, 1897-03-18
A Lucky DUEL.
How a Somebody's Fight Brought Him
a Wife and Fortune.

III tiNoNNNS u -ici
aga Valley school district, Contra Costt
county, a young lady holding a first.
grade teachers certificate TO teach the
school in this this district. Apply tc
George Van Duke, President Board OF
Trustees.
By order OF the board OF sci ocI trus.
tees the above advertisement was pub
lished in the county newspapers, and
from the many applicants, the daughter
of an ~ex-judge of the superior court o.
the county was chosen.
Judge Mallery had been noted for his
legal knowledge and honesty while on
the bench: but, like many old Califor.
mans, he liked good living and the bot.
tie loo well for his own good. Ruth
Mallory. his only daughter, had had nc
experience in schCol-teaching, nor, in
deed, in any kind OF labor. She was
the spoiled child OF a fond father. her
mother having died in her infancy. Ruth
had acquired the greater part of her
education at Mills seminary, but she
had continued her studies in music and
painting after be, or,d,,t;or frou r,,,
institution. Upon these studies her
father spent money with a lavish hand,
having teachers up from San Francisco
twice a week IN Instinct. bar rho.,
st,,dies had 100, continued -,
time OF the judges death. which had
come suddenly and n r,r,nu
After his dc,,b bis or,ir, .a,
to he in , vary d.uor,li,oa oo,,i.i...
he had lived far hovo,d his uoa,. ~,
in order ro nav hi, f,roro a.,
licrido,o ,;a 49, .-
ssrv IN sell b;s noorifoooe ro,ao,oa
Rutb foppd ,b,t che hod I'm. m 49,.
dred dollars loft ,,d che ,b,t :,
would he necessary fo. bor ~ do u,
Thing immediately hv wbiob cain
living
Now aItbcu,h pr,h N,,,or, h,, u:.
en- n great deal of TINA ;, Who ,,,i,;
lion OF her ~s,vorite s-,1ios ar,r,,
and naming oh. ro,,d Via. u.s.
MOI cnmnpfpnr IN aprn N 1;ynI;N~o1 L.,
these arts no sbo had r,rs,ad ,hon, T.,
an amateurish monper AVID did NOT -.
sess the rao,isi,a nr,sos,;o,,, AIN >.
imnart Thorn re- o,hou, Co., ,....
decided IN annlv berse,f 70 s,,oh sy,a;o,
"a wouId enab,e hor 10 ,o,o, :, a.
I'm; -. ~, TI,i, sbe did w;.h ,o
sidujty that she w,s soon a,oh,oa ;,
mass an examination, and oh,o, a.,
grade cartisc,t. Tit,
ed. she annlied for and rsoo;,od .hon
pointment IN the schoo, ne ,roriou,,,
stated.
AT this time Rn,b was 90 ,o,rs
slight and delicate in ,pne,ronoo h,t
possessed os und.untoa Mill ch,..,
IN her chosen nrosession with = do.o.
mination IN mako of i. , grand s,ooo,.
She found hoard nj rho bomo os NJ.
Van Duke Tho nres;dar. -, .,o .,u.
of trustees Rntb tbo,,,n, borso,s a,ita
fortunate in her cboice ~ , ho,rd,nn
place, as The Van Dnkes woro ana - w.
most influential f,mi,;os Il, ,ho ,.ua.
Mr.. Van Duke having morriod , -
the Moraes girls n descapd.,t ,f -, 81,
Spanish family after whom rho ,,uo,,
had beer named and whose ,ossoss;,rs
at one time had inc,uded no.r,r ,.o
whole of Contra Costa co,rtv
Ruth's success in teaching rho ,u
mer term was so nronounced tb,, tho
trustees employed her for th. enS,,,,r
winter term, which had heretofore baen
taught nv n mple teacber wbor tho
winter opened she foupd tb,t che had
among her scholars n nnmber If ho,s
of 20 years of age among ,bem ono of
the Van Dukes, n son of tbe ,rustee
During the nrevio,s umuar caorr,
Van Duke had maid Rntb a great dan, ~
attention. md This led him r. NOT 40
though he had some nronriat,rv claim
upon her. This soon bred troub,a with
the older BOWS. who wished IN divide pt-
tentions with Van Dpka md some,ims,
to escort Miss Mallerv IN tho w;ntsr
yayetjes of the valley. This fae,inp in
creased among he vo,ne men of tbo
school until there was n race rivalry
started between the bovs n, snanisb md
Mexican descent md tho bovs of Amer-
lean birth. Henry Hosmer was the
leader of the ,Amaric,ps md ceoroo
Van Duke led The spapisb factiop Rutb
was not aware of this strong fee,ine