The free press., 1894-07-12
1t was quite different with us, though,

for we had father, mother, sisters,
sweethearts back in America, to whom
duel was quite as dreadful as it was
to us-when we were sober. There
was no honorable way for us to get
out of it, however, if we wanted to
stay in France, and to have gone
away under such circumstances was
worse than the risk of murder
or being murdered, so there we were.
OF course all the arrangements de-
volved upon me as Walters friend,
and every move l made in the affair
seemed to me as if were getting Wal
ter ready for his funeral under his
own direction. 1t was simply horri-
BILE, and there we're times when |
wished I had been reared in an atmos-
phere of duels, and had swords for
playthings and pistols for pop-guns.
Forty eight hours was the limit of my
time for such reflections, however,
and before the expiration of that, a
duel with swords had been arranged
to take place at daylight in the sub
urbs, and poor Walter didn't know
half as much about sword as he did
about ploughshare, and he didn't
know enough about that to have run a
straight furrow if it had been staked
out for him across q field, while the
Frenchman was noted swordsman.
Still, much to my surprise, Walter
appeared quite calm after the first
twenty-four hours of sober thought,
and could not account for it, unless
it was that calmness of despair we
read of and occasionally happen in
our experiences. In this instance, 1
thought had happened on it, and 1
am free to say it did not add to my
cheerfulness.
"Well, the time came, and we were
there promptly, with faint hope in
my palpitating bosom that something
would interfere with the other side to
prevent an appearance. But it went
to pieces early; the Frenchman was
there before we we're, and what was
worse, he showed signs of being glad
he was there. How 1 did want to take
him out to some quiet spot and wiring
his neck And how handsome Walter
looked, pale, of course, but the very
picture of man! And how L felt
when l thought of what word might
have to send home to his dear old
mother and father, and to that sister
of his, who was more to me than all
the others!
eff both principals had been
Frenchmen I might have been less
wrought up; but there was an Ameri-
can in it, and somebody was bound to
get hurt.
"Before we got down to business
Walter began to act queerly, and
thought the strain was proving too
great for him; but he whispered some
thing to me and watched the French
man. Presently he observed Walters
peculiar motions and actions, which
were just enough not to excite COM
ment, and they were continued until
men took their places. 1t was evident
the Frenchman thought Walter was
about to work some western trick on
him to offset his superior skill with
sword, and he became more intent
than ever. Walter was extremely
awkward with his sword, but he man
aged to keep it in front of him, which
he did with the point sticking straight
to his adversary. He had caught the
Frenchman's eye meanwhile, and as
they advanced to the encounter
thought from the fixed gaze OF Mon
sieur that he had made up his MIND
to stick Walter full of holes IN the
first bout and end the affair, so he
could get back to an early breakfast.
But it did not turn out that way,
for when they came within
touching distance Walter, with his
eyes firmly fixed on the Frenchman s.
threw his sword point slightly to one
side and the Frenchmans followed 1t.
Once, twice, thrice he attempted to
make thrust, but invariably the
sword flew wide. Monsieur's seconds
noted the strange actions OF their prln-
cipal, but could not account for 1t, ana
and at last Walter, with side swipe'
as the boys say in these days. fetcheo
the Frenchman terrific whack IN the
neck with the flat of his sword, very
nuch ms if he had hit him with fence