Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1901-07-26

4l sO4 As gasp6u,
struggling TO regain his cs mposure.
Oh are not q noyice, returned
Ruric calmly, Of The same time al
loving his point to drop,
!. Come On, the count uttered,
now gathering all his energies for
another effort. ~ i. . 5.S.=:
And again the weapons were
crossed. This time Damonoff was
more guarded. Before he had been
.impelled by his own assurance, but
now he was forced to regard his OPP
ponent's power. Ruric quickly
] found that the other was more care
full than at first, and he carried bis
own point accordingly. At the
twelfth stroke the count made a
feint to the left, then. at the throat,
and then, with a quick, lightning
like motion, he brought his point to
his antagonists heart. But his
meaning had been read from the
first by Ruric. The youth caught
the motion Of the eye, and he saw
that his heart was the place looked
to. His own movement was almost
instructive. He received his antag-
onist's sword midway upon his own
blade, then moved his arm quickly
forward and caught the point under
his cross guard; then, with all his
power, he wrenched his arm upward
and backward, and the. counts
sword went flying across the build
ing. It struck the opposite wall
with a dull clang, and the next in
slant it was half buried in the snow.
*tFear not, SIR" said Ruric as the
count started back, with both hands
raised. II never strike an unarmed
man." az :.
Damonoff's arms fell to his side,
and deep blush of shame mantled
his face. -
"By St. Paul." cried the surgeon,
*<your life is forfeited, sir count,
and now you should be satisfied"
"No, no." the discounted man ex-
claimed, starting: up with rage and
modification: t'That was but slip.
Twas false step, a cowardly feint.=
I am not overcome"
<<But, man of mortality, even now
your life is Nevel's. He may run
you through now if he chooses"
'<But he has moi" the count cried,
springing to where his sword had
fallen and snatching it up.
~Sir count: here spoke Ruric
calmly, but with marked contempt,
''you should not blame 10 for what
l have done, for thrice have you
tried to break my sword.'
|'Then try it again. Damonof
returned. "Take my sword again if
you can"
*Perhaps not" our hero retorted.
sBut be sure your sword shall be
used no more after this day.
cha! Brag not, but strike. If
you cam .-~.~.
The conclusion Of the sentence
was drowned by the clash of steel.
At the second stroke the count
made another furious thrust at his
antagonists heart. Ruric sprang
quickly aside, and with the whole
power Of his good right arm he
struck Damonof's blade close to the
haft and broke it in twain.
my other sword, my other
swordH' the count shouted. now
blinded by absolute madness. ;"Oh,
give me my other
/ ttHold!' cried both the surgeon
and Stephen Urzen in concert. You
are mad, Conrad
t<Mad? Oh, I shall be mad!
Where is my sword p the reckless
man yelled. casting the bladeless
pommel down. = 80 =; =,
*fBut will you not listen one
"Away, / say! Shall I give up be-
cause my sword is broken? By the
gods, the weapon deceived me.
Where is the other?''
Deceived thee, Conrad?" repeat:
ed the surgeon sarcastically. by
the Holy Ghost, had thy head but
received a hundredth* part of the
blow 'twould not be upon thy shout
ders now!'
But the count was beyond all rea-
son. In his madness he saw not that
his sword had been Broken on pur-
pose. he did not see that he had
been at his antagonists mercy. But
his friends saw it ALL >tj,: -, - Il
cha! Whom have we here ?" cried
Alaric, whose eye had caught a dark
form, at. the entrance of the old
building. ".,~- 49, * t..
It was Vladimir, the monk. :.
Glow now? What seek ye here?'
asked Urzen as the fat, burly monk
waddled toward The party.
e1 heard the clash. Of arms, my
son, as. 1 rode By, and 7: stopped to
see what it was. .Surely where the
..<~1- - e. "a