The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1896-08-19


We drove out to the place of meet
ing in the early morning, with keen
minstrel blowing which chilled one to
the bone. The others arrived stimuli
taneously. There was quite congre-
cation OF us; four seconds, two doc
tors, and the principals. But D'Arb-
lay, being a Frenchman, liked the
crowd, and l had to bow to the ETH
quette of the country.
No politeness could have been more
punotilious than ours, and none more
icy. We two principals stripped to
shirt and trousers. and 1 stood on the
frost trimmed grass in my stocking
feet. D'Arblay was opposite me,
smiling grimly. We saluted Que an
other with the bare, glittering rapiers,
and a second took up position behind
each of us, standing ready with q
walking stick to knock up the blades
at the least sign of foul stroke. At
least so was warned. To myself 1
was wondering what q "foul stroke"
might be, so ignorant was l of the very
elements Of fencing. But l said moth
ing about this, and, when D'Arblay
crossed blades with mine, l engaged
him with whirling fury.
The blue steel flashed and stabbed q
thousand circles in the chill morning
air, and pang of fear gripped me by
| the heart. / seemed to feel mis- blade
passing through me in a hundred
places. Death appeared inevitable.
Every second marvelled at finding
myself alive.
To myself accepted mortal wound
as inevitable; but lusted to get my
own blade through D'Arblay's body
before was killed. could hardly
see him. Our pauting breath hung
gray under the cold morning sun, so
that we fought in clammy mist. !
lunged and passadoed, barely guard
ing at all, fighting on the offensive
only, through sheer greed of getting
in my blow before | was hore de com
bat.
Then, before / knew what was hap
pening, the duel ended. / was con-
scious of feeling somewhere or other
of scar as with hot iron. l under
stood that it meant / was wounded,
and duly wondered where, though
without being able TO locate the hurt.
saw the walking,sticks of the seconds
uprise to beat down our weapons, and
ut the same moment heard D'Arblay
utter shrek of pain. A heavy cane
clashed down on my blade, and drew
back nearly burst for want of breath.
These things take long to tell, but the
whole of them happened within one
tick of clock.
The surgeons rushed up to us with
| lint and bandages. Blood was run
ming from my fingers onto the rapier's
hilt. D'Arblay had scored my right
forearm with shallow cash dozen
inches long. He himself was in a worse
case; had run him through the
shoulder.
My seconds tried to hold me back,
but was too warmed up to care much
for the etiquette of the French duello
then. 1 went to where D'Arblay lay
in the surgeons hauds, with blood pat
tering from my fingers on to the grass.
"M'sieu will apologize, hope? I
may mention that the lady is engaged
to me-" o
"I didn't know it," said my oppo-
nent. "Why didn't you tell me be-
fore? My dear fellow, l am most
abominably sorry for having chartered.
You have given me pig of stab,
and that ought to settle accounts be.
tween us. Will you come and break
fast with me when we're both tied upP"
One of the seconds murmured at
this informality.
"Sir," l said, "if you have anything
to complain of, may 1 hear ltP"
"Monsieur," he replied, 81 think we
had better consider this affair as ended
| now."
The other duel in which I took part
was none of my seeking. 1t happened
last year in Florida, where nay vile
and were spending the winter, and
was thrust upon me in manner little
short of murderous.
The beginning was in this wise: /
detected man cheating at cards.
was not playing myself, but the cheat
ing was done to swindle fellow who
was my friend, and, because saw it,
beyond shadow of doubt, 1 called out
to him to stop play. OF course there
was a row, and if the sharper had moi
been in minority OF one thero might
we'll have been shooting. But, as il
was, the thing was utterly fragrant
indeed, the man himself did not at
tempt to deny it, aud he went away
scattering nothing more dangerous
than venomous wordy threats. We
were left triumphant possessors of the
field, and 1 waxed pedantic to my
friend over the danger of playing
games of chance for the coin of the
realm with casual hotel acquaintances
Three days later l went off into the
Everglades alligator shooting, and fol
deer also, if l could come across any
Now what the spot was like will no
be spoken of here in detail. Sufficient
to mention that among other things
came upon an orchid which 1 imagined
to be new, and all thoughts of shoot
ing were for the time submerged be
meath the ardor of the collector.
laid down my rife IA Remington 400
against the stem of a magnolia tret
and began to feast my eyes upon the
trails of hanging blossoms.
suppose / must have dawdled there
a full hour, sketching, measuring, tax
ing notes, culllng specimens, when o.
sudden something went wisp past the
top OF my head, and then, close to
sounded the noisy crack of a heavy
rifle. BY sort OF useless instinct, thl
first thing did was to start backward
. and IN duek nv head the next Ii