The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-10-08

others.
"Do you know how this trouble orig
mated ?" he asked, when we were out
of hearing.
"No,"I replied; "don't you? Ny
principal did not consider it necessary
to tell me-"
"Just the case with mine. say, this
is going to be bad business for US, I'm
afraid. They say Phelps is sure shot. "
Eyes, and, from what / can learn,
Barton is no Indifferent hand with a pis-
toll"
81 presume those are the weapons to
be used" he said, pointing to the case L
held in my hand. LET me see them,
please"
1 handed him the pistols, and saw by
the way he handled them that he was
familiar with such things. He examined
them closely for several moments, and
then said:
Zone or the other of those boys is
doomed"
Before 1 had time to reply Phelps
called to us:
Gentlemen, times up"
We walked back to where he and Bar
ton were standing, little apart from
each other, and, having selected suitable
ground, Mumfee measured off ten PAGES.
| We then carefully loaded the pistols,
after which walked to where Barton
was standing.
"Is everything ready?" he asked, as 1
came up to him.
eyes. Is there anything you want to
say?"
Nothing, except to thank you for
| your kindness to me, and to ask Of you
to see that my instructions of this morn
! ing are carried out. Don't try to dis
cover what my real name is, for it would
be useless"
And without another word he took his
position. Phelps was already in his
place with his pistol in his hand. L
handed Leslie the pistol selected for him,
and walked off few steps to his right.
A moments silence, and then Num-
fee. who was to give the word, cried out:
Gentlemen, are you ready?"
Ready" came from both.
Gone
They both raised their pistols, and the
sharp, metallic "click, click" of the
locks resounded upon the evening air.
"Two! !"
I looked ut Leslie Barton. Not q
stern, and there was that same light in
his handsome black eyes that l had no.
ticed on the day that Phelps addressed
him in the hall of the college.
"Three !"
simultaneously the reports of both
pistols rang out-so near together We're
they that it seemed that but one pisto!
had fred. Ny eyes were fixed upon
Leslie, and at the crack of the pistols
saw him stagger for moment, drop his
pistol and clasp both his hands over his
left breast, and, before / could reach
him, he had fallen backward to the
ground.
AS L raised his head upon my knee he
gave one or two gasps, a convulsive shud-
der passed over him, and he was still.
Unclasping his hands from his breast, |
saw where the ball had entered, just
over his heart, and 1 knew that the spirit
of Leslie Barton had taken its flight
from this world.
Laying his head gently back upon the
ground, turned and saw Mumfee bend
ing over the PROSTATE form OF Phelps.
Approaching, / asked:
4" Is he badly hurt ?"
GLADLY hurt the devil. Why, he
was dead before he touched the ground.
Look at that, and he pointed to a bull
let-hole just between the eyes. How
about Barton ?"
He is dead, too. Shot directly
through the heart"
For time we were both silent. Mum
fee was first to speak.
"Well, he said, rising, something
must be done-one of us must report
this at the college. Will you go ?"
eyes," replied, and, without a mo.
ment's delay, hurried to the college.
found Col W in his room, and re.
ported the affair to him. At first he
seemed to think L was drunk or crazy,
but when 1 told him that Cadets Barton
and Phelps were lying dead III the ce.
dar grove he sprang from his chair, ex-
claiming:
"And you assisted these two in muir.
dering each other ?"
:" acted as Barton's second, SIR"
replied.
"Then go to your room and consider
yourself under close arrest. You will
answer to higher court than college
court martial, and, Selling his hat, he
hurried from the room.
went up to my room, and threw my.
self into chair. My state of mind car
more easily be imagined than described
In a few minutes 1 heard footsteps as.
cending the stairs, and then the key was
turned in my door, from the outside, and
the steady tramp of some one back and
forth before my door told me that a sen
tinel was on guard there.
The hours dragged YEARLY on, and
Just as the clock in the hall told the hou
of 10, the door was opened and a cadet
came in with orders for me to report tc
Col W Immediately. He followed
me down the long hallway, down the
stairs to the door of the Commandant's
room. 1 entered, but the guard re-
NAMED on the outside. L found Col
W excitedly walking the floor
Turning to me, he asked, tiercely:
"What did you know OF Leslie Bar
ton ?"
Nothing, Colonel, until to-day, wher
l. IL 80 .AaI.a Rnr