The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-04-23
! A SINGULAR DUEL,
A Story Offering Fine Flight For
tbs Imagination Of the Reader.
BY Barry Pain.


path. They walked in silence until they
reached a wedge shaped promontory.
The path sEirtcd the one side of it and
was divided from il by light fence; Oh
the other two sides was nothing but the
sea, roaring on spiked rocks hundreds Of
feet below.
Age was the chief distinction between
them Ilalbron was % and Safwell IL
years older. Both were men of fine
physique and looked in perfect condition.
Halbron was perhaps shade taller and
had trille longer reach, and Safwell
was n little the heavier. Both wore an
air of grave determination; in this
strange duel there were no elaborate
cOurtcsies.
Two miles away lazy, pretty woman
woke for moment, yawned, and went
to sleep again. Both men had the
thought of that woman in their hearts.
The older man spoke:
81 mention once more tho conditions:
You will try to kill me by throwing me
over the cliff; l shall try to kill you in the
same way. We 30 on until one is dead
or botl( are dead. The fence constitutes
the boundary. 1t Is not permitted to
kick or hit with the fist, but everything
else is permitted; one may take advan-
tage Of the exhaustion or sleep of the
other, supposng that the struggle is pro-
longcd; one may resort to any kind OF
fcint. / think l have mentioned every
thing"
"Now," said Halbron.
For moment they watched each other
with strained eyes, and then Safwell
sprang forward suddenly and tHpped and
threw HalbrOn. He caught him by the
ankle to drag him, but Halbron twisted
himself free and was on his feet again in
a moment. He flung himself on Safwell,
and the two, locked closely together, spun
round and round. The struggle lasted
some minutes, neither being able to get
the other down. Suddenly they broke
away; they had worked right up to tho
edge of the cliff, and another step would
have sent both over.
Instinctively both men rushed back to
the fence and flung themselves down,
painting. Safwell happened for one in
slant to turn his head, and in that in
slant Ilalbron had caught him by tho
foot and was dragging him. He tried to
twist his foot free, but could not; nor
could he stop himself with his other foot
or by clutching ut the short, dry grass. He
was within three feet of the edge, and
the case seemed hopeless for him. At
the best in going over he might be able
to clutch at Halbron and drag him over,
too; that WAS his only collsoinlloh. Out
as Ilalbron was on the point OF swinging
him over he stumbled and fell, releasing
Safwell.
Both men sprang to their rect anu
faced each other They were on the mar
roweSt part of the wedge. AS SalWel
lowered his shoulder to charge he saw
lIulbron drop and let the force of the
charge carry him over. There was n mo-
ment's pause, and then llalbron dartcd
back to the fence again. Safwell went
after him and once moro they locked.
every muscle strained in the life and
death struggle.
II u.os r in fine morning The woman
WINS owoln oroin and angry at being
o,,a,.a ,I'o ,,,Io usually s,cnt 50 long and
vol Aftcr n win effort TO get some
moro slcrn she roye if ND md presently
ronr for hcr maid. When the fresh sun
lirht WINS admitted into her room and she
lad COT hnr letters and her cup of tea,
.ho hnd , rool;no Of unusual yirtuc in be-
nv arvoLo en- n,,',v If seemed 70 herself
To hn Good or bcr
prone on the grass by the fence lay
+ho two mon n few wards mart from
aa0l, o,I,or ,tto,,y oxbousto1 They Ind
hnon lilo thnt for thn last half bour. 1t
loo,,ol nc If II would resolve self into n
triol Of endurance thot the one who first
Giant ~ swonnod would he tbc ono TO die.
Thav yatcbol oocb other carerullv. thc
,a..t ,nornront ~ tho ono was susnected
md onyworod Inv tho other. Since the
A., IDa,r II bnI conc n, in ohsoIrto si
,a,,,,o ,nt n yord had heep snol,on.