The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-03-20
After the Duel.

FHcIipuS Z NFlS HuiINN'f y 80
Nevertheless" he urged, Il have not
killed him. quiSl<, tell me-" They an
swered him no more, Breathlessly he
bent forward between the group of sec
onds and doctors--four seconds in all, "A
doctor for each principal-wishing to
see for himself, but not daring to so
further
Again he stammered low;
81 beseech you, tell me! 1t is slight,
| is it not--only slight wound?'
! Still they were silent In that dumb
ness of all, even the friends that had
stood by him. he OWNED unspoken re-
| probation-maybe a 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
nothing? Why then did they crowd
with such eager attention about him
that had fallen, with hanging arms and
staring eyes?
Suddenly deep breath from the doc
| ors--"Deadn-and that group with
outstretched hands recoiled. He was
nearly thrown down by the push, as II
they chased him away, unwilling even
| to look upon his face
| Dead! dead!" repeated he, with cries
like the howlings OF a frantic beast,
and then he began to run through the
| garden that mutual friend had prof
fered 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 a criminal evading
pursuit so hurried was his flight so
furtive, with elbows glued to his hips
and head bowed down. What had he
done with the bloody rapier? Tossed 1t
into the river or the thicket he did not
| know which.
He fled with but one clear thought,
with but one clear desire--to be far,
| farther and always farther away from
that place where he had killed man!
BY force of running, his breath at last
| failed him; he could run no more but
| fell to the grass beside the towpath.
There, in enforced immobility, his scat
tered 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 Children together in subur-
| ban quarter, they had played together
In the road; lads together, they had
found themselves at the city college,
working and frolicing together still,
and seeing no one but each other.
Then students together in Paris in a
Bohemian youth Of loves without q
morrow of miserfes without sorrow, of
happy strolls in the Clancart woods
with girls that laughed all the after
noon and with whom, when evening
came, they returned afoot for lack Of
means to hire carriage; of nights dim
ing on credit. wherever they could get
it, and of sleeping wherever they could
! put their eads--inseparable compan-
ions always and carried away always
by the same folly.
But then they had not always staid
mad Age brought peaceful labors and
serious thoughts, but love for each 9TH
err that was still extravagant a CANA
| raderie of unhroken friendship, united
ambitions, Joint chlmeras, mutual
working together to enrich themselves,
and the greatest happiness of each the
knowledge that each had succeeded and
was as happy as himself
Then she appeared!
a. ,,J nh
| even in this moment OF frightful an-
guish he recalled with a throb of costa
sy the time he had seen her first, a
young girl hurriedly lowering a 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 be-
hind the glass, but, no matter how, he
found 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.
Eth? 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 RAISING near but invisible thick
ct of chronicles.
She loved him, he married her, and
Immediately. provincial born as she
was, she became, in the Injuries of her
toilet and art, an exquisite Parisienne
Fora long, long time, then, he possessed
the double and Incompatible JOY oil
having for wife the most charming Of
women, and for comrade guest or host
the dearest and most loyal of friends.
, Yes, as | say, a long, long time, I'll
that hdeous evening when he opened 6
door suddenly to flno them-kissing
each other with rapturous pleasure.
Why, with teeth and nails. had he mo-
, thrown himself upon them then ant
there, and torn, bit and killed them
Because the stupefaction of the disas
ter rendered helpless in him the ayeng
, ing power; because he was as one non
existent in the bewilderment of his sor
row. and wien he sought to leap for
{ ward he fell like log to the floor.
Only next day he came to himsel
: with cries of Jealous rage that he has
: allowed him to escape. since he was uri
able to strange her. His seconds ha'
been dispatched at once to the disloya
one who had robbed him of his all.
a AS for her, the culprit, though he di'
, not see her again, he felt no ange