The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-02-28
WINSTON-SALEM, N. c., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY %, 1889.

ceive the alteration of any or all of
the other young gentlemen who saw
fit to bow the head and heart before
her shrine. Among her many oaptives
was one Dromgoole, a hot -blooded
young fellow from the far South. He,
next to Pillan, was said to stand high
est in her good graces. OF course,
Pillan heard nothing OF these slurs
upon the constancy of Miss Lucy. He
was happy-happy as only boy can
be with his first sweetheart, and never
once dreamed that women fail some
times to know their minds. and take
the privilege at others Of changing
them. He knows better now-he is
married.
"The exact details of the quarrel be-
tween Pillan and Dramgoole, have
never been able to learn, but one night
he (Pillan) came to my room with his
face flushed and angry, telling me he
had been deeply insulted and injured by
Dremgoole and asked me to be his
second in duel which was to be fought
early on the following morning. A
duel in those days was not such. seldom
heard-of thing sas it is now. There
had often been talk of duels among the
students even, the affairs generally be-
ing arranged on the field before any
shots were fired. When 1 accepted
the position of second in this one it was
in the firm expectation that the end
would be bloodless.
"Bright and early next morning l
called by Pillan's room. He was still
sleeping as calmly as child. l have
often thought Of his face since as it
looked when entered his room. The
rich, dark hair curling over the tenn
Piles, the lips parted almost in smile,
and the sunlight streaming across his
head and shoulders. He sprung up
with my first call, went into his dress
ing room, and in few minutes return
ed ready to start. 1t was fine spring
morning. The trees were budding
out, the apple blossoms, white and
pink, were dotting the trees along the
road, the air was laden with the sweet
Of w-dampened flowers, some dar-
keys were singing in field near by,
and an hundred birds were twitteriDg
and chirping as merriiy in the bushes
as though the world were all sweetness
and joy and brotherly love. When
we reached the spot selected, which
was piny thicket about mile south
of Chapel Hill, the other men were
there. God knows / attempted to
have the affair settled, but nothing
would satisfy either of the men but
shooting. After several attempts at
remonstrance and reason, [ was forced
to perform my part as second. The pis-
tolls were loaded the ground measured; a
shot was fired, and young DromgooIe
lay dead in the long grass wet with
the morning dew; with his bright, hon
est, boyish face turned up to the blue
sky, with the songs of the birds hush
ed by the same sharp report which had
silenced forever his warm, impulsive
heart, and with Pillan standing there
looking down upon him unharmed in
body, but every line of his face show
ing that in spirit he was bowed down
by terror and sorrow and guilt. Pal
sled for few moments by the enormity
of the deed we had just witnessed,
none of US spoke. Then consulting to.
gether with scared faces and hushed
though excited voices, we determined
to conceal the dead boys body. With
our knives and sharpened sticks we
dug narrow trench at the foot Of a
tall oak tree down yonder on the
banks of the New Hope, burying from
our own and the eyes of the world the
handsome. still face of the man we
killed that day.
Scarcely taking time to press down
the earth, and cover the spot with a
few dead leaves and sticks, we each
hurried from the place in different
directions. Two of us returned to
Chapel Hill. Pillan was never seen
there again.
Concluded mert eoeek.