The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-20

Ion does like a little exercise with the
We'll. I'm glad to hear it; l shall
ask TO teach him a trick or two BeE-
erley responded in the highest mood;
when will he return from the woods.
Il can't tell you; he's very rregu-
lar in such matters" she said Tnen.
with a smile half banter ana Ian
challenge, she added If you are reaiiy
dying for some exercise, you shall nos
have TO wait for him 70 come as
sure you, Monsieur Beverley.
..Ob, IFS Monsieur de RonvilIe, per-
haps. that you viii offer up as vic
tim to my skill and address, he siyly
returned; for he was suspecunS that
a love affair In some stage OF progress
lay between her and Rene
She blushed violently, but quickly
overcoming a combined rush OF sur
prise and anger, added with an EN-
phasis sas charming as 1t was uheA-
pected:
II myself am, perhaps, swordsman
enough to satisfy the impudence ana
vanity of Monsieur Beverley, heuteh-
ant in the American army.
Pardon me. mademoiseiie; forgive
me. 1 beg of you he exclaimed, earn
estly modulating his voice TO slncerest
beseeehment; II really did not mean
to be impudent, nor
laugh.
NO apologies, 1 command you, she
5nterposed. I'VE will have them aItef
/ have taught you fencing lesson
From a shelf she drew down PAIR
of fofIs. and presenting the hits oade
him take his choice.
There isn't any difference between
them that 1 know OF, she saIa anu, s Gnu
then added archly: But you Will feel
better at last, when all is over ana
the sting of defeat tingles through
YOU. if you are conscious OF having
used every sensible precautlon-
He looked straight into her eyes
trying to catch what was IN ner nlnu,
but there was a bewildering glamour
playing across those gray opal-unted
wells of mystery, from which he couid
draw only a mischievous smhe-gilnt'
direct, daring, irresistible.
well" he said, taking one or the
foils, what do you really mean! is II
challenge without room for honorable
retreat?"
The time for parley is past, she
replied, follow. me TO the battle
ground
court in the rear of the cabins yard, a
space between two wings and a vine
covered trellis, beyond which lay well
kept vineyard and vegetable garden
Here she turned about and faced him,
posing her foil with a fine grace.
Are you ready?" she inquired.
He tried again to force a way into
the depths of her eyes with his; but he
might as well have attacked the sun;
so he stood in a confusion of not very
well defined feelings, undecided, hest
tating. half expecting that there would
] be some laughable turn to end the af-
/ fair
Are you afraid, Monsieur Bever-
! Iey?" she demanded, after short wait
ing in silence.
He laughed now and whipped the air
with his foil
You certainly are not in earnest ~
he said interrogatively- do you real
Jy mean that you want to fence with
me-"
IF you think because I'm only a
girl you can easily beat me, try it, !"
she tauntingly replied, making a level
thrust toward his breast.
Quick as a fash he parried. and then
a merry climbing and twinkling of steel
blades kept time to their swift move
ments- Instantly, by the sure sense
which is half sight, half feeliDg-the
sense that guides the expert fencer's
hand and Wrist-Beverley knew that
| he had probably more than his match,
and in ten seconds his attack was met
| by time thrust in opposition. which
touched him SHARPLY.
| Alice sprang far back, lowered her
point and laughed
lie vous salue, Monsieur Beverley"
she cried, with child-like show of de-
light
Yes. I felt IT," he said with frank
acknowledgment in his voice, lit was
cleverly done Now give me chance to
redeem myself"
He began more carefully, and found
that she. too, was on her best mettle;
| but it was a short bout, as before.
Alice seemed to give him an easy open
ing. and he accepted it with a thrust
then something happened that he did
not understand The point Of his foil
! was somehow caught under his oppo-
nent's hilt-guard, while her blade
seemed TO twist around his; at the
| same time there was a wiring and a
jerk, the like of which he had never
before felt, and he was disarmed, his
wrist and fingers aching with the
| wrench they had received.
OF course the thing was not new; he
had been disarmed before; but her trick
of doing it was quite a mystery to him
/ altogether different from any that he
had ever seen.
''Vous me pardonnerez. Monsieur
she mockinsly exclaimed, picking uI
1 NcdpOn ana OHerlnS the NIT ll
him. Here is your sword
Keep it" he said, folding his arms
and trying to look uncOncerned, you
have captured it fairly l am at youl
mercy; be kind to me-"
Madame Roussillon and Jean. the
hunchback, hearing the racket of the
foils, had come out TO see and were
standing agape
You ought to be ashamed. Alice.
said the dame in scolding approval OF
what she had done; girls dc not fenet
with gentlemen"
This girl does" said Alice
And with extreme disaster TO this
gentleman said Beverley, laughing in
a tone of discontinue and RESIGNATION
All, Me'sieu', there's nothing but
disaster where she goes" complained
Madame RoussilIon: "she is destroyer
of everything. Only yesterday SHIT
dropped my pink bowl and broke it, the
/ only one | had
And just to think" said Beverley
what would have been the condition
of my heart had we been using rapier.
instead of leather-buttoned foiIs. Shs
would have spitted il through the very
/ center
Like enough" replied the dame, in
differently She wouldn't vince
either-not she"
Alice ran into the house with th'
foils and Beverley followed.
We must try II over again some da!
soon," he said; Il find that you cal
show me few points. Where did vol
| learn to fence so admirably Is Mon
| Sieur ROISSiIloy1 vofIT rnasfpP7-s