The Portland daily press., 1891-03-04

tn their leaping muscles tney reuoupled
tbe;r efforts. and Honore forgot his re-
solve to only wound Pierre, while Pierre
felt his desire to kill swell into steady,
deadly tempest of passion.
AGAIN and again each of the combat
ants received slight wounds, mere
scratches; but neither appeared able to
break the others guard or to find an I'M
defended point, such touches as they
had given and received being more the
result of close fighting than of advantage
either way. But no matter how young
and strong they were, or how expert,
this could not last very long. The ire
mendous strain was sure to tell. Who
would fail first and permit the other to
make the fatal pass?
They were painting now, and the white
foam was gathering on their purple lips
Their eyes, starting and glaring with
concentrated fury, were fixed and ter
rible in their animal expression. 1t was
as if these two men, so lately friends
and almost brothers, were ready to man
gle and devour each other like savage
wild beasts.
Happily the time when such things
could be has goneaby, but it is by keep
ing record of those,strange acts that we
are able to understand the growth OF
our present civilization. The duel In
gered longer in the south than In the
north, and especially in the low country
did it last without much sign OF passing
away till some time after the close of
our great war. Looking back now we
can scarcely realize that only half a
century ago twas common occurrence
for two men to do what we are witness
ing between Honore Chauvin and Pierre
Nation.
So much was dueling part of the life
of the people in the early years of the
present century that,in some parts of our
country to refuse challenge was to in
vste social ostracism, and not to give and
not to give one on fit occasion was sure
to attract contempt.
The seconds and the surgeons stood by
so wrapped in contemplation of the even
handed fight, SO engrossed in watching
the leaping blades, and SO forgetful of
everything save this play of death, that
they did not hear the sound of wheels
and the rapid beating of flying horses
feet. AS for the principals, they would
not have heard if thunderbolt had
fallen at their feet. They were now
lighting in the last squirt of strength be-
fore one or the other must fail. Each
felt that if his antagonist held up few
minutes longer all would be over. The
reflection of this thought set terrible
light in their drawn and haggaraefaces.
| The muffied soundof wheels in the
sand and of the furious fight of horse
came nearer and nearer. The seconds
leaned forward as the intensity of their
| sympathy with their principals seemed
| to shrivel them, as if'with heat; the sur
geons unconsciouslyd rewcloser to the
painting, laboringa duelists.
Honore Chauvinf attthis.mnment made
lunge; Pierre avoidedsit by asupreme
| effort; the movementcaused them4to ex-
change positions, and as they did so
Pierre shot out a quick thrust that
pierced Honore's sleeve without touch
ing the flesh; his point hung a half sec
ond, and Honoreswas just in thesactrof
running him through when he trippedon
a.sman root and staggered back. Now
they both rallied and renewed the, con-
test with momentary show of return
ing strength; but Honore was failing.
Pierre saw this and rushed upon him
with feeble but furious energy, striving
| to beat down his guard. He had sue
ceeded, and Honore was at his mercy.
The next breath there was sharp cry
of terror, the voice Of woman in utter
distress, and strange, dull rushing
sound followed by a crash. 81
The duelists were swept from their
feet and dashed headlong, horse
tumbled over them and the fragments of
asmall vehicle were scattered around.
| In the midst of this wreck thus hurled
upon Ine contestants young woman
rose to her feet and stood, beautiful, dis
heveled frightened almost to madness,
but unhurt. It was Marie de Noyant.
The horse, after falling and rolling
over, struggled to its feet, and, with
parts of its harness still clinging to it
and trailing and whirling about, ran
frantically away through the woods in
| the direction of the town.
| Overcome for moment, the seconds
and surgeons stood staring and motion
less, but they were men of nerve, and
needed but time to take a breath and
pull. themselves together before spring
ing forward to thes assistance of Honore
and Pierre, who lay as if dead on the
ground where the shock of the collision
had flung them.
Marie de Noyant had arisen early that
morning to keep a promise she had made
to visit sick and extremely aged creole
woman who lived in a small. house back
| in the woods on the road to Jordon
river. Feeling oppressed with what had
occurred between her and Pierre, she or
dered her servant to fetch her pony and
and cart and drove away alone before
the rest of the household were UP. She
left the servant behind, wishing to be
entirely free to commune with her heart
and to devise if possible some means of
softening Pierre's disappointment. While
she feared that something dreadful
might come of the terrible passion of the
young man, she did not dream that,
even while she drove slowly along the
dim road under the trees, duel was in
progress between him and Honore
Chauvin. Her pony, q stout, gentle ami
NAL, logged quietly forward in the sand
between the tufts of Spanish bayonet
and thickets of bay bushes; overhead
the pine trees moaned and the grand
magnolias rustled their stiff, glossy
foliage.
Suddenly three or four goats, part of a
herd that had been turned out to Craze
and browse in the woods, leaped out of a
little tangle of tall wild grass hard by
and dashed across the road close in front
of the pony. Marie at tho time was abb
sorbed in thought and held the lines with
slack hand. The pony took fright, as
the gentlest horse sometimes will, and
whirled about and, almost upsetting the
cart, ran away through the forest as fast
as his legs could carry him The move
ment whisked the lines out of Marie's
grasp, and SO she lost control. Discover
ing his freedom, and crazed with fright
the hitherto gentle ittle'aui1nal now be
came a savage and terrible beast, reck
less of everything, giving no attention tc
road or direction.
| The reader will understand at once
how the catastrophe came about at the
dueling ground, for the pony, accident
ally heading itself that way, ran madly
and blindly upon the combatants. II
was found dead a half mile from the spot
with Pierre's rapier sheathed to the hill
in its breast. Ithad struck the weapons