The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-10-01
Almost a Duel.

ArSene HOuSSaye, In a Paris letter to
the New York Tribune, relates the fol-
lowing bit of personal experience: |
once had a hat adventure myself. 1t
was in 1850. 1t was at the ball of the
Hotel de Vile, escOrting Nine. Victor
Hugo, while NJ. Hugo gave his arm to
Nine Houssaye. There was a chair
empty, and the next one to it contained
hat. | took up the hat and gave the
chair to Nine. Hugo. OF course | did
not purpose to hold the hat all night, 50
| put it on the floor. It's owner soon ar
rived. 1t was a celebrated duelist, NJ
Sherbette, deputy from Loissons. He
came straight to the chair which had
had the honor of holding his hat. He
was about to attack Nine Hugo, but as
| was talking with her he turned upon
me.
g Is it you sir, who have displaced my
hat ~ g Yes sir" Did you put it on
the floor ?" " Yes, do you think |
ought to have put it on my head ?"
:" But, sir, you have insulted me. Here
is my card"
| took out card and threw it in his hat.
Monsieur!" said the deputy furi-
Ously, edo you suppose l am going to
pick up my hat! :"
"Do you suppose" l said, "that am
going to put it-On your head? 20
Victor Hugo laughed, Nine. Hugo
smiled, but Nine. HOussaye was not at
all amused.
I" require, sir" said the deputy of
LOissOns, that you replace my hat on
laugh. A little circle had gathered.
NJ. Sherbette finally picked up his hat
under the pretext of taking my card.
Mons. Arsene HOussaye," he said,
eve are from the same place, a reason
more for your meeting"
81 await your seconds, NJ. Sherbette,"
l replied.
"At what hour?'. At this hour.
We can fight as soon as we leave the
ball"
NJ. Sherbette bowed to the two ladies,
and went on search of two seconds. |
asked Victor Hugo and the Marquis de
BellOy to act as my witness in this ride
ulous affair. NJ Sherbette's seconds
soon appeared. 1t was decided that we
should fight with pistols at twenty PAGES
at the Blois de Boulogne at daybreak.
1t was then hardly midnight, but we re-
solved to pass the rest of the night at
the ball. At that time | was very fond
of waltzing. They told Nine. HOusaye
that the affair had been amicably settled,
so that we amused ourselves pleasantly
until nearly dawn.
AS i'll luck would have it, we all met
in the cloak-rOOm, principals and seconds.
:" 1t is a nuisance" said one of Sher-
bette's seconds, TO go to the Blois in
this snow Storm" Come" said the
other laughingly to NJ. Sherbette, Gas
you are the injured party, you can apOl-
Ogize." Never !" said NJ Sherbette.
The two seconds came to me. I" Say
one word to free us from this task. We
want to 90 to bed" Never !" | cried
in my turn. NJ. Sherbette put on his
hat with slant over the right ear. |
put on mine with a slant over the left.
The four seconds besieged us, and said
they would not accompany us unless we
were gOod-natured about it.
After all" said Victor Hugo, Il
think that Arsene Houssaye having in
suited only NJ. Sherbette's hat, might
make his apologies to it.
At this moment word from NJ. Sher-
bette changed the face of things. If
NJ Arsene Houssaye declares that in
OuGnuIIS my lldG Ie Nlu LoG lnSdh W
offend me | will hold myself satisfied.
| declared that had not aimed at NJ.
Sherbette under his hat and the duel
was at an end. 1t was agreed in the
verbal proces-verbal, that whenever we
met thereafter we were not to salute
each other with a touch of the hat.
AN ITEM FOR THE BOYs.-The amuse-
ment of flying kites does not prevail quite
as extensively at the present time as in
former years. The amusement is very
ancient one. In Central Asia it is as pop
ular as in America or Europe, but is made
to yield double qualification. 1t delights
the ear by an emission of soft, melodious
murmuring, at the same time that it
pleases the eye with its graceful bird-like
motions Each kite is 50 constructed as
to produce the effect of an eOlian harp,
and thus the flight and song Of winged
warblers are both initiated in the ingen-
ious plaything. A traveller gives the fol-
lowing desert ption of these musical kites:
Each kite is a square formed upon two
diagonals of light wood, whose extremi-
ties are commercially a tight string, form