Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-03-22
From Harpers Weekly.l
The Duel About Miss ImOgene.

Miss Imogene De Forest was eighteen
years old, beauty and belle. Girls
years old; but to be beauty and belle
needs concurrence of favorable circum-
stances. In Miss Imogene these favor
able circumstances were of a decided
order. She had lovely face, a graceful
figure, and she was the only child of the
Hon. Lysander De Forest, an ex-gov-
ernor, an ex-senator. and a probable for
eign minister.
Besides, she had very respectable
private fortune, though young Jefferson
Duval and Captain Milton Fontaine both
.averred that was the very least point in
her charms. and not worthy to be named
with her dark eyes and her bewitching
smile. Girls of eighteen are not all
wise, and perhaps Miss Imogene believed
this; at any rate she looked as if she
believed it; and both Duval and Fontaine
had many hours in which they certainly
firmly believed it. When wandering in
the moonlight under the orange trees, or
when whirlng through the waltz at some
splendid fete, they were both quite GER
tain that nothing but Miss Imogene's
personal loneliness entered into their
dreams concerning her.
Hitherto, though both were pretenders
to Imogene'sf favor, they had preserved the
semblance of friendship. Duval rather
wished to do so; it gave him an honor
able opportunity of watching his rivals
chances; and Fontaine was of that order
of men who liked little opposition. He
intended at some favorable opportunity
to make coup o. etGt and at once and
forever put poor Duval out of the pain
full uncertainties of love. For somehow
he regarded his own success as certain.
and if the confident heart wins the fair
lady, and the faint one loses her, he had
some reason for his bhssful security.
One lovely evening in the charming
May-for May is charming in central
Texas-Imogene was slowly riding across
a prairie that was one billowy sea of
grass and flowers. Duval was by her
side, reciting Byron in very touching
manner. Imogene had casually noticed
that two horsemen had emerged from a
little wood, and were slowly following
them; and she had also noticed that they
had passed, at rather closer quarters
than she liked, herd of cattle feeding.
Whether the magnificent bull leading
them was irritated by Duval's floating
scarlet necktie, or by the poetry, or by
motives beyond human comprehension,
is uncertain, but his anger was positive
enough. Believing and tearing up the
ground, he came furiously after the
lovers. Poetry and sentiment collapsed
and the first law OF nature promptly as
serted itself.
Both pushed their horses to their ut
most speed, but the prospect was not
cheering. In fact. the question was this
Would the bull or the horses have the
best of it in a race over two miles of
open prairie?
He is gaining on us, and / am turn
ing sick and faint. Oh, what shall 1
do?"
'sLet US separate. He cannot follow
both, and perhaps he will select me-
Suddenly the shouts Of the men be-
hind attracted their attention. Imogene
glanced fearfully around. The two
horsemen she had noticed were coming
at a laundering pace; and before she
could check or turn her horse, one of
them had risen in his stirrups and
thrown a lasso around the infuriated
animal. 1t was now evident that Gov
ernor De Forest was one of these horse
men; the other, who still held the rope,
was quite unknown, both to Duval and
Imogene.
The governor quickly dispatched the
bull with his rife, and then, as the herd
were evidently growing uneasy, the whole
party rode rapidly home. Thanks and
introductions were practically delayed,
although the stranger knew that nc
thanks and introduction would ever be
more satisfactory to him than the glance
and smile he had received in the swifest
moment from Imogene.
Duval was very unhappy. He won.
dered If he had behaved in a cowardly
manner. The whole affair had been sc
sudden and rapid he could neither ana
1yze his feelings nor his actions. Ito.
gene had only said that she "quite ex
cused him." Had there been anything
to excuse? And then this stranger Ht
was quite as inexplicable. Governor Ds
Forest had simply introduced him al
"Mr. John Winthrop" He was a littl,
man, with plain, positive face. Hi
skin was tanned, his hair light, and BIZ
eyes of that steely blue which always an
noys weak and incapable persons.
Mr.. Winthrop made very light of thu
adventure. and gave all credit of the res
cue to the governor, except perhaps fo
one moment, in which Imogene and h'
once more exchanged eyes. The new
soon spread through the little town, ant
Fontaine was very indignant at fate. sI