The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-08-22
CHAPTER IT.

CHAPTER H.
1t does not matter, SO far as this story
gees, when or why or how the Coup
court-Do Blieu feud began. Suffice it to
say that during the decade Immediately
preceding the one crisis that am about
TO describe no year passed without one
or more fatal meetings between men,
bers Of the warning families. At last
the only male representatives left above
earth to settle the feud were two young
men, Toulme de Blieu and Jacques
Coupcou1t, both of whom were in France
at school when their respective fathers,
already grown old, met, fought and
killed each other with due dignity and
nerve.
Of course Toulme and jacques, upon
receipt of detailed account of this pa
rental conflict and its tragic ending,
hastened b,sek to Mississippi with hearts
burning for revenge Toulme would kill
jacques, and Jacques would kill Toulme,
which would end the feud. l say that
both fastened back, but in fact Jacques
failed to reach his destination, was ship
wrecked and carried to western South
America, had long illness and many
other hindrances, so that it was the old
time year and day before he appeared,
weary and travel worn, but still full of
fight, at his dear old plantation home
and began to look about for Toulme de
Blieu. OF course Toulme was not hard
to find, for no sooner was it said that
Jacques Coupcourt had returned than
the last of the male De Blieus was in
an ecstasy, very rapture, of murderous
emotion. Pistols were examined and
knives put in good slashing and stabbing
order.
This feud between the De Blieu and
the Coupcourt families had, as matter
Of course, extended to their slaves, but
in the latter case the fights had usually
been very noisy, but quite bloodless. One
instance, however, had varied the mo-
notony. Far back, in 1887 perhaps, a
De Blieu negro of the name of Toussant
had killed Coupcourt negro of the
name of Loup garou. The fight had taken
place in the swamp under peculiar cir
cumstances, and pine knots were the
weapons used. The two combatants
nC4O iudanoJS, SdCu Having uod W tilo
swamp to avoid much merited punish
ment at the hands of the overseer. They
met in the very middle Of the swamp
"Bete-diabl' de Ooupcourtp "Chien
de l'enferr'
They spoke as nearly as possible each
in the accent and with the manner of
his master. Each fourished his pine
knot, which had been carefully selected
for another purpose, the repelling of
bloodhounds, and glared at his ebony
faced opponent.
That was vigorous if not graceful
duel. The parrying was awkward. but
the blows were heavy and resonant
"Thud - thud, thud - thud, thud -
thudr' the dull, deadly sounds went
echoing abroad through the shadowy
silence Of the swamp. The owls awoke
and hooted, the big woodpeckers quit
their drumming to listen to that heavier
pounding.
The two black men uttered few ex-
carnations. In terrible earnest bu.
with a strange show of perfunctoriness,
they steadily welded their pine knots.
There was little danger of any interior
ence; they had the entire jungle as
fighting ground and the rest of their
lives to fight it out in, and SO they went
on. "Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud--
thudr' mauling each other with rhyth-
mical regularity of strokes and with
singularly faultless alternative Of CIV