The morning call., 1891-02-15
Again the doctor said:
" Do Won think so 2u

A'o you deny, doctor, that 1t is lmpoSSl-
Die 10 Withdraw corpse from the attention
OF the police? sapristi they know at once
II man disappears. especially if he occu-
pies position IN society. There is always
some one 10 give notice OF his absence.
Now, IL you refer TO some vagabond, with
out friends family or residence. the case is
different"
Il tell you said the doctor, this time
very emphatically, 'that there are exceed
ln9ly serious duels, that man may be
kilIed ana that further, though belonging to
an excellent family, having friends, even
pelhS mana IN glove with magistrates, he
may disappear forever without any one
knowing hat has become of HIM"
But the corpse is somewhere!"
"Of course"
Come, now, doctor, we see by your coun-
tenance that you have some tragic story to
tell u.s. Don't keep us on a string as if you
were professional novelist The story!
the StorYp'
The doctor passed his hand across his
forehead and said:
Then isten.'
We lighted fresh cigars and arranged our
selves the best we could to hear
1t should be SAID right here that we were
absolutely skeptical and defed the ablest
narrator 10 move us.
THE TWO STUDENTS
The doctor, who looked very calm and a
triiie pale, did not seem to notice the slight
" lronical smile which had settled on every
face.
WE'LL" said he, how long ago was itP
don remember exactly, but il was long.
long while. say twenty-five or thirty wears.
Where did it take place? Among the saw
ages OF MAMA, among the redskins of
Horth America? No; right here in France.
But shall Keep from you the name of the
little town. Search the map OF France-the
little town Is very near a medical college. 1t
Is surrounded by important villages, one of
winch bears the name of battle, sadly
celebrated battle.
Il have said enough on that head. now for
the story:
In the little town in question, two STU
dents OF the same age and brothers through
friendship, were t0Iling aSsiduOGsly, i'm
patient TO win the title OF doctor, which,
surrounded by the halo of distance, seemed
TO them sure guarantee of rapid fortune.
There was, besides, within them III ore
| honorable desire than that of creating for
themselves lucrative practice. They were
laborious enthusiasts, who aspired to
searches that they might conquer some
of the diseases which overwhelm hui
manity. But they were not rivals or
Jealous of each other On the contrary.
they mingled their intelligence, energy and
hopes, and each was ready to share with the
other the glory he counted upon acquiring.
They were, as you see, two children.
The last year of their studies was draw
been brilliant, and but slight effort would
enable them to reach the goal; that is to say
the conquest of the diploma which would
permit them to work without iucumbrance,
in spite of routine professors, who, for the
most part, are adversaries.
Il repeat to you they were friends.
How happened 1t that in day that
friendship was transformed into hate? How.
allies the night before, did they become i'm
plaeable enemies? a profound m0ralist has
cof1 fOrf
This time, as usual, you would have
found her.
"Who was she? Was she worth the furi-
Gus rivalry for her which had separated
these two brothers? No matterl woman,
for those who love her, is always the most
important of her sex.
And both loved her to the point of mad
ness.
" In fact, they were mad, for only mad
men could have"
drank mouthful of wine. His voice had
grown slDgularly shaky, but it was firmer
when he resumed.
PREPARING FOR THE DUEL
furious hatred took the place Of their
friendship, but, by a sort OF tact under
standing, they resolutely hid it from every
eve. AS in the past, they were seen to
gether; together they shut themselves up in
laboratory; together they attended the clinic.
One day they addressed themselves to
four OF their comrades, students like them
selves, and explained this to them: they
hated each other mortaly; no one was to
know the cause of this antipathy which was
rooted in them like incurable lunacy; one
of them was Superfluous upon this earth;
they had resolved to fight each other to the
death,
Don't imagine that the four students
raised any objection. For very long while,
the romantic, driven from Paris by skept-
cism, had found refuge in the provinces
The people there still believed in the heroes
of George Sand, the turbulence of Gautier
and the Ireize of BalZac. A duel to the
death. 1t was rare windfalli
Nevertheless, among these hare-braned
fellows, one. more thoughtful or more selfish
than the rest, observed that the seconds in
such grave duel might get into serious
trouble. Just at that period it seemed that
the authorities were inclined to deal severely
with duelists, the fit sezng upon them in
terlnittently, as you are aware.
Fearing such objections on the part of
the seconds. our two duelists had provided
for them they would fight in a spot calcu-
lated to bid defiance to all curiosity and in
which. besides, the corpse-they did not
doubt that there would be a corpse-woud
disappear without arousing the attention Of
the authorizes.
This is the way in which the affair took
place:
Toward . o'clock one summer morning
the six young men quilted the little town
without their departure being noticed by
any one. The seconds, wrapped in cloaks,
concealed something, and that something
WAS not swords.
They took out-of-the- way roads, in which
they were sure of meeting no one, and thus
reached the small village Of Blanc.
They found themselves at the foot of
the wall Of cemetery. All the party were
agile, as well rs young. The scaling of the
wall, therefore, presented no difficulty. They
gain ID the Interior Of the cemetery.
ROMANTIC SPECTACLE.
1.-The spectacle was, indeed, romantic
Amid the first glimnIers OF day the white
tombs emerged from the morning mist like
specters with arms outstretched beneath
their winding-sheets; the wooden crosses
made black stains.
They chose spot where no burial had
certainly taken place for a very long while
this was easily OWNED by the topography
of the alleys already traced. And when
they had fixed upon the point, the four sec
onds producing from under their coaks the
spades they had Kept concealed there, began
to dig a grave.
"They had strong arms they were sons of
peasants and knew how to handle their i'm
plements. After twenty minutes toll the
grave was dug-twO meters long ami one
wide.
s. Is it all right p demanded one of the
seconds.
THE two adversaries, who, until then,
had been walking among the tombs, taking
great care not 10 meet each other, APP
GU are still resolved TO fight p
'YesY
Until one Of you meets his death p
yes!
There was no other attempt at recon-
ciliation.