Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-06-06

not strong enough TO get up and receive
his seconds. He no longer dared to
speak to them, say good morning." OF
pronounce one single word for fear they
would divine all from the mere alteration
in his voice.
"All is settled according to the cOndi-
tions you arranged the colonel an
nounoed. "Your adversary first claimed
the privileges of the insUlted party,
hut he gave in very soon and has accept
ed everything. His seconds Gr9 two mill
tsry men"
The vicomte managed to utter.
Thanks
The colonel went on:
pardon us il we only come in aud 20
right out again, for we have thousand
things to do yet. We must have a good
surgeon, since the duel Is to last until
there is a serious wound; and you know
to get ball in ones self is no Joke We
must choose place near a house, where
the wounded man may be carried if neo-
essary, and 80 forth and so on in fact,
we have enough to keep us busy for two
or three hours"
Again the yicomte artioulated:
"Thanks.n
"You are feeling well, " said the colonel,
Feeling calm?n
ayes, very calm, thanks"
The two men cent away.
Nv.
When he knew himself to be alone
once more he thought he was going mad.
His man having liz the lamp. ba seated
himself at his table 10 write some letters.
After having written at the top of the
page, "rhis is my will'' he got up again
with a shudder and stretched himself
impotently, feeling incapable OF putting
one idea with another, of taking any
resolution, deciding anything.
So he was TO fight He could no long
er avoid it. What was happening TO
him? He wished 70 fight, he meant to
fight, his mind was fully made up TO it,
and it really seemed, in spite OF all his
mental effort and the strain on his pow
er and will, that he could not keep hold
of sufficient strength to take hlm TO the
meeting place. He tried to picture the
duel to himself, his own attitude, his ad-
versary's bearing.
HAS my opponent frequented shoot
ing n atchesY Is he well known Does
he belong to any special CLASSY How can
find ont
Heremembered Baron de Vaux's book
on marksmen, and looked it over from
one end to the other. George Lamil's
name was not there, but yet if this man
were not good shot, he would not so
readily have accepted so dangerous a
weapon aud such deadly conditions.
Whilst pacing up and down he opened a
~ d. IN
stand and took from it one of the pistols.
Then he put himself in position to fire
and raised his arm. But he trembled
from head to foot, the pistol waved in his
grasp; then he said:
at is i'm possible. l cannot fight like
this" he looked into the end OF the pis-
tol, the little, deep, black hole that split
forth death. He thought of dishonor,
the gossip of the clubs, the laughter of
society, the soorn of women, the inuen-
does of newspapers, of the insults
towards would ding at him. All this time
he was staring at the weapon, and raising
the cock, he saw suddenly the printing
glistening underneath like a tiny red
fleme. Through chance or forgetfulness
the pistol had been left loaded. 1t gave
him feeling of confused inexplieabe
Joy.
If before the other he did not hold him
self as dignifed and calm as he should, he
would be lost forever. II would be spot
ted, branded with infamy, driven out OF
society--and that calm, brave bearing
he would not have it, he felt it. And yet
he WAS brave, since he wished to 6ghtl
he was brave, since The
thought just touched did not finish itself,
even in his mind; for opening his mouth
wide he rammed the nose of the pistol
down his throat and pulled the trigger.
When his man rushed in, startled by
the report, he found hin lying on his
back-dead. A squirt of blood had spat'
tered the white paper on the table and
made large red spot under these four
words:
"This Ia nv will"