The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-03-08
rIIE POINT OF EHONOR.
lAnO OLD and Good story.

sitting and chatting in q state of hi
larious gaiety, in front OF Senior AR
guella's country house, q mile or 81
out of Santiago de Cuba, in TIT
Eastern Intendencia of the Queer
OF the Antilles, and once its cap
ital, when an incident occurred tha
as effectually put an extiDguisheI
upon the noisy mirth as If bomb.
shell had suddenly exploded at ouI
feet. But first a brief account Of
those seven persons and the cause
o. their being so assembled will b.
n cessary.
Three were American merchants
-Southerners and smart traders
extensively connected with the COM
merce OF the Colombian archipela-
go, and designing to sail on the NOR
row, wind and weather permitting,
in the bark Neptune, S'arkey mas
ter and part owner. for Morant bay.
Jam 4ic4 one was a Lieutenant in
the Spanish artillery, and nephew
OF our host; another was M. Du-
POM, q ynnDg and rich Creole, OF
mingled French and Spanish parent
age, and the reputed suitor for the
hand of Donna AntoDiA, the dAngh-
tCA 6ud oOAo BOANOoD VI gOOoOI mr.
guellas, and withal q graceful aud
charming maiden Of eighteen; . ripe
age in that precocioLs cline The
sixth guest was Captain StArkey, OF
the Neptune, q genilemauly, fine
looking English seaman of about
thirty years Of age; the seventh and
last WAS myself, at the lime a mere
youngster and but just recovered
from severe illness hich . twelve
month previously had necessitated
my removal from Jamaica to the
more temperate and equabie climate
of Cuba, albeit the two islands are
but distant about five degrees from
each other. i was also one of Cap
tain Starkey's passengers, and 80
was Senior Arguellas, who had bust
ness to wind up in Kingston. He
was to be accompanied by Sonora
Arguellas, Antonio, the young
Lieutenant, aud M. Dupont. The
Neptune had brought q cargo of
sundries, consisting of hardware,
cottons, ct cetera, to Gu ba, and was
returning about half laden with
goods. Among these, belonging to
the American merchants, were q
number of barrels of gunpowder
that had proved unstable in Cuba,
and which, it was thought, might
find satisfactory market in Jamai-
ca. There was excellent cabin &C
commodation on board Capt. Stark
ey's vessel, and as the weather was
fine, and the passage promised to be
a brief as well as pleasant one, the
wind having shifted to the north
east, with the intention, 1t is claim
ed, of remaining there, for some
time. We were all, as i have stated,
in exceedingly good humor, and
discussing the intended trip, Cuban,
American aud European politics,
and the comparative merits of
French and Spanish wines, and of
Havana and Alabama cigars, with
infinite glee and gusto.
The evening, too, was deliciously
bright and clear. The breeze, pro-
rising to five or six knot one at
sea, only sufficiently stirred the rich,
odorous vegetation of the valleys,
stretching far away beneath us, to
gently fan the heated faces OF the
party with its grateful perfume, and
slightly ripple the winding rivers
rivulets rather-which were now
glistening with the myriad splen-
dors of the intensely lustrous stare
that diadem q Cuban night. Near
ly all the men had drunk very free
ly of wine, too much SO, indeed, but
the talk, in French, which all could
speak tolerablY, did not profane the
calm glory of the scene till some
time after Sonora Arguelles and her
daughter had left US. The Senior, l
should state, was still detained in
town by business which it was nee
ersary he should dispose of previ-
Gus to embarking for Jamaica DO
not go away said Sonora Arguerel-
las, addressing Captain s srkey, a.
she rose from her seat, until l see
you again. When you are at leis-
ure, ting the sonuette on the table
aud . servant will inform me.
wish to speak further with you rel
alive 70 the cabin arrA1Geuaeets.'
Captain StArkey bowed. I had
never, 1 thought, seen Antonio
emile so sweerly; and the Two Ia
dies left u. l do not pr ecisely re-
mem Der how it came about, or Whai
first led 10 il, but il was not very
long before we were all conscious
that the conversation had assumed
n disagreeable tone. It struck me
that possibly NJ. Dupont did not
ike the expression of Antonio's
face as she courtesied to Captain
Starkey. This, however, would, /
think, have passed off harmlessly,
had it not been that the Captain
happened to mention, very impru-
IDENTIFY, that he had once served as a
midshipman on board the English
slave squadron. This famed NJ.
DuponIs smouldering i'll humor
into q flame, and l gathered from
his confused msledictions that he
had suffered in property from the
exertions of that force. The storm
OF angry words ragged fiercely. The
motives of the English for interior
ing with the slave traffic were de-
ponnced with contemptuous bitter
ness on one side, and as warmly aud
angrily defended on the other. FL
naIly-the fact is they were both
Mustered with wine and passion and
scarcely knew what they said or did
M. Dupont applied an epithet to
the Queen of England, which in
stantly brought glass of wine full
in his face from the hand of Captain
Starkey. They were all in an in
slant on their feet, and apparently
sobered, or nearly so, by the unfor.
tunate issue of the wordy tumult.
Captain Starkey was the first to
speak. His flushed and angry fea-
tnres paled suddenly to an almost
deadly white, and he stammered
out, Il beg your pardon, III. Dupont.
1t was wrong, very wrong, in me to
do so, though not inexcusable.'
Pardon ? Mile toRRerreSp shout
ed M. Dupont, who was capering
about in an ecstacy of rage, and
wipiDg bis face with his handker-
chief. 'Yas, a bullet through your
head shall pardon you-nothing
lessp
Indeed, according to the then no.
lions of Cuban society. no other al
tentative save the duello seemed
possible. Lientenat Arguellas hur-
ried at once into the house and
speedily returned with a case of pis-
tots. Let rs proceed Ee said In 3
quick whisper, TO the grove yonder ;
we shall be there free from Interrupt
tion.' He took Dupont's arm, aud
both turned TO move off. AS they
did so. Mr.. Desmond, the elder OF
the American gentlemen, stepped