The Savannah morning news., 1904-04-01


This was good many years ago,
when Eugene Field and worked in
one little box stall in the Chicago News
office and Bob" Peattie and his charm
ing wife, now known to literary fame
as Ella w. Peattie, worked in the
next, writes Willis Brooks in the
Brooklyn Eagle. Stanley Waterloo had
not yet written those excellent novels
which have since brought fame and
fortune to him. He was then editor
of the Chicago Tribune's Sunday edi-
ton.
1t happened that one day I wrote
something nonsensical about picture
which had appeared in the Sunday
Tribune. l had no idea who made II,
but l soon found out. for he was
fiery Hungarian artist, who took him
self and me so seriously that nothing
but blood could wash away the ter
rible insult he thought l had offered
to him in poking fun at his picture.
Waterloo not only encouraged him in
his purpose to challenge me, but even
offered his services as the artists
friend" in the deadly enterprise. The
upshot of it was that Stanley came
over to the News office with an elabo-
rate document addressed to me and
demanding satisfaction on the field of
honor.
After grave consultation with Field
and Mr.. and Mrs. Peattie, during
which Waterloo gave us the benefit of
his recently acquired knowledge of
the CODE l engaged Mrs. Peattie as
my second. She was singulaTly we'll
fitted for the duties of this sanguinary
office-as dainty, modest, pretty-man-
nered a mOTsel of femininity as ever
bewitched a man-and she wrote my
answer in red ink with her own deli
cate hand 1t said that l., being the
challenged party, had the right to
choose ten-ineh bowie knives and would
fight him in a dark room, nine feet
square, on the eighth floor of a GER
tain building, at midnight; that the
window sashes were to be removed,
our right wrists were to be bound
together and we were to fight to the
death.
Waterloo took my answer back to
the waiting artist and in all serious
ness told him that these were the best
arrangements he could make
Mine Gott!" exclaimed the Hun
garian, whose fires seemed suddenly
to have cooled down. DO you call
diss a duel?'
1T is the American way" said
Waterloo deprecatingly.
wy does he want to fight nit bowie
knives?"
Because he is an expert with them
He always fights with a knife"
IVY does he want our right wrists
tied togedder?"
Because he is left-handed."
Wy does he want der window sash
taken oud?"
Il suspect" said Waterloo, that if
you should chance to give him a death
thrust he will try to throw you from
the window, so that both may go
down to death together. He is a pow
erful fellow and very desperate
Mine Colt! Diss ISIS not duelling.
Diss ISIS butchery. Dey would not toll
crate sooch a ding in Europe"
Il KNOW" Waterloo admitted; but
here in Autobiography in the West
they don't value life very highly. A
duel here is always to the death"
The poor artist was fairly quaking
in his shoes. Il will not fight nit
sooch a MANS he finally said. He ISIS
beneath me. 1 am a nobleman at
home, und l will not fight init a
butcher"
But you have challenged him. If
you do not fight he will be warranted
IN thrashing you every time he meets
you. 1t will be very awkward"
The next time / met Waterloo he
thanked me for helping him to get rid
of very annoying artist, who had
been foisted on him. The Hungarian
was gone nobody knew whittier. From
that day to- this l have never heard
of him.