Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-05-16
or uneasily: then added, as he turned to

er uneasily; then added, as ne turned 70
walk away: "I'll give you two hours to
accept the challenge to fight, or you can
have the whipping in the morning."
The young fellows burst out laughing at
the spectacle Coodledodger made. He
shook and shivered in every limb, and
when the bully turned to walk away ne
clasped his hands before him and plead
ed "Please, please, Mr.. Jones'"
Just then some one touched him on the
arm, and when he turned around he recog-
nized his cousin, Willie Coodledoger, a
boy of seventeen or eighteen years, but
tall and muscular for his age, standing be-
side him.
"Come with me, Sam" said Willie.
When the two were away from the
crowd Willie stopped, and, facing his cous-
in, he asked: "Now, Sam, can you shoot
a pistol?"
"Yes, have practiced some at targets
in the city.
"Then you must fight John JONES'"
"But, Willie, it is dangerous"
"No, it amt" cried Willie, stamping
his foot angrily. "Jones is coward and
I know it. If you accept the challenge
ten to one he will refuse to fight. If you
funk, he'll horsewhip you sure enough
the first time he meets you."
"But what will Melissa say?'
"She is Western Texas girl and will
think all the world of you for taking your
part like man."
After some more talk Willie persuaded
Coodledodger to accept the challenge, and
Willie volunteered to act as second.
Accordingly Willie sought out Jones and
astonished him by declaring the fight on,
and asked him who he would refer him to
to make the arrangements for the duel.
To say that Jones was surprised is only
putting it mildly; in fact the fellow was so
staggered that he had not a word to say,
but started to walk away without giving
Willie an answer.
"Say, Jones'" cried Willie, sit is fight or
sneak, sure enough" But Jones seemed
not to hear as he moved further and fur
ther away.
"Here, you fellows" shouted Willie to
a knot of men who were standing little
ways of, ''come over this way and be a
witness that John Jones refuses to light"
This had the desired effect, for Jones
turned fiercely upon Willie and Missed out
between his teeth: "You shall pay for
this"
Half dozen young fellows came over to
see what was the matter, and to these Will
Jones when he saw that he was caught
in his own net, tried to look as happy as a
hungry man is at the sound of rattling
dishes when the table is being set, answer
ed loudly that he hungered for blood,
and was glad to have chance to appease
his appetite with dainty morsels from a
refined city dandy.
Jones had no trouble to find second to
act with Willie and make ready for the
battle. So at break of day Jones and his
friend stole away from the sleepy crowd
that was hanging around the Coodledodger
place and made their way toward the
prairie through the narrow belt of timber
that fringed the course of Jones' creek.
When they arrived at the place of meet
ing they found Coodledodger and Willie
already there in waiting. The place Sc
lected for the fight was in small V-shaped
cove of prairie that formed into the edge
of the timber. A gully from the creek
came up to the lower point of the cove,
where it forked, one branch running on
each side of the cove, close to the timber
line, and on into the prairie. Where the
two arms of the gully were about forty
steps apart was the place selected Tor the
duel.
The combatants looked at ea>h other
them that everything was in readiness,
and they were marched, each man pistol
in hand. to where short stake was driven
into the ground. Here the duelists were
placed back to back and told to walk fif-
teen steps straight ahead, and then turn
and make ready to fire when the signal
was given.
"Now, forward, march," commanded
Willie in ringing tones
"One, two, three" and so on counted
the seconds until they stopped at fifteen.
Jones and Coodledodger kept as even step
as though drilling for prize, and both
seconds shouted "Halt" at the same mo-
ment, as if in one voice, but the two prin-
cipals walked on and on-sixteen, seven
teen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, and they
disappeared in the gully.
Willie and Jones' friend stood amazed, |,
each looking after his man, thinking he
would show up presently above the edge
of the gully. Twoo or three minutes passed,
still there was no sign. The seconds look
ed at each other, when Willie exclaimed :
"I'll be dog goned"
Just at that moment cry OF horror
reached their ears. The sound came from
the lower part of the cove, and thither they
sped as fast as their feet could carry them.
When they came to where the gully fork
ed and looked down in the bottom Of it, a
startling scene met their eyes. There was
a pool of water in the bottom of the gully.
In this pool lay Jones on his back and Coo
dledodger was sitting astride of him, hold
ing him down by his long hair, one hand
on each side of his head. Every time
Jones made an attempt to rise Coodledodg-
er would force his head under water, and
when he ceased to struggle would let it
come to the surface again.
Almost simultaneously with the two
seconds crowd of people came rushing
upon the scene, Judge Coodledodger and
Miss Melissa with them. Roars of laugh
er went up from the crowd when they saw
what had happened, and even Miss Melis-
sa clapped her hands in glee when she saw
that her lover was safe and the upper dog
in the fight. The combatants were parted,
and Jones SUNK away by himself, voWing
vengeance against the whole world, while
Coodledodger was brought home in tri-
umph, the hero of the hour.
This happened years ago, but to this day
Coodledodger maintains that he was not
running away from the fight Zones
friends say he did) when he so suddenly
ran against his rival in the bottom of the
gully, knocking him into the water-hole,
but that he was playing off joke. How
or where the joke comes in he cannot ex-
actly explain, hoWever.-Peter. .Podger, IN
Galveston Ne,cs.
CURI0SITIES OF VISION.
Though vision without the optic nerve
is an impOSsibility, yet light thrown di-