The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-07-05
GALLANT CLAUDE puvALa
Ono of the Adventures of this Fam as
Gentleman of the Road.

One of the Adventures of this Fam as
Gentleman of the Road.
In the days of King Charles the Sec
ond there lived one of the most noted
gentlemen OF the road, Claude Duval,
as gallant and pretty a fellow as ever
danced upon nothing at all under "the
three trees at Tyburn," upon the occa-
sion of whose death the author OF
"Hudibras" wrote Pindaric ode, aud
who had such taking way with the
women that in his last hours, as Captain
johnson tells us, abundance of ladies,
and those not of the meanest quality.
visited him in prison, and interceded
for his pardon, and not few accom-
panied him to the gallows, under their
wizards, with swollen eyes and blub-
bered cheeks"
OF him it is told that one day, on hear
ing news of Knight and his lady trav-
cling into the country with e400 in their
coach, he and three others spurred after
them, and by-and-by came up with them
upon lonely heath little way out of
the town. The coach was stopped, and
when the Knight looked out of the win
dow he saw a wicked-looking scamp in q
vizard-mask at the horses heads, an
other holding the cold rim of pistol
against his coachman's ear, and still
another standing over the position.
A polite gentleman, most excellently
well dressed, rode up to the coach upon
a fine horse, and doffed his hat with an
air that was worth coming that distance
to see; for, be it mentioned, the lady
H., ...l& ~
creature"
The polite gentleman was Monsieur
Claude Duval.
Sir" said he to the Knight, 81 make
no doubt that your lady dances excel
lently we'll. viii you be pleased to step
out of the coach, and let me have the
honor of dancing one courant with her
upon the heath?"
"There is" said the Knight, lifting
his hat with an air almost equal to that
of the other-"there is no refusing such
a polite request, sir. You seem to be
man of generosity, and that which you
ask is perfectly reasonable"
Thereupon the footman was called,
the steps were dropped, the door opened,
and the Knight clambered out. Duval
himself handed the lady down.
SIT was" burst forth the old chronicle
that speaks of this-''it was surprising
to see how gracefully he moved upon the
heath. Scarce dancing master in Lon
don but would have been proud to have
shown such agility in pair of dancing
pumps as Duval showed in great pair
of French riding boots"
At last tho dance was ended, and he
handed the lady back into the coach
again with all the gallantry conceiva-
BILE. But as the Knight was about to
follow, "Sir," said he, ''you have forgot
to pay the piper"
His worship pulled long face, but
there was no help for it. Out from un-
der the seat of the coach he pulled q
bag containing hundred guineas, and
handed it to Duval, who received it with
q bow that was almost worth the money
to see.
Sir" said he, ''your generosity and
liberality are only exceeded by your
noble behavior. and have saved you the
other $500 which you have in the coach
with YOU" For the rogue had knowl-
euSe VI eNery idrInlhS VI Iue ipohey
and where it was hidden, and might
have had it all, had he not, by some
sudden quirk Of his crazy wits, been
pleased to dance e300 of it away in
heavy pair of riding boots on grassy
heath with fine lady of quality.
Such is one of a legion of similar
chap-book stories, all ringing with a
certain feeling of open-handed gener-
osity, and all of counterfeit metal; for
as in this the poor good knight lost one
hundred guineas of honest money, so in
them all some innocent victim suffers.
But always he is rich or powerful, and
so chap-book literature sees nothing of
the smart he suffers; it is blind upon
that side.-Howard Pyle, in Harper's
Magazine.