Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-10-11
DAILY SHORT STORY
MOLLY sURNES' METHOD.
IOrginal.1


| long visits to one another's houses.
hunted. Toasted, danced. gambled and
| drank rum together. Old Colonel Rod
| erick Burnes. who had come over TO
| escape Cromwell>s rule, had Il very
| pretty daughter. South of him ON the
| James lived young Harry Swift, who
| inheri. ed his domain when he came OF
! age. aud northward on the York was
| a mid lie aged bachelor. Albert Mar
shall, who was considered the best
swordslnan on the peninsula.
! Harry Swift YVES madly in love with
Molly ISsIrnes. In her heart Molly IA
! yOred her s7litor. but it was not to be
supposed that one who sat a horse bet
ter and followed the hounds more reck-
| lessly thist any girl in Virginia would
| surrender without being chased. She
| told Swift that she would only marry
| a man who had proved his bravery
under the cole duello. The young fell
| low had seen Marshall cast longing
| eyes on her. and Marshall had defend
| ed his honor oftener. ii was considered.
! than was necessary. 1t was plain to
Harry that Molly meant that she pre-
ferred the GIelist planter 10 himself.
One day q hunting party stopped at
! the Kings Arms tavern ut MarShalfs
| invitation, and while drinking Marshall
! proposed tlse health of Charlie over
| the water" referring to the future
! Charles IL. Harry Swift. who was
present, affecting a sympathy with n
! cause he had no interest in. protested
against the toast. using abusive Ian
guage. This put damper on the par
! ~, for they all knew the insult would
| lead te duel and that Marshall could.
under the code, kill any man there
about.
| How Molly BurneS got wind of the
result OF her coQuettish words TO Swift
does not appear but when the insult
| was given one of her favorite negro
| boys was present at the door of the
| tavern holding her fathers horse. and
| it is supposed she got it from him. AT
any rate, the prospect of her lover be-
| ing put out of the way by Marshall.
and that by her own cOnnivance. was
| by no means agreeable to her; indeel,
she was surprised au her concern in thu
matter. Unfortunately she was with
out power to break up an affair with
which she had no direct connection,
SO she proceeded to make matters
|
| cretly, a party to the trouble. As
luck would have it. a gentleman from
! Maryland. Mr.. Ashley, was visiting
in the vicinity, who had the reputation
of being the best swordsman in the
| southern colonies. ON the evening of
| Swift's insult an anonymous note was
received through the post by Mr.. Mar
| shall stating that the Marylander had
been maligning him.
| Since Swift had no reputation what
! ever as u swordSman, and Ashley was
the best i'll the soIth, it was not only
! becoming of him to fight Ashley first.
! but such was his own desire.
! Harry Swift. having arranged to be
/ killed by Mr.. Marshall. spent the even
! ing before the meeting with Molly
| Burnes. He did not tell her that he
I had come to say what would doubtless
/ be lasting farewell. nor did she tell
| him that she knew what was expected
/ on the morrow. He appeared very I'M
| easy till Il servant, entered and handed
! him note. She watched him while
! he read it. noting his expression, and
! it appeared to relieve her. She inferred
! from it that the Marshall-Swift affair
! had been postponed TO make way for
the Marshall Ashley affair. Harry
! made no comment on the note, but at
once took his leave.
| 1t was not necessary then as ii is
now to keep an affair of this kind Sc
cret. Indeed. when an insult was pass
ed a meeting was in order. The Mar
shall Swift-Ashley affair was talked
of all over the peninsula. In the coffee
houses at Williamsburg men discussed
Mr.. Marshall'S obligations i'll the mat
ter without coming TO conclusion as
to what those obligations We're. 1t
! took some time to settle matters be-
! tween Marshall and Ashley. Marshall
demanded that Ashley should retract
what he had said and acknowledge
that he had lied. Ashley, who wished
10 fight did not deny that he had Sian
dered Marshall. He had heard of Mar
shall's reputation with the sword and
/ was not averSe TO n trial of skill with
him. y meeting was arranged for the
/ third day after the receipt of the
anonymous note. The hour was sun
rise. The place was a grove not far
from Colonel Burnes' plantation.
On the appointed morning the prin-
cipals and their seconds were on the
ground, and in waiting was young
Swift, who was to be attended TO by
Mr. Marshall after the first meeting.
should Marshall survive it. The rising
sun was flashing on the swords of the |
diSputants when a clatter of hoofs was |
heard, and Molly Burnes dashed on to |
the ground.
Gentlemen" she said. put up your |
swords I wrote the letter charging |
Mr.. Ashley with slandering Mr.. Mar |
shall. The charge was false"
a thunderbolt from heaven could not !
have created more surprise.
What did you do il for, Miss Mol
lyf" asked Mr. Marshall