The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-03-31
AFTER THE DUEL.
:erions, Very serious. YES

Killed nm; quick, ten me. 1HeS On
Bvered him 70 more. Breathlessly he bent
forward between the group OF seconds and
doctors-four seconds in all, a doctor for
each ipal-wishing to see for himself,
but not daring TO go farther.
Again he stammered low
u bcseech YOU, tell mel 1t is slight, is it
not-only a slight wound"
Still they were silent. Inthat dumbness
Of all, even the friends that had stood by
him, he OWNED unspoken reprobation-
maybe dull anger.
Alas! he recalled for himself now, that
the blade had gone to the hilt; he had felt
it, felt it gliding through the flesh. But
the point, perhaps, had struck bone,
which stopped it there! And hope revived
within him.
But then why did they answer him moth
ing? Why then did they crowd with such
eager attention about him that had fallen,
with hanging arms and staring eyes?
Suddenly a deep breath from the doctors
-"Deadr'-aud that group with out
stretched hands recoiled. He was nearly
thrown down by the push, as If they chased
him away, unwilling even to look upon his
face
Dead! deadn' repeated he, with cries
like the howlings of a frantic beast, and
then he began TO run through the garden
that a mutual friend had proffered for the
duel, knocking his brow against the tree
trunks, but insensible to the shock; on
through the courtyard and out upon the
shaded road, sword in hand.
He had the air, running thus along the
waters edge, Of acriminal evading pursuit,
SO hurried was his fight, 80 furtiVe, with
elbows glued to his hips and head bowed
down. What had he done with the bloody
rapier? Tossed it into the river or the
thicket, he did not know which.
He fed with but oue clear thought, with
but one clear desire-te be far, farther and
always farther away from that place where
he had killed mGn,
BY force of running, his breath at last
failed him; he could run no more, but fell
20 the grass beside the towpath. There, in
enforced immobility. his scattered senses
came back to him; grew coherent, and he
comprehended with horror all that had
taken place
He whom he had killed in this duel was
his friend, his best and oldest friend Chill
dren together in a suburban quarter, they
had played together in the road; lads to-
BCbANI. bLNl Gdo AOulAA buOAaSCANC CD 10 vic
city college, working and frolicing to-
gether still, and seeing no one but each
other.
Then students together in Paris, in a Bo-
hemian youth of loves without a morrow,
of miseries without sorrow, of happy strolls
in the Clancart woods with girls that
laughed all the afternoon and with whom
when evening came, they returned afoot
Tr.,. .Cl- Of 70 hSy-a .,f
nights dining on credit, wherever they
could get it, and of sleeping wherever they
could put their head3-inseparable com
panions always and carried away always by
the same foliyl
But then they had not always staid
mad. Age brought peaceful labors and
serious thoughts; but love for each other,
that was still eXtravagant, a camaraderie
of unbroken friendship, united ambitions,
Joint chimeras mutual working together
10 enrich themselves, and the greatest
happiness of each the knowledge that each
had succeeded and was as happy as him
self
Then she appeared
She. the adorable and adoredl And even
in this moment of frishtful anguish he
recalled with throb of ecstasy the time
he had seen her first, a young girl hur
riedly lowering window shade, but not
so quickly that he had not recognized all
The heaven in her eyes.
1t was on a trip to city where he knew
no one that he saw her, thus behind the
glass, but, no matter hsw, he found a
means of presenting himself to the two old
people with whom she lived she, an orphan
whom they had taken in for charity's
sake
En- She was poor, then? Yes but what
mattered that, since she was so pretty, so
honest and so sweet that one believed on
approaching her that one was passing a
near but invisible thicket Of chronicles
She loved him, he married her, and i'm
mediately, provincial born as she was, she
became, in she luxuries of her toilet and
art, an exquisite ParisieDne For long
long time, then, he possessed the double
and incompatible joy of having for wife
the most charming of women, and for com
rade, guest or host the dearest and most
loyal of friends
Yes, as | say, long, long time. till that
hideous evening when be opened a door
suddenly to find them-kissing each other
with rapturous pleasure.
Why, with teeth and nails, had he not
thrown himself upon them then and there,
and torn, bit and killed them2 Because
the stupefaction of the disaster rendered
helpless in him the avenSirg power; be-
cause he was as one noneXistent in the be-
wilderment of his sorrow, and when he
sought TO leap forward he fell like log to
the floor.
Only next day he came to himself with
cries of jealous rage that he had allowed
him 10 escape, since he was unable TO
strangle her. His seconds had been dis
patched at once TO the diSloyal one who
had robbed him of his all
As for her. the culprit, though he did
not see her again, he felt no anger against
her. lie had loved her too much TO be
able to hate her. He sought and found ex-
Cuses for her. II she had turned from him
II was because he had not known how TO
make her love for HAM continue; and If she
did love another it was because she was
unable TO keep herself from loving him.
She was not Of those who betrav their
duties Tor kiss without tenderness. Only
a true love had forced her to the fault.
Very certainly he would no more touch
lips THAI o,ler lips had kissed. and they
were eteIna.y separated, but he neither
oeteSted nor >coCu5d ber-Sae had yielded
bllndly 70 Irresistible love
An, par example, hut the ferocio,Is fury
with which he -n&ted the treacherous
friendi During al the morning that pre-
ceded the duel lie dreamed Of n!ng but
the lntoXcation OF feeling AIS sword enter