim sprang to his feet, caught his
revolver and forced its muZZle down.
ward, at the same time exclaiming,
''My God Casey, what would you do?
You are letting your animosity carry
Won entirely too far We don't want
anv shooting here" Casey struggled
desperately to free his weapon, but all
his efforts were in vain, for he was
held in the iron grasp Of Gruwell. He
then changed his tactics, and COM
menced abusing Blair; he exhausted
! mis- catalogue of oaths in English, and
then drew on his list Of Oaths Spanish.
This failing in its object, he, as, q last
resource accused him of being a cow
ard and a scsundrel, which instantly
/ had the desired effect.
Blair's fingers twitched nervOusly
at the handle of his revolver, and at
! length he said in a voice husky with
rage, "Col. Casey, have taken more
abuse and insult from you since en-
tered this valley than any other man
I'm California would have done, and
certainly much more than should
have, had not known the true state
OF your mind. have hoped and be-
lieved that by so doing could avert
a meeting between us. But when l
heard the terms coward and scoun-
drel applied to me, by you, who have
been my fellow campaigner for so
long, and know how utterly untrue
the charge is, all my resolutions to
resist nv true feelings have been bro
ken. IF any man had called me cow
ard I would not have felt it half so
much as when il came from you
YOU who have battled by my side
in all the terrible engagements we
PASSED through in Mexico. You for
get the day that you and I and
. Young Haller fought side by side on
the far-fa ned rocky height in
Mexico, and how we same three suf-
|, fered together in a Mexican Dungeon,
and how we were sentenced and made
to draw for our lives, and how you
drew the black bean, tha penalty Of
which was death, and how Haller and
, I offered to forfeit our lives that yours
. might be spared. You forget the day
, we were lying in the bunch of CHAP
! parrsl, and how then and there we
swore eternal fidelity and friendship
to each other in the event of our
escape. You forget all these things
and call me a coward. But in reply
: do not call you a coward. No.
Colonel Casey you are not a coward ;
} YOU are q brave man and in your
r bosom there beats as kind and true a
3 heart as ever beat in the breast OF
r man. You have but one great fault,
but that is an objectionable one, for
when under its influence you would
? kill your best friend. Colonel Casey,
] l. or q nj
] Won Immediately. Gruwell, you have
3 always been my friend, and his, too,
{ [ believe. If you are still the best
way to show it is to let him free"
"a pretty way to show my friend
ship indeed" Jim answered scornful'
e ". At length Gruwell, on condition
I that they would remain quiet for 8
| while, and give him time to settle the
t difficulty, loosened his hold.
!. HBlair,D said Casey, ''in order Il
make you quarrel with me l called
. YOU a coward. Here, before the one
{ that heard me utter the word, re
: nounce it. You are not q coward
! That is the only apology shall offer
! for think it is the only apology
owe you"
: "Cssey, il would be the happies
/ hour of my life if 1 could shake you
q hand in friendship once more, bu
: your apology is not sufficient to stoI
: the duel.n
/ at is all have to offer, and 1 d.
: not want to stop the duel. On th'
{ contrary I burn for it, and tell yoT
honestly, that when we meet, as NEE
!. we must, you had better kill me a
: the first fire, ifyou value your life, o
4 ! I intend TO take that life II ID lies il
= my power TO do so.'
!. $50 be it," assented Blair with
e groan.
;; In vain GruWell and l protested
q reasoned, entreated, threatened an
q implored. Both stood as firm in thei
,e intention to spill each others blood a
d the strong peaks that stood aroun
(, them. We then endeavored 10 hav
(. the meeting postponed until the mex
1t day, but without success. They sus
IS pected that steps would be taken {
q stop 1t altogether, and they both d.
le clsred that If prevented now the
le would meet again in secret, and ths
s the consequences would be more feal
j. full than now when there were tw
Sc persons to regulate them and see tha
re the articles OF the duello, were properl
le observed, II was agreed that the
re should fight.
s. The preliminRTies were soon arranl
Id ed. The combatants were 20 use tt
q revolver, distance four yards. The
lis were to stand back to back, and at
ed given signal, which was to the flri1
n. Of a pistol, they were TO wheel aI
Of fire away at each other, undl one
o. both had fallen. At this junetu
ed Caaar fnnk a sfranra fancy infn b