The morning call., 1891-12-13
ON THE FRENCH
FIELD OF HONOR.
Joseph M0ntGt Tells a Characteristic
Story Of Partisan Life.
How Destaug Came to Fight Duel With Little
Nozac-Singular Behavior on the Field.
The Wounded Hand
Special to THE SUNDAY CA.Ls

of the swords ring out like clear bells, the
adversaries drew off. then felt each other
reciprocally, bringing their weapons to-
gether almost without touching in a series
of noiseless feints. The witnesses watched
intently. The battle seemed to, be warm
ing up.
It's strange" whispered Pierre Nerot
in the doctors ear. "Destang don't appear
to me to be in trim"
while little Nozoc, on the contrary,
goes at it with a stout heart" added the
physician.
It's to be hoped he'll DO nothing stupid"
"Stop p cried the voice of Armand Du-
tertre.
During an interchanged thrust Destang's
sword had passed beneath his adversary's,
cutting his shirt in front and coming out at
the back.
Little Nozac drew himself up, with a
somewhat nervous smile.
al am unhurt" said he.
Had the sword gone five centimetres
higher it would have pierced his breast.
Pierre Nerot. Destang's second witness,
went up to his principal.
What ais you?" asked he in low
voice. You are as pale as death ~
This" answered Dessang. in the same
tone, that this duel Is absurd, and if
could stop the fight would do So"
Are you mad?"
No. You saw well enough that I could
have killed that man"
why is he so ardent?"
A STRANGE Confession.
''1f l should kill him l should consider 1
committed crime"
Come, no excess of tenderness. This Is
not the moment for it,"
frhu 10 4 49, IL
nesses see that he was not touched. He
again put himself on bis guard
$50 on" said Pierre Nerot to Destang.
"See. Dutsrtre is calling YOU"
The combat began anew. Little Nozae
fought brskly. Destang. who seemed to
have recovered his sang iroid, fought close,
holding himself on the defensive and con-
tenting himself from time to time with a
short thrust.
He is aiming at the hand" said Pierre
Nerot TO the doctor
He has hit it." replied the latter. NO
In fact little Nozac let fall his sword. lie
stood with his arm extended, opening his
right hand. from which flowed quite a large
stream of blood. His witnesses and his
physician fastened TO him.
The INSPECTION was brief The wound
was deep! Nozac was Incapable of contnu-
ing the fight.
Destang approached him.
Monsieur" said he, " | beg You now to
accept my apology. l was wrong and ad-
nit it. hope your hand will soon be cured,
that may have the pleasure of grasping II, j
The Vicomte de Nozac bowed
"Parbleu, old man." said Pierre Nerot,
five minutes afterwards. as he got into the
carriage with DeStang, you have curious
way OF behaving upon the field of honor.
What strange idea to pick quarrel with a
man when it is ones intention 10 SPARE him
as you have done"
De,tang shrugged his shoulders.
Dld nave any Intention in the matter q
said he. That's what was absurd in nv
case. The duel was stupid, and il the god
OF battles had dealt justly by me should
have come out of it with something TO re-
member. To think that l fought with a
man against whom l had no cause for
hatred, not even the slightest luminosity
who had done nothing 10 me. Absolutely
nothing"
THE CooUETTE's VICTIM.
Then why that outburst last evening at
WHY? Parbleul you ought to know. I
was angry, irritated. and nv nerves were
completely upset | vented nv spleen
upon MIN as | should have done on any
other"
"a woman in 1t, ehP Well, now the
matters over, you can tell me about IT.
MA foil y-s," replied Destang, there
was woman in it and it's one of the most
ridiculous affairs in the world my friend.
But the most curious part of the adventure
is that the unfortunate NoZac did not count
for anything in it.
See here, you are my most Intimate
friend and there is no reason | should not
tell you all about it. Besides, as l shall
mention no names, nobody will be compro-
missed.
Its very simple, very commonplace also.
L was paying my addresses to a woman of
nj a IF nYrt ~
never ind out ner name. | have not Tor
two years surrounded the affair with the
most jealous mystery to let it be OWNED or
even suspected now that 1t is over.
Il Will merely say woman of our society,
charming, delicious, adorable--and | adOred
her madly. Naturally, being beloved to
such point she ceased to love mead
hitting that she had ever had the weakness
to do so; Tor, during the past three months
since her cOldneSs commenced to surprise
then to disturb and then to torture me.
have had the leisure to make reflections by
which my amourpropre-my- faulty, if you
prefer-has been subjected to pretty rough
trials.
THE DOOR SHUT IN HIS FACE.
These reflections convinced me that this
woman, whose air of sincerity had so long
held me, docile and contiding, in the fidelity
Of dog, was not and could not be in the
depths of her soul ANYTHING but a coouette
others, and that | WAS the biggest kind of
a fool to allow myself to be drawn into
illusions of happiness with her and to strut
before myself like peacock, or, worse still,
like turkey, in the beattude of my salts
fed pride.
But, you know. my friend, what is the
outcome of these dialogues between a smit-
ten heart and n brain which is striving to
disenchant itself The latter is always in
the wrong up to the moment when the fact,
the irreparable fact, proves that it was
right and plunges into our eyes the fiery
points of the evidence.
1t was day before yesterday that l had
the pleasure oil experiencing the sensation
as dlsagreeable as it is instructive; with a
few words admitting of no reply. the idol
shut the door of the temple in the face of
the priest of whom she had had enough
II had Just left her house when | arrived
Mt the club, coming there as | should have
gone elsewhere, without knowing why,
feeling vaguely, Perhaps, that in solitude
my trouble-shall L say my chagrin? why
not?-would have counseled me to and
made me commit some blunder.
Il didn't much better myself, as you have
seen. | fell into the midst of half dozen
friends ldllng around an abandoned card
table. They were talking about anything
and everything, including politics.
THE QUARREL AT THE CLUB.
Il mixed in with the conversation, the
ueuct lake hlb III CAN tell ON what SUBJECT,
seized with need of talking in order TO
argue, to fight with some one, to break
something, as at home l should surely have
broken some china vases. | fell upon that
unfortunate Nozac, with whom L was
scarcely acquainted.
can't remember what absurdty or
what Truth he took notion to utter, or
how l contradicted him in highly offensive
tone. Reply, rejoinder and angry words
Then. pardleu, the moment came when we
were about 10 hurl some boxes of gaming
chips at each others heads. Fortunately,
somebody interfered."
" IL was l." interrupted Pierre Nerot.
So it was, and you spared us that excess
OF aggressive rhetoric. And now | had a
duel on my hands. AT first | was delighted.
What better windfall could l have hoped
for undsr the circumstances My mind oc-
cupied, my anger turned upon new scent
it was perfect Yes. but l had counted
without my hostess - reflection. That
agreeable companion was friendly enough
to pass the night beneath my roof. In her
kindness she went so far as to give mo a
lesson in philosophy, proving to me as
clear as daylight that | was the most stupi
and the most comical animal in the world