The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-11-02
THE TWO COWARDS.
was a coward! We were both

was a coward We were both
leowards!
~ spoke our old law-tutor, Moses
IKE. And thus ne continued:
Ne had graduated from Harvard
iassAn Adams and mvself-and had
eiHane0eed the practice of law. We
Y s''syf neither of us married, though
I ~ ptll were anticipating that event.
! l<k had case in cOurt--a case of
zF6 Pass. Adams was for the plain
q Rnd l for the defendant. 1t was
fm weak, foolish complaint, and Ad
8f usshould not have taken it up. Ii
MAS clearly case of extnrtion. The
Rltf held Il rod oyer the back of
ne aetendant in the shape of bit OF
4 uoEiedge concerning private mis-
f1 a former time. and the present
lll1paint was only a seeming legal
rfi;FSti \ s4Ich that other power WAS
T5Ttsed Tor the purf'sst. ,,f ,,:,,t, M, ti;,'i
| thepo0r mans purse. at the trial |
elpnsed the trick, and Obtained Il
ruling ont, by the court, of lot Of
| scandal which Adams had planned
| to Introduce as testimony, or course
L vas severe, and as my opponent
hadentered upon a very bad case my
stric ufes cut home. | gained the
verdcE tor my client, and people
laughed at the foied plaintiff, and
spoke lightly Of his lawyer.
THIS it commenced. Adams cou'd
not fogive me for the chagrin it had
causedhim. He laId it up against
me, and talked openly about being
revengd.s This was on the first Of
/ August A month afterwards we
met at a party where the gentlemen
drank wine, Late in the evening
Adams and | met, and third per-
son made some remarks upon the old
trial, WhereupOn a fourth person
Laughed, and said that ] had done a
great thing. AT this Adams flushed,
and made an impudent reply. The
reply was addressed to me, and | an
sWered 1t. The two outsiders laugh
ed at the hit i made, and Adams
said something more severe than he.
fore. replied TO him. He deliDer.
ately told me that l was a liar!
had been drinking wine, and Fly
blood was heated. As that harsh,
hard, coWardly word fell upon my
ear, my passion OVercame ne. /
struck LabaD Adams in the face and
knocked him back against the wall.
It was IA cowaftily thing for me to
~ika him there, in tIldG COIlpa ly,
Dut | was too much excited to reflect
expected that Adams would strike
back, but he did not. was stronger
than he, though this consideration
may not have influenced him. His
friends drew him away, and | went
out into the open air. As soon as the
cool breeze famed my brow, and
eased the heated blood away from
MY brain, | was sorry for what had
done, but it was too late to help the
matter. l might have gone to Adj
ans and asked him to overlook the
wrong / had done him. but had
not the courage for that.
On the following morning a friend
named Watkins, called upon me and
presented a note from Laban AdamS.
| opened it ana found it to be a chal-
lcnge. / was requested to give sat
isfactiOn for the blow | had struck.
If | was a gentleman l would do so.
If | was willing | might designate
the time and place, and select the
weapons.
What should / do?
What | ought to do was very plain.
The lessons of life which my fond
mother had taught me did not leave
me in doubt. | ought to have gone
TO Adams and made such offer of
cOnciliation AS one gentleman NAV
honOrabIy make to another and if
he had rejected that 1 could have
simply turned from him and refused
to do IA further wrong already done.
But | had not the courage to ito that.
I was a coward. | feared that my
friends would laugh at me, and that
the especial friends Of Adams would
point at me tie finger of scOrn.
So, in the cowardce Of my heart, l
thought l would be brave before the
world, and l accepted the challenge.
1.-The sooner it is over the BETTER"
remarked Watkins. And with this
sentiment [ agreed.
"Certpinly," responded. "Lptit
be on this very day, at sunset; upon
Tho riyor,., bo,,l, dirootI,, boDootb tho