The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-04
TWO EDWARDS.


relied. He called me liar
AS that harsh word fell upon my ear
passion. overcane me. 1 struck Adams in
the face. His friends drew him away, and
went out into the open air.
On the following morning a friend
named Watkins called upon me and pre-
sented a note from Adams. I opened it
and found it to be challenge.
What should do?
What I ought to do was very plain.
The lesson of life which my mother had
taught me did not leave me to doubt.
ought to have gone to Adams and made
such offers of Cancellation as one gentle
man may hOnorably make to another, and
if he had rejected that could have simply
turned from him and refused to do fur
thor wrong to right the wrong already
done. But I had not the courage to do
that. I was . coward.
accepted the challenge.
1.-THE sooner it is over the better, - re-
marked Watkins.
Certainly 1 responded 'Let it be
this very day, at sunset, upon the rivers
bank. l will send a friend to you to make
further arrangements.
And the weapons?''
s'Pistols'
And so it was fixed.
An hour afterward found John Price,
my second. He did not urge me to aban-
don the idea, nor did he enter upon the
work as though he loved it, but he did it
because he fancied / was determined
knew that Adams was good shot, and he
knew that l was the same for we had
practiced together, so there was no advan-
tage to either in the weapons.
After dinner Price came to me and told
me that all was arranged.
After Price had gone I sat down and
wrote two letters. What a coward was
to write theml One was to my mother
and the other to the girl who had promised
to be my wife. AS sit now and think of
that hour l shudder-the hour when
wrote TO my mother and to my betrothed.
White Heart ledge was high, perpen-
dicular wall of granite rising above the
river, the top crowned with dark trees. 1t
received its name from a peculiar mark,
where mass of white quartz appeared,
half way up the ledge, in the form of
heart.
Late in the afternoon I was upon the
sandy shore beneath the ledge, and almost
at tlae same time Adams made his appear
ance- We were both anxious to be thought
brave men. He did not speak to me, nor
did speak to him. Our seconds conferred
awhile together, and then Price came to
my side.
/ told him did not know how it conId
be stopped. I lied, for did know
He informed me that if I would make
the least overture of peace he felt sure that
Adams would accept it.
Il Think he said, that Adams is sor-
ry for what has happened You struck
him, and he cannot retract.''
And he called me a liar
'You are both good shots, - added Price,
Stand if Won fire t0o2th6r Won may both
fall
But dared not offer the hand of con-
Citation. 1 told him 1 was ready.
He went back to Watkins, and pretty
soon they measured off the ground-12
PAGES. We were to stand back to back,
! those ~ PAGES apart. We were to turn at
the word one, raise our pistols at two
and at the word three we were to fire. I
caught the eye of Adams as / took my po-
sition, and I was sure that no angry pas
/ sion dWelt therein. For an instant the i'm
! pulse was with me to throw down my pis-
! toll and offer him my hand, but had not
! the courage to do it.
Our seconds hesitated as though they
saw what was passing in our thoughts
! but we offered no word, and they proceed
ed. The word ''Onel" was given. cannot
| tell all the feelings that came crowding
/ upon me at that moment. thought of my
| mother in her distant home I thought Of
| the scenes of my early childhood. ]
thought of my college days, when Adams
: had been my friend and chum. thought
of the holy love which had beamed upon
me since I had grown to mans estate
and 1 thought that in one, short minutk
moro the black pail might cover it all.
Watkins was long time in pronounc-
! ing the word ''Two'' He evidently hoped
/ that one of us would relent, but he hoped
in vain.
Only breath held back the last fatal
word. AS we raised our pistols sharp
agonized cry, as from a breaking heart,
burst upon the air, and in another mo-
.ment two light shadows fitted upon the
scene. 1 was prisoner. Adams was a
prisoner. Our pistols lay undischarged
upon the sand.
The two girls who loved us better than
we loved ourselves had guessed our secret
Love has sharp eyes. Clara Wolcott knew
Laban's hot temper. She had only to
whisper her suspicious to Nary and two
sleepless sentinels were upon US.
In an instant 1 resolved to be man.
With the arms of my beloved still encir-
cling me, I stretched forth my hand, but
was not in advance of Laban. AS though
one spirit moved US, our hands met mid
way.
II have been fool, - said Laban.
'.And have been fool and a coward,
said.
We returned from the dark ground just
as the day was softening into twilight,
and from that hour Adams and myself
were fast friends, and they who had saved
US from the great crime entered upon the
life path with US and have blessed Us ever
since. -Cincinnati Post.
Korean Traits.