The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-11-29
4 DUEL OR \ WEDDING.s

DUEL OR \ WEDDiSG.s
T am an ardent admirer OF female
beauty, and ought to nave been an art
ist or sculptor, but I am neither.
was book-keeper for Brown \ Co.,
Wholesale dealers in hides and tallow.
Henry Bower: young man OF very
lively disposition, was employed III the
same Office. We boarded and roomed
together.
One night Henry and I attended one
OF the lyceum lectures III W. we mac
hardly been in the hall five minutes be.
fore nv attention was fixed upon one OF
the ladies in the front seat. She was
little to the right OF me, but as she was
talking very earnestly to the lady
next to her, her face was turned towards
rs and, susceptible us l am. l could
not but be impressed by the beauty OF
it.
Indeed. T could not withdraw my Gaze
from the beautiful young lady before
me. She had golden hair, and her oluest
Of ewes swan full Of love and sweetness.
Her nose was small and straight, and
she had just the prettiest dimple among
the bushes or either 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. I saw, as the fur cape dropped low
on her shoulders, was as white as alabas-
ter and smooth as marble. In bret,
did hear a word of the lecture.
sA month passed without my seeing
= : ;Ss ssr>s beautiful stranger. But
visit my friend, Mrs. Segard, in NJ.
She is a widow of forty, and IS the mo-
called ssztsil R1ssS aasE sss Mrs segard
had tried to bring about a marriage be-
tween Clara and myself, and believe I
was not much opposed to the match.
Clara was good girl everybody said; a
very pretty brunette, with flashing black
hair ind eyes, but her form was short,
thick and dowdyish. 1 admire hand
some form quite as much as a hand
some face. I might have married her
I really think I should, but for q little
affair that happened at ..
The morning started for N Bowers
accompanied me to the depot. While /
was buying my ticket, noticed another
gentleman come into the waiting-room.
Ny first thoughts was that it was my
shadow that T saw before me. He was
about my height, had a light complex
ion like mine, and eyes of grizzly-gray,
and one of them turned in just like
mine. He had on tall silk hat, tipped
on one side of his sandy locks, and so
did T and furthermore, he earned in
his hand a carpet-bag, with tag marked
81. Med" tied to the straps. So did I.
looked at him, and he returned the
compliment.
II say, SIR said the stranger, look
ing down at the carpet-bag held, and
examining the tag, care you John Nc
Dougal, or am ?"
"My name is McDougal. hope you
are an honest man, for, you see, if yon
should happen to rob bank, forge
note, pick pocket, or cut somebody's
jusular. I might have to suffer, perhaps
swing for it. can give you reference
as to my character" I answered.
eyes, that's very good. But Mr.. Nc
Dougal, which way are you going to go?"
"Down. I have just bought my
ticket"
"Then I'm going up. I don't think
we'd best travel together There's the
train starting now, Goodbye, Mr.. Nc
Dougal, I wish you success, and for my
sake don't spoil your character"
To get to NJ, which, by the way, is
rather out-of-the-way place, small,
one-horse town, with one tavern, two
churches and a poor-house, I had to
leave the cars at T., and then take p1i-
vate conveyance to NJ, FIVE miles dis
tant. I could have gone by the stage,
but that only leaves T., once day, at
five o'clock in the morning.
So when the cars stopped at T., I
took my carpet-bag in my hand, and got
out upon the platform.
There was quite large number Of
people at the station, bnt I took no no
tice of any of them, except tall, braw-
ny man, in brown overcoat and slouch-
ed hat, who started for NE as soon as I
stepped off the cars.
I was about to move away when the
slouched hat laid his hand heavily on
my shoulder.
'You are villain ~
s.Sir?"
'I repeat it. You're villain
"A miserable scamp" said a corpu-
lent gentleman, coming forward and
scrowling iercely.
Now, I felt that I was match for the
latter, but as to the other one, ] did
not doubt but he might work me up
into shoe-strings in less than three min