The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1904-11-30

Il las earl governor n0u GOrDlu-
~ den encounters within ten
mile of military camp. Foy rode thith-
er with his seconds Rolph and lieu
tenant In the royal forces.
~ like not these night affairs" spoke
the lieutenant. "Dew Is slippery, anu
the light deceives. I have known of
accidents
Foy cut In with a laugh Of contempt.
"'Twill be an accident L faith," he
said, "if send not his soul a-scurry to
hell for that glassw
'I mind me that fight at Minden,"
said the lieutenant musingly. "'Twas
NO white night such as this, but black
as the Earl of Hells riding boots.
Roots and Shiny grass and"-
Foy cursed him, with his hand shak-
ing on his rein. LET that alone for
noww he snarled. "rhey lied an they
said he slipped. They liedI Twas fair,
tell your
aye" said the other, surprised.
"HTwas n fair thrust. None doubt
ed it."
"Where are your witsT" said Rolph,
refining close. "Know you no better
topic? When you have trtced the young
upstart, Foy, we shall have toddy to-
night. This air has an ague."
A lantern had been set at the byroad,
and ut this Henry and Armand turned
into the open space. The curving road
on the higher Blue Ridge slope had been
delicately grayed with gossamer mist
creeping up from the late downs. Here
1t had risen thicker, curdling more
deeply against the ground and sopping
the air with the smell Of wet beech
bark. With the sailing moon above, it
was like going in some murky, dull
toned world where near things were
shadowy and far vanished into opaque
whiteness.
The other party was in waiting, the
horses, in charge Of q groom, tethered
near by under clusters of black SCARED,
white stemmed birches, which stirred
dimly as If afraid. Through their
moving branches fltful flashes of fog
mixed moonlight filtered whitley OIL
Foy, striding up and down, slashing off
goldenrod heads with his sword and
listening to the rustic Of late rabbits,
scurrying
Gentlemen" said Henry gravely,
"know you no means by which this
meeting may be avoided2"
"Thc young cocks growing less loud
ly, eh?" Foy turned to his seconds
with q rolling laugh.
A quick word of anger was on Ar
mand's lips rs he faced Henry, which
died as Burnaby spoke:
"Lct him to his knees and ask Cap
tain Foy to Use his riding whip instead
of his sword"
The Frenchmans laugh rang out
clearly and loud. "I have seen NJ. lie
Capitaine ride. If he uses his sword
as poorly as his whip
"Damnation! said Foy. Measure
those swords, Rolph, and be quick
about It,"
Henry held Armand's coat and waist
coat after he had stripped them off and
stood, slight and young, in his shirt
He looked Mt him with rising pity. All
Virginia knew of Foy's sword skill.
He had n black record in the army of
Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, and
these tales had been whispered wide
| in Williamsburg. There he had come
to no open quarrel as yet and was
made boon companion by such pot
| tlpsters as Burnaby Rolph and lesser
toad eaters like young Brooke. But the
| better class gave him q cold shoulder
rs unworthy to mix with gentlemen of
character and would have needed little
to have named him to his face for a
Sncaking whelp that smelled strong of
| the hangman.
The young Frenchman took Henry's
| hand between both his own. "I have
been so occupied these last three
| hours he protested contritely. "Have
| said to YOU that you are generous and
kind TO assist thus in the affair of q
stranger? Have | said that / was
gratcful?'
Colonel Washington" said Henry,
''is my best friend. An had been in
the inn parlor, sir, had drunk that
| toast with YOU"
The night was very still. Scarce a
| leaf stirred in the vagrant breeze or
shivcrcd in the haze. Only n dull hum
ming chrr of night insects from the
thicket and drifting across this-a gold
snake on sad carpet-thc rich, plain
| tive bubble of Il whppOorwiH.
Gentlemen" cried Rolph, "is all
rcady?"
"IIavc you no command, mons!eur?"
| Henry asked.
The young mans eyes were soft as
he shook his head. How sweet 1t
| sings." he said. "Listcnw
1t died, and the tapping of bell,
very faint and far and tenuous, came
| over the still valley. Henry knew the
sound. Away to the eastward on n
high knoll, stood long. low structure
OF limestone, with wide veranda.
Pcrchcd upon its roof were two wooden
belfries with alarm bells, which had
been hung twenty years before, after
Braddock's defeat, when the Indians
turned their tomalawks against the
white chief that dwclt there. The In
dams had been driven westward long
| ago, but the bells still rang whenever
the master, with yelping hounds or by
fiarins torches, came back to his lodge.
AT this moment, while Armand stood
In the moonlight with naked sword
In his hand, my Lord Fairfax, for
whose affront he stood, was come again
saddcned to Greenwa G. Irt
Foy's voice bro II, sneeringly
wrathful. Are we come to string
beads"--
EN- garden cried Armand, turning
sharply, and the two blades rang to.
gether with clash.