Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1881-03-10
Select Story.
A DUEL OR A WEDDING.

| am an ardent admirer Of female
beauty. ! ought to have been an art
ist or sculptor but ! am neither. l
was book keeper for Brown & Co.,
wholesale dealers in hides and tallow.
Henry Bower, young man of very
lively disposition, was employed in the
same Office. We boarded and roomed
together.
One night Henry and | attended one
of the lyceum lectures in W. We
had hardly been in the hall five min
utes before my attention was fixed up
on one of the ladies upon the front
seat. She was little to the right of
me. but as she was talking very earn
estly to the lady next to her, her face
was turned toward us; and susceptible
as | am, | could not but be impressed
with the beauty of it.
Indeed couldn't withdraw my
gaze from the beautiful young lady
before me. She had golden hair, and
her bluest of eyes swan full of love
and sweetness. Her nose was small
and straight, and she had just the pref
tiest dlmple among the bushes on eth
er cheek. And then such a mouth
What red lips! teeth of pearl, flashing
between the roses. Her forehead was
smooth and broad, and her neck, saw
as the fur cape drooped low on her
shoulders, was white as alabaster, and
smooth as marble In brief, did net
hear word of the lecture.
A month passed without my seeing
anything of the beautiful stranger
But about that time l received an in
vitation to visit my friend Mrs. Segard
in M. She is widow of forty,
and is the mother of certain Miss Sc
gard, familiarly called Clara. | knew
that Mrs. Segard had tried to bring
about a marriage between Clara and
myself, and l believe ! was not much
opposed to the match. Clara was a
good glrl, everybody said; very pret.
ty brunette, with flashing black eyes
and hair, but her form was short, thick
and dowdish. | admire handsome
form quite as much as handsome face.
| might have married her-I really
think l should, but for little affair
which happened at u.
The morning I started for NJ,
Bowers accompanied me to the depot.
While | was buying my ticket no
ticed another gentleman came into the
waiting-room My first thought was
that it was my shadow that | saw be-
fore me. He was about my height,
had q light complexion like mine, and
eyes of grizzly gray, and one of them
turned in, just like mine. He had on
a tall, silk hat, tipped on one side of
his sandy locks, and so did |; and
furthermore, he carried in his hand a
small carpet bag, with tag marked i.
McD. tied to the straps. So did |.
looked at him, and he returned the
compliment.
Il say sir, said the stranger, look
ing down at the carpet bag that held,
and examining the tag, are you John
Mcclellan, or am II
My name is McDougal, [ hope you
are an honest man, for you see if you
should happen to rob bank, forge a
note, pick pocket, or cut somebody, S
jugular, I might have to suffer, per-
haps swing for it,
i can give you reference as to my
character, | answered.
Yes, that's very good. But Mr.. Nc
Dougal, which way are you going?'
Down, | have bought my ticket
Then am going up. ] don't think
we'd best travel together There's the
train starting now. Goodbye, Mr.. Nc
Dougal, wish you success, and for my
sake don't spoil your character.
To get to NJ which, by the way,
is rather out-of 1.-The. e.way place. small,
one-horse town, with one tavern, two
churches and "a poorhouse, | had to
leave the cars at t, and then take
a private conveyance to NJ, five
miles distant. l could have gone by
the stage, but they only leave u
once day, at five o'clock in the morn.
ing.
So when the cars stopped at u
l took my carpet bag in my hand, and
got out upon the platform.
There was quite large number Of
people at the station, but l took no no
tice of any of them, except tall,
brawny man, in brown overcoat and
slouched hat, who started for me as I
stepped off the cars.
| was about TO move away, when the
slouched hat man laid his hand heavi-
ly on my shoulder.
- .,,l1n,.I1