The evening times., 1899-05-26

il with anything but agreeable sensations.
had known the judge for flve or six years.
believed his standard of honah to be a
high one. and should not have hesitated
TO ask him to second me on the field. One
day, while we were conversing in the most
amicable manner. the judge suddenly re-
marked that he knew a surgeon who could
take the crook out of my legs. The in
ference was that | was bow-legged.
was not and am not. No gentleman ever
is: he can't afford to be. Even If l had
been. no friendship could have stood such
impudence. l looked at the judge In
amazement, wondering If | had heard
Alright. when he repeated his remarks.
Ten seconds later flung challenge in his
teeth and turned away. | desired a duel
to the death. sab. The person who calls
another bow-legged. even where the mis-
fortune exists, deserves death.
The judge did not send his seconds. Aft
er waiting for two days ] sent mine. and
what sort of message do you think was
returned? He would fight me, but only
in his own way. He insisted that We be
turned loose in a 5-acre lot and use fish
spears as weapons, Fish-spears and the
code. 5-acre lot and honah! l could
not believe thar a man occupying the po-
stion of a judge would be SO lost to all
feeling. but such proved to be the case.
He even insisted on fish-spears with han
dies ten feet long. and he boasted that he
would transfix me like catfish
And you were powerless?" l said, as
the colonel chewed al his cigar in silence
Completely so, sah," he finally replied.
My idea was to horsewhip him in public
and force him to challenge me, but he sent
me word that II made any such move he
would turn me wrong side out at the first
blow. No gentleman will ever permit him.
self to be turned wrong side out. Right
side out is his proper condition and the
most pleasing one. AS the judge weighed
200 pounds and had hands like hams
quietly withdrew from the affair and let IT
die out. l snubbed him in Washington a
few years later by refusing to sit in a
game of poker with him, but that was the
only satisfaction / ever got. There was
one mo- case. sah--that of Captain Fair
fax. Looking upon the captain as a gen.
tleman / sat down to game of poker with
him. Luck was with me. and l held four
aces to his four kings. He implied that
my dexterity was greater than his luck
and instantly called him out.
mo gentleman can afford to be called
card-sharper. You could not destroy
him quicker to charge him with skulking
on the field of battle. 1t was with the
captain to choose the weapons and l was
sure he would name pistols.
He waited three days before replying
three whole days, sah-and then selected
empty beer bottles at five PAGES. / was
amazed and disguised. i could not be-
lieve it of the captain till he had reiterated
his terms. He knew that as a gentleman
could not accept them. Whoever heard
OF a Bayard flinging beer bottles at a man
to avenge his honah. / treated his mes
senger with the contempt he deserved and
went hunting for the captain to offer him
public insult l encountered him in front
of the cote house and struck him with my
glove. In return he knocked me into a
mu6hs2e ard spoiled a suif of clothes and
made me an object of ridicule. AS q gen.
tleman, sab, 1 have had seventeen affairs
of honah which redounded to my credit,
but as a gentleman / have also had three
or four others in which I may be said to
have crawfshed, or at least got the worst
of it. No doubt the code is a relic of chiv-
airy and the proper recourse of a gentle-
man, but when man impugns your honah
and then wants to fight you in barrel
there is need of tact and wisdom to prevent
honah from becoming burlesque and chiy-
airy from becoming ridicule"