The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-08-26
Select Story.
THE DUEL.

In the year 1901, when the peace of
Tilsit put stop to the conquests of Ma
poleon in Germany, the king of Prussia,
exhausted 10y his astonishing efforts to
maintain the war against France, re
duced his army to the peace establish
ment. Consequently many officers who
were stationed at Hamburg received
furlough, or were dismissed from the
service for a short time, and life of
military danger and activity gave place
to habits of idleness and dissipation.
In the early part of the summer, several
of these officers, having dined together and
sacrificed rather freely at the shrine of
the jolly god, adjourned towards evening
to the Exchange Coffee House, the most
noted hotel in the city. They entered
singing and shouting in most tumul
tuous manner, setting at defiance the
rules of propriety and decorum. The
youngest of the joyous band, the Baron
de V, who bore the commission of a
lieutenant in the army, was about twenty
five years of age, wealthy, handsome
and elegantly formed. But his mind did
not correspond with his person he was
vain, insolent, elf.conceited and presum.
ing. When they entered the public
room,they observed an individual of small
stature, in dark suit, seated alone at a
table. He held in his left hand the jour
nal of the day, while his right hand sup
ported pipe. lie paid but little atten-
ton to the entrance of this formidable
host of blackguards, scarcely deigning to
raise his eyes from the paper he was
perusing. The young Baron, doubtless
offended at an appearance of indifference
which he thought bordered on contempt,
approached the man in black, and said,
with smile of bitter irony:
"Ah, my friend, good evening From
your appearance,l should take you to be
II schoolmaster, or perhaps a tailor. Am
| right Where is your goose?
The citizen raised his eyes and fixed
them for moment on the countenance
of his interrogation, and then resumed the
perusal of the journal,
"God forgive me my sins, continued
the Baron. she will not answer me.
Come, my little fellow, we must be more
sociable. All, | perceive the reason of
your silence that pipe incommodes you.
AS must hear the sound of your voice,
allow me to relieve you"
| So saying, he snatched the pipe from
the hands of the stranger, and dashed it
to pieces on the floor, piece of wit
which his companions appauded with
shouts of laughter.
| Without laying lown the journal, the
insulted individual turned towards the
entrance of tie inner room, and coOlly
said
"Waiter, another pipe"
"Well done" resumed the young i'm.
pertinent, 81 have gained something,
however; l made him open his mouth
The pipe was brought, filed and
lighted, and the citizen continued to pc
ruse the journal as if nothing had hap
pened,
MY little man." said the Baron,
"where do you belong? In what village
do You exercise your talents? What, nc
answer? Have yon resolved not to en-
ter into conversation with me :"
Here the insulted person again raised
| his head aud looked the young officer in
the face, at the same time putting out an
immense volume of smoke; he then de-
liberately resumed his former occupa
ton.
perhaps | was mistaken in your char
acter' interrupted the Baron; ''you may
be the quid nuno of a village, and per
haps endeavoIing to commit to memory
the news which that paper ccntains, tC
impar it correctly to your friends ant
neighbors, But you smoke like Swiss
That pipe causes you much incOnven
ience."
1t was second time broken.
| Without evincin" by gesture,or any
visible sign of conference.-the least ap
lpearance of anger, the man in blacl
coolly repeated the first demand;
| "Waiter, another pipe"
"What a melodious voicep resumed
the Baron, "Suoh patience must be th'
attribute of an angel or devil. / woul,
give thousand florins to see you in
passion itwould be delicious sport"
| An old major whose embroidered
coat was decorated with military orders
and on whose German physiognomy wa