The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-08-10


the last out Of a thousand, a man of
peace, not to be forced into tight: but
the exceptional one out of the ten hun
dred IL is well not to stir up if you are
looking for an easy victim. Hamilton
was in the habit OF considering every
antagonist Immediately comparable.
His domineering spirit could not. when
opposed. reckon with any possibility of
disaster AS he sprang toward Father
Beret there was a mutual recognition.
and, We speak guardediy, something
that sounded exactly like an exchange
OF furious excavations. AS for Father
Berets words. they may have been
mere priestly formula of objurgation.
The moon was accommodating With
a beautiful white splendor it entered
space of CloUdiess sky, where il seemed
to slip along the dusky blue surface
among the stars. far over in the west.
ITS you, is TT" Hamilton exclaimed
between teeth that almost crushed one
another. You prowling hypocrite of
hell
Father Beret said something. 1t was
not complimentary. and II sounded
sulphurous, if not profane- Remember,
however. that a priest can scarcely
hope 10 be better than Peter, and Peter
did actually make the Simon pure re-
mark when hard pressed. At all events
Father Beret said something with Wig
orous emphasis, and met Hamilton half
way.
Both men. stimulated to the finger
tips by a draught of imperious passion,
fairly plunged TO the Inevitable conflict.
All. if Alice could have seen her beau
tiful weapons cross, if she could have
heard the fine, far-reaching Clink,
clink. ciink, while sparks leaped forth
dazzling even in the moonlight if she
could have noted the admirable, nay,
the amazing, play. as the men, regain
ing GOODNESS to some extent, gathered
their forces and fell cautiously to the
deadly work. il would have been
enough to change the cold simmer of
her face to a fash OF warm delight
For she would have understood every
feint. longe, parry, and seen at a. glance
how Father Beret set the pace and led
the race at the beginning. She would
have understood: for Father Beret had
taught her all she knew about the art
of fencing.
sense of its strangeness, the priest 5
mastery command of his weapon. The
surprise called UP all his caution and
cleverness. Before he could adjust him
self TO such an unexpected condition he
came near being spitted outright by a
pretty pass under his guard. The mar
row escape, while it put him on his best
mettle. sent a wave of superstition
through his brain. He recalled what
Barlow had jocuIarly said about the
doings of the deviI-pFiest or priest-devil
at Roussillon place on that night when
the patrol guard attempted to take
Gaspard RoussiIlon. Was this, indeed.
Father Beret, that gentle old man, now
before him. or was it an avenging de-
mon from the shades?
The thought fitted electrically across
ed. longed. giving his dark antagonist
all he could do to meet the play. Priest
OF devil. he thought. he cared not
which. he would reach its vitals pres
entity. Yet there fingered with him a
haunting half-fear. or tenuous awe,
which may have aided, rather than hin
dered his excellent swordsmanship.
Under foot it was slushy with mud,
water and ice, the consistency varying
from a somewhat solid crust to puddfes
that half inundated Hamilton's boots
and quite overlooked Father Beret's
moccasins. An exeCrable field for the
little matter in hand. They gradually
shifted position Now it was the gov
ernor. then the priest, who had advan-
tage as TO the light. For some time
Father Beret seemed quite the shiftier
and surer fighter. but twas it his age
telling on him?) he lost perceptibly in
suppleness. Still Hamilton failed 10
touch him. There was a battling some
thing in the Old mans face now and
again from what ought TO have been
an inevitable stroke. Was it luck? 1t
seemed TO Hamilton more than that-a
sort of uncanny evasion. Or was il
supreme mastery. the last and subtlest
reach Of the fencers craft?
Youth forced age slowly backward
in the struggle. which at times took On
spurts SO furious that the slender
blades, becoming mere glints of acicuiaT
steel, split the moonlight back and
forth. up and down. so that their meet
I ings. following one another in a we'll
nigh continuous stroke, sent a jarrins
noise through the air. Father Beret
lost inch by inch, until the fighting
was almost over the body of Alice; and
now for the first time Hamilton became
aware of that motionless some
thing with the white. luminous
face in profile against the ground
but he did not let even that
unsettle his fencing gaze which
followed the sunkeu and dusky eyes
of his adversary. a perspiration sud
denly flooded his body. however and
began TO drip across his face. His arm
was firing. A doubt crept like q chill
into his heart. Then the priest APP
peared to add cubit to his stature
and waver strangely in the soft light
Behind him. low against the sky, a
| wide-winged owl shot noiselessly across
just above the prairie.
The soul of a true priest is double;
I il is the soul of saint and the soul of
a worldly man. What is most beautiful
I in this duality is the supreme eoura &c
! with which the sanity spirit attacks
( the worldly and so often heToically
masters it. In the beginning of the
! fight Father Beret let a passion Of the
earthly body take him by storm II
/ was well for Governor Henry Hamilton
/ that the priest was so wrought upon as
/ to unsettle his nerves, otherwise there
| would have been an evil heart impale6
midway of Father Berets rapier. A
( little later the sanity spirit began tc
assert itself: feebly. indeed. but surely
( Then it was that Father Beret seemed
: to be losing agility for awhile as III
/ backstepped away from Hamilton's in
/ crea sing energy Of assault. In hi:
! heart the priest was saying: I vii
not murder him 1 must not do that
He deserves death. but vengeance i;
( not mine l will disarm him" SteI
by step he retrested. playing erratical-
/ IL to make an opening for trick ht
meant TO use
/ II was singularly loose play, a sort o.
| wa vering. shifty. incOmprehensibl'
| show of carelessness. that caused Ham
iitou TO entertain a doubt. which Wa
really a fear. as 20 what was going Il
/ happen: for, Notwithstanding all thi
. neglect of due precaution on tn
,priest's part, TO touch him seemed i'm
| possible. miraculously so, and ever.
/ plan of attack dissolved itself into flu
tilitv in the most maddening way
Priest. devil or ghost" RACED Ham