Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-01-22
Who the devil are you ?"

Who the devil are you?"
Nillon flung has head back dcfiantly
and llourished his sword
II am Francois Nillon, and my sword
/ is as good an another MANS"
The moment the name fell on Thi
1 baut's ears the giant gave a giant s
| laugh.
Are you Francois Nillon?" he thun-
| dered. Lend me cudgel, some one"
| and he looked around as if seeking for
| the weapon he asked for. Villon
snatched up a mug and flung the heel
| taps in the soldiers face, spotting his
cheeks with drops of crimson that
trckled ON to his breast plate. With a
| choking cry of rage Thibaut dragged
| his sword into the air.
You fool" he Missed, TN kill you!"
| we shall see,' Villon answered gall
| lantly. as he stood on guard alert and
| wary.
/ For moment the hc-rascals and She
rascals held their breath. The great flg-
| ure IN the shining steel seemed so to
| dominate the slight frame of their fa-
| vorite that anything like an equal con-
| test between the two men seemed little
less than ridiculous What skill of Viii
Ions could hope to avail against the
| mighty sweep of that huge soldiers
Weapon? Suddenly the swift spirit OF
Huguette solved the problem. Spring
! ing forward with the delicate agility of
a young panther she poised opiniona-
tive. between the opponents.
Fair play" she screamed This is
| David and Goliath and as she spoke
she pointed with one hand at Villon
| while with the other she struck with
her open palm ringing blow on the
cuirass of WILLOWS antagonist. Let
them fight 1t out with sword and Ian
tern in the dark"
A loud shout of applause greeted the
| girls suggestion. That fantastic form
of duello was not unfamiliar to the
free companions of the court of Mir
| acles, and Nillon himself, eager as he
was for the combat, was keen enough to
see how Well this way might work for
the surety of his purpose. Skill, inches,
| tricks of fence, all things were equal
when men fought as shadows in
| shadowland.
What do you say, Goliath?' he
laughed and the grim face of Thibaut
smiled responsive.
AS you please he said sereney
confident In his strength and length of
arm. 1T is all one to me-" Then
suddenly looking round on the leering,
sullen faces about him, wolfish girdle
| of ferocity. he caught back his agree
this condition. he added When there
is an end of YOU, there is an end of the
quarrel. Your friends here must agree
to that
Nillon agreed on the instant. He was
all for Kidding the world of Thibaut,
but he wanted to do it himself for the
sake of the white girl crouchng on the
stairway.
II PROMISE he said, "for myself and
for them" and turning to the girl, he
Insisted, Promise, Huguette; swear
it,
Il swear it," Huguette answered.
THAT is settled" said Villon. Now,
friends, make ring and dowse the
g,im.
In another instant. the preparations
for the combat We're afoot Robin Tur-
sis, anglily protesting against the desc
Grafton of his orderly hosiery and
shouting wild words about summoning
the watch, was promptly overpowered
by Jehan lie Loup, who forced him on to
a bench and kept him there with dag
gers point at his throat. The women
huddled, screaming and excited, ON the
stairway q little below the place where
Katherine crouched, holding her brea tn
and peeping through the ratings. The
men stood behind tables and on
benches, while Casin Cholet and Colin
de CayeulX diyed into the landlords
quarters and reappeared bearing each
in mis- hand a lighted lantern While
these preparations We're being hurried
toward. Tristan, full of alarm, leaned
forward and pluclsed at the kings
mantle.
This must be put stop to, sire" he
whispered; but the king shook his head
with IL grim smile Of satisfaction.
'On the contrary, gossip he ans
wered, whichever fthese rascals kills
the other, does the state service and
saves the hangnan some labor"
Nilon crossed the room and came
close TO where Thihaut waited sullen.
II think l Shall square our reckoning,
Master Thibaut,' he whispered The
giant started at him. ~ GU know me?"
he gasped Your varlets thumped me
Yesterday" Nillon answered. II shall
tickle you today Turn, turn about,
friend Thibaut.
Even as he spoke Guy Tabarle
puffed out the last candle left alight in
the room, which was plunged instantly
into almost total darkness. Even the
faint moonlight that had come through
the window was swiftly yelled by HUI
guette. who drew the crimson curtains
close together. The dim light from the
fire only seemed to accentuate and in
tensify the darkness through which the
two lanterns burned, pale planets of
yellow fire, in the hands of Casin and
Colin. Nillon snatched the one and
trhibaut took the other. There was a
moment of intense silence; then the
voice of Huguette cried out of the
blacl1ness: Are you ready"
Both combatants cried, "Yes!" in the
same BREATH and in the next the bat
tie began.
No stranger fight had ever been
Tough within those walls before, or even
perhaps within the wallis of Paris. In
the dense obscurty the two antago-
nists CROPPED for each other alternately
guided and baffled by the light of the
lanterns, as their holder lifted his light
suddenly i'm the air or dexterously con-
cealed 1T under the fold of his mantle.
Every now and then the swords would
meet with Il clash, there would be a
hurried exchange of thrust and blow,
and then the adversaries would drift
back again to grope and CLEAN and
seek each other anew, their lanterns
flashing and disappearing like accentu-
ated glow worms, and their blades now
shining in sudden illumination like
streaks of blue lightning across the
blackness and now invisible even to
those who held them in their hands.
Tristan had in vain endeavored to
persuade the king to leave before the
preliminaries for the fantastic strife
had been completed. but Louis was
iilil III MS determination TO remain.
L would not miss this for the world
man." he had insisted. All his child
like delight in the adventurous was be-
ing stated to the full this evening, and
there was no happier man at that mo-
ment in the kindgdom than the man
who by strange fortune was it's king.
The fight persisted for some minutes
that seemed like hours to more than
one of the anxious spectators. Now the
room would be stepped in the deepest