The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-10-10
AN AFFAIR OF HONOR.
Two Coffee-CoIr~ed Gentlemen Fight 6
Battle on the Sands.

Battle on the Sands.
The other day one of the walters at
our hotel made a sudden move in the
serving room which brought his elbow
against the worries of another waiter,
and the face of the moon was at once
covered with blood. Some of US noticed
their belligerent demeanor, and now
and then we caught such expressions as:
'Yo' ar no gem'lan, sah!"
"An' yo' is only niger" 80
81 soon yo', sah-sco'n yo' fur low
trash"
"Hu! I'd like to BIO shet up in a room
wild yo' bout two minutes."
We were not, therefore, greatly sur
prised when we were waited on by q
third party, who was mutual friend,
who asked us to arrange a meeting be-
tween the hostiles and see the affair
through, according to ship-shape ru4es.
1t wasn't to be duel, but set-to, with
gloves, and as we were tired of fishing,
grabbing, sailing, and shooting por-
poises, we hailed the new departure
with glad relief.
"Yo' white folks dun knows all bout
it, an yo' go right ahead an fix it up"
said the mutual friend.
We borrowed gloves, bought rope
enough for ring, made stakes, and the
site selected was in the sand behind the
scrub. The tip was given, and when
the hour came about seventy-five
spectators had assembled. The rivals
were on hand in good time, but it was
noticeable that both were trying hard to
look pale, and there was a movement of
the chin which betrayed much mental
anxiety. They were known only as
Jim" and Tom" and while we were
putting the gloves on Jim he arose and
called across the sands:
'Does you 'pologize to me, sah?"
81 dun 'pologize if yourpologize, too"
was the reply.
"Den | dun"
But we stopped him and braced him
up and two or three minutes later they
faced each other in the center of the
ring. Each mans teeth were chatter
ing, each ones eyes were all white, and
there was wabbling of the knees.
Look out, now, yo' niger. TIE
gwine to bust yo' head off,
Look out, now, yo'selfi Ii l hits yo'
in de lung yo' won't git over it in two
weeks!"
'Why doan' yo' hit?"
why doan' yo' hit?"
"Yos skeert O me-"
"So's yo' skeert!"
They were walking around each other,
pushing at arms length, and it would
have stopped there but for the time
keeper, who shouted to them to go in.
"If hit yo' in de eye look OUT
''lf hit dat nose you'll be dead"
'I'ze comm fur yo' purity quick"
''Ill be right around dart"
The referee shouted again, and, moved
to sudden resolution, Jim flung off the
gloves and grabbed Tom by the ankles
and lifted him off his feet and dumped
him on the sand. Toms gloves fell off
as he rolled over, and he had scarcely
struck when Jim made break through
the ring, running like rabbit. Tom
scrambled up with HUI" and broke
through the other side, and while one
legged it for the hotel the other sought
safety behind the sand dunes, and the
great match for blood ended in water.
AS had acted as Jim's bottle holder, l
felt called upon to reproach him that
evening at the kitchen door, and he
came out into the moonlight and ex-
planned:
Deed, sab, but didn't dun mean to
10 it. ! meant to stan right up dar an
fight dat niger one millyon rounds
cordin to Miss Quee'sberry rules, but
when l got de gloves on my sand went
right away, sah-went right off down ee
coast a flynn, an afore l knowed it
was back heah in de hotel wipin'
spoons an sayin' dat if eber caught
dat mig ger out in de dark I'd smash him,
sah-Id smash him till his own mudder
wouldn't dun remember his sad re-
mains!"-N. y. Sun.