The record-union., 1893-04-01

after satisfying myself that every cham
Der was loaded, returned it to my pocket
and commenced pacing restlessly across
! the dueling ground.
For the first time I was beginning to
feel nervous. The cool, Indifferent air of
my rival as he approached completely
unnerved me. Mystep was growing un-
steady and | trembled violently. AS the
fatal hour drew near forgot my enemy
and thought of her, my love. "Ah, God!"
l muttered between my chattering teeth,
''if l should fall and lose her forever"
Then 1t suddenly occurred to me that l
might take advantage of my rival and
shoot him down without word of warn
ing. But | quickly dispelled this cow
ardly thought from my mind and con-
cluded to seek safety in flight. But, alasl
L was like one in dream suffering from
horrible nightmare, and | could not
move. 10 turn the train of my thoughts,
which werelbecoming maddening, took
| small photograph from my pocket and
gazed tixedly at the contour of the beauti-
tul face thereon. 1t was her photograph.
She had given it to me the last time l met
her, and l remembered how 1 had bent
over and kissed her dewy lips just before
| we parted.
! Just then I discovered that my rival
was endeavoring to approach unobserved.
! He was dodging behind the rocks and
trees and moving along as if by stealth.
| Then 1t occurred to me that perhaps this
man, who had challenged me to fight a
| duel, was trying to come upon me unob-
| served and murder me.
As | stood there, uncertain what to. do,
he suddenly appeared upon the scene and
shot rang out upon the clear morning
air. felt a sharp pain in my head, and
l have faint recollection of feeling the
blood trickling down over my face.
Then strange malady took root in my
brain, and for period of ten years |
wandered aimlessly about from place to
| place like one in dream.
As l remember it, the duel came off as
had expected. All the details were Just
as had pictured them in my imagina-
ton. He stood before me pale and trem-
| bling. l allowed him the first shot. then
l coolly and deliberately raised nv
weapon and fired. He uttered piercing
scream, threw his arms in the air above
his head, and fell forward on his face.
carried his limp form down to the river
and dropping it into the blue waters be-
low, looked TRANQUILITY out over the bosom
of the great river as it rolled peacefully
| on.
My tranquility was of short duration.
\ horrible feeling of awe and mingled
fear came over me. Suddenly l realized
the monstrosity of my crime, and con-
cluded that my only safety lay in flight
| l fled.
Laboring under the impression that 1
had killed man in duel and that was
a fugitive from justice, 1 kept moving on
onion, from town to town and city to
city, in my endeavors to escape the Of
ficers of the law.
In all my wanderings, during all my
trials and hardships, there was one who
clung to me. who was always with me.
1t was she, my idol, my love-the woman
| had loved to such an extent that con-
sented to fight in a duel with another
man simply because he loved her as much
as l. My diseased brain never once for
got her. Her image was engraved there
and 1t was impossible for me to see any
body or anything but her. l wanted
nothing better than to walk along a
lonely road or stroll through the crowded
streets of city and dream of her. Once,
in some strange, far-away city, used to
take regular morning walk through the
parks with her by my side, and in the
evening we would go down to a beautiful
little lake, and in my transports of de-
light l would embrace her again and
again.
Poor fool!" you will say. Yes, 1 was
a fool; worse, was mad. But, after all,
sane men sometimes do the same
AS the years passed by forgot the duel.
but never her. .-All this time my health
was rapidly failing, and | was becoming
weaker and weaker every day; but felt
no concern, for l was very happy. l
went from bad to worse, and wandered
about the streets, penniless and poorly
clad; but de-not remember of suffering
from cold or hunger. During all those
years that passed so quickly, / thought
only of the woman whose photograph
was indelibly stamped upon my brain.
All the rest OF the world was blank to me.