Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-08-20

9Don't i, though: walked OF tf
Whit Dashwood's, and found that prom
ising young artist painting cookbook
| ing young woman in exceedingly scan,
ty drapery, rising from sea-bath.
! thought at first, il might have been
some scene from life taken ct Newport
| or some of those other nOnsensical
places: but Whit informed me the
lady was Venus rising from the sea-
foam. L praised the picture (eyery
artist expects you TO do as much when
you visit him), suggested the proprie.
| ty of erinoline, and then plunged III
once into business; told Whit the whole
affair, and got him to promise 70 act as
nv friend in the case; and punshed
a couple Of bottles of the old womans
sherry, and ne had informed me OF his
belief that Annie was a downright nlrt,
who cared no more for De Fernie than
She did for me, l thought Eastwood
looked rather two much amused over
the.melancholy circumstances for COM
fort-in fact, he laughed uprOariously
all the time was telling him, until l
felt almost as savage against him as L
did against De Fernie, and felt as ifa
little knocking down would be necessa-
~ to take the nonsense out OF him.
However, his landlady's capital wine
served as peace-maker under the cir
eumstances, and he promised through
his tears (of laughterl, before L came
away, to be my second, and see my
melancholy remains decently inferred,
should happen to be left, as he ex-
pressed it, 'quivering on daisy
"Wel, got home here in state OF
mind-tO use mild phrase-decidedly
peculiar. am not coward, l hope.
/ could thrash he Fernie-or half a
dozen frog-eaters like him with my
fists, until his own natural born moth
er would have been puzzled to recogn-
iZe her offspring, and consider 1t rather
pleasant exercise than otherwise; but
his pistol affairwss something different.
knew DE Fernie was dead-shOt;
bring down q horn-bug on the wing;
and as had never stood UP to be shot
at before, | felt it would make me so
nervous that | would lust as likely
send ball through Whit Eastwood as
any one else. And thus melancholy
picture was before my minds eye, OF
being carried home on shutter life
less corpse, with De Fernie victim OF
remorse and bad eau de vie, ending his
days in a treadmill, or a lunatic asylum,
or some other refuge for destitute for
eigners; of you in black bombazine,
tearing your curls out by the handful;
and Annie-heartless perfidiOus Annie
taking the black vail, and becoming
a nun in her anguish and despair,
when it would be too late. thought
of all this, and was rather chuckling
over it than otherwise, when Bridget
ushered in young gentlema who had
requested to see me, and who politely
informed me he came on the part OF
his friend DE Fernie. smoked away,
offered him my cigarette-case, inform
ed him it was my private opinion the
day was decidedly fine, to which, after
a moments reflection-as if the fact
had thus struck him for the first time
he agreed that it certainly was. Then
| gave him DashwoOd's address, and for
futher particulars referred him to that
facetiOUs youth; upon which he bowed
himself out, leaving me to wonder
whether it hurt much to he shot. Be-
fore could decide, Bridget came i'll
again, handing me dainty little rose
tinted billct-which, being on the short
and sweet principle, contained the fol-
lowing words;
"'Miss Linn presents her compli-
ments to Mr.. Nevitte and desires him
to favor her with call precisely at
four o'clock this afternoon
''That was all, read it over and over,
backward ard forward, and upside
down: but could make nothing nfore
of it than that. She wanted me to call
on her. What if, finding L was about
to heave away my valuable life, she
had elented-discOvered she loved me
and was going to tell me so? felt
sure that was it: was in a delirium OF
happiness; l secuted the idea of black
wells and shutters, and beheld only a
vision Of intense d9@rahhiSss t fRiIts rftIe
responsibilities you may have read of,
two cups and saucers, a broom, sauce
pan, and a well-behaved domestic cat,
with Annie and for proprietors. !
was happy; forgot there existed such
an unpleasant fact as a fire eating
Frenchman; when at four precisely
placed a new pair of patent-leather
boots on the marble door step OF Linn
pere, and was ADMITTED by most dig
nitied foOtman into the silence and
solitude of the drawing-room. L sat
down and began admiring a portrait OF
Annie, painted few weeks before by
Whit Eastwood, that smiled down on
me from the wall, when the door was
flung open. l rose up, expecting to
meet the fair original, when 'phancy
my feelings to behold st. LO De Fer
ME, radiant in lemon kids and perfum-
ed mouchoir, enter. i stood transtixed,
so did he, and there we stared at each
other, two of the sweetest pictures of
djgniiied establishment and displeasure
ever you clapped yOureyes on. Meth
er spoke; we glared at each other Tor
moment and then sat down, looking
daggers, pitch-forks and penknives, but
our lips were Theoretically sealed.
Scarcely had we resumed our seats
when Annie, bewildering in cloud of
white muslin and fluttering blue rib
hons, fiOated into the room, bowed and
smiled in q way that finished me COM
pleteIy; and then sinking gracefully
into theaowny depths of an armchair,
the spirit moved her, and sue spoke:
"EGentlemen, was the unwilling
cause and witness Ofyour quarrel to-day,
the result of which you intend shall be
u duel-is it not SOP
I'VE both bowed, looking, fancy
rather sheepish, and Annie proceeded,
with most delightful GOODNESS:
"Ah! l thought so! Now gentle
man, as | regard dueling rs most
deadly crime, it is my wish that yours
end at once. Mr.. DE Fernie, do not in-
terrupt. You have just done me the
honor of proposing for my unworthy
self-a proposal have not yet answer
ed. Now, If decide here, and at once,
will you both promise faithfully this
duel shall not take place"
1--WE promise we both cried, eager
ly.
On your word of honor as gentle
men@
1--WE promise,
NO matter what the decision may
be?'
No matter what it may be, we
PROMISE
Then wait moment said Annie,
rising and walking to the door with q