Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-08-14
,out country. OF that my friend VI

Plessis, on the road to Versailles, is a
quiet enough place. 1 will supply the
keg of powder for your use and you
will supply the one for mine"
Very well. SIR" said Foulon bow
ing. II shall be there. The terms to
be rigidly adhered to? To apply the
cigar which one has Just been smoking
to the open hole in the keep"
Precisely" answered the Colonel.
Il presume" said the Lieutenant,
with a sinister smile. "that in any
event the services of a doctor or sur
geon will be unnecessary"
Il am sure of it." said the Colonel,
with a grin.
Foulon left the room, and when he
had gone Colonel Skerrett said: ..I'll
fight this here devil, but 1 amt gwine to
let that there fool blow himself to
atoms" The three friends took meas
uresD accordingly.
The next day, at the appointed time,
the five men, all smoking vigorously.
were on the ground. Each party had
brought its powder-keg along. The
Major won.
Foulon turned ghastly pale, but
walked firmly to the keg which the
Americans had brought and sat down
on it. 1t was an ordinary cider keg,
and Major Marsh knocked out the
bung. All then retired to a safe dis
lance except the Colonel, who remained
standing by Foulon's side. The latter.
down whose livid face the sweat was
rolling, took his cigar from his mouth
and advanced it, still glowing, toward
the open bung-hole.
Hold on there" said the Colonel,
''that ere cigar is lit"
Certainly it is" gasped Foulon. his
lips quivering in spite of himself.
"Well," said the Colonel, with a
grin, ''you be MT such a darned fool
as to put a lighted cigar into a key of
powder, DO you? When was You
bornp"
"Sir," replied the Lieutenant, vainly
endeavor.ng to hold the cigar motion
less in his shaking hand. II have
given my word that if 1 lost the toss
up I should put this lit cigar"
"Hold on; you didn't say lit"
'Well, the cigar 1 was smoking"
"Put it out then"
'Sir, you have run the risk that I
ran l have lost, and I but do as you
would have done. I will put this
lighted agar into this bung-hole-"
PUT in the c%hawed-up end. then"
You insult me again, sir"
''Bless your heart. You fire up a
darned sight easier than this ere pow
der ever will. Do you think that l
would ever put the burning end of a
cigar into the bung-hole of a key full
of powder? Great J~erusalem!"
II have told you aga;n. and I repeat
it, that you are no gentleman: But I
Il am a man OF honor. Bah! You
shall see me die as one. l keep my
promise"
Foulon slowly advanced the burning
cigar toward the opening in the key
beneath.
$50 away here, you shall be killed!'
shouted Vicaire to the Colonel; but the
latter remained quietly beside the vic
tim. Vicaire covered his face with his
hands, and waited for the awful mo-
ment which was to blow his friend to
atoms. There was a dead silence, and
then q 81 ght hiss was heard. Vicaire
looked up. Foulon. his face purple
with rage, was holding his cigar, after
repeatedly poking it into the bung-hole.
The Colonel was on a broad grin.
lis this powder?' asked Foulon.
.'Tooth POWDER" answered the Col
onel; 'cost almighty"
But" said Foulon, shaking now
with rage instead of fear, '.if You had
lost the toss-up Our keg was full of gun
powder. What then?"
I'D have put the cigar out before I
put in," said the Colonel.
"Ahn' murmured Foulon.
''Or stuck in the chawed-up end.
Hold on to the terms YOU"
Foulon calmly walked to his carriage.
He and Vicaire hoisted in their key of
gunpowder and followed it themselves.
.'Sirn shouted Foulon to the Colonel,
Il said you were no gentlemen. I say
now you are a coward"
The Colonel SIN led.
For three days the friends walked
about Paris and saw both Foulon and
Vicaire several times. They were not
posted i'll the cafes, for the Frenchmen
feared the storm of rid.cule which a
knowledge of the grotesque duel would
OIluS upOu CuCAu. NclsucI WCT0 LuCy
horsewhipped, for Vicaire argued that
they would probably retaliate, and in
such a case the whipping would be only
a modified form of the duel q la club
rempli.
On the fourth day after this .'duel''
the three friends happened to be on
one of the large and beautiful steam
boats carrying excursions down the
Seine. Colonel Skerrett. like q con-
sistent Yankee, was in the pilot-house.
watching the working of the wheel. He
came down afterward and sauntered
back to where his two friends were
standing. Near them were no less in
d v.duals than Foulon and Vicar!e. Nei-
Their party addressed the other. The
boat was in the middle of the river. For
a long distance on either side the banks
were straight, and the tide was flow ng
directly down the middle channel. Sud
denly arose a cry of fire. A wild
stampede of passengers in the bow OF
the boat was made toward the stern,
and Foulon. who was standing near an
opening in the railing, was thrown
from his balance. AS he was falling
overheard the Colonel stretched out his
long arm, grasped him by the collar,
and pulled HIM in again. The French
mans hat had fallen off. The Colonel