Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1905-04-20

| must not take up my quarrel. KNOW
not where you learned 10 twirl the
| steel, or how, but you may be sure he
would spit you like a trusscd fowl in
/ the first bout. l have seen him kill a
man who was reckoned the best short
! sword in my old regiment OF the
1 Blues
! Content Yourself said my young
HotSpur, giandly. III you spare him
! he shall answer to me for that thing
he said of Madge Stair; this though
] know not what il was he said
] smiled at his Tuning ardor, and
glancing at the pair of pistols hanging
| from his saddle bow, asked il he could
shoot.
indifferent we'll"
Then make him challenge you and
choose your own weapon. lis your
only hope. and poor enough at that,
fear. l have heard he can clip a guinea
1T ten PAGES
From that we fell silent again. be-
ing but a little way from the rendez-
Nous, and 50 continued until at Il sud-
den turn In the road. VIC came in sight
of q rude barricade of relled trees bar
ring the Way. Lennifer saw it first and
pulled UP short loosing his pistols IN
their cases as he drew rein.
Ware the wood!' he said sharply,
and none too soon, for even as he spoke
the gilde at our lef, filled as by magic
with motley troop deploNns into the
road AS to surround us.
Nov. who are these? | asked;
friends or foes?
Foes who Will hang you in Your own
halter strap: Jan Howart's Tories
the same that burned the Wcstcotts in
their cabin a fortnight since. Will your
horse take that barricade, think you?"
Aye standing. if need be-
Then 1T them, in Gods name.
Charge"
i, needed lut the word and we were
i'm the thick OF ii. remembered my
old field marshal's mixim, Won I'einden
iinlringt list die Z"it Zu zerschmcttern;
and truly. being so plentifully outnum-
bered, we dit, strike both first and
hard.
A line of the ragged h"rsein"m strung
itself awIsWardlN ac.'o:is the ro;id To
guard the ilnsN balric;tde, and at tilis
We changed. stirrup TO stilrup In the
dash there WAS; Il scattering voley from
the wood. answered Instantly bS the
below les of Jennfer's great pistols,
aud then we came to steel.
1t was my frst neshina of the good
old Andrea and n better balanced blade
had never swung i'm hand hand
mellay. AS we closed With the half
dozen defenders of the barrier, Jennifcr
refined aside to give me roonSR play
to right and left, and In the midst of it
went nigh to death because he held
his hand to watch u cut and double
thrust of mine.
"ONer with you,' | shouted. priciling
the man who would have moved him
down With a great scythe handled as I,
sword.
Our horses took the barrier in a ny
ing leap, st";tning themselves for the
race beyond. When we had pulled
them down to a foot pace we We're
safely out of rifle shot and there was
space To count the cost
There was no cost worth counting.
A saddle horn bullet shattered for me.
and the back of Jennifers sword hand
scored lightly across by another of the
random missiles summed up our
woundings. Dick whipped out his kerr
chief to twist about the scored hand,
while ! glanced back TO see if amy
Tory cared To follow.
'I.ord. .lack owe YOU one to keep
and one to pay back" auoth my young
s'er, warmly. Il never saw a swords
man till this day.
Mere tricks, Dick, my lad I have
hal fifteen years i'm which to learn
them. And these We're but country
yolSels armed with farming tools. The
two with swords had little wit to use
lhem.'
ooh. come" said he. II know Il pref
ty bit of sword play when | see it, If
we come whole out of this adventure
with the baronet you shall teach me
some of these mere tricks of yours"
promised, glaneing back toward the
dastveiled barrier in the distance.
Dick. you passed this way an hour
ago, WAS that breastWorl in the road
Them"
Not stick of ILL.,"
"'rhen we may dare say our volun-
tecr captain fights unwillinsly."
"IIow So" he demanded being much
too straightforward himself to suspect
duplicity in others.
Ills plain enough. This was Il
trap, meant TO stop or delay us, and
IN wager high il Was the baronet who
set and baitcd it. 1t would please him
We'll TO be able to say what our failure
To come would give HIM warrant for.
Let us gallop Il bit lcsI We be late and
so play into his hand
.lcnnifcr smiled glmy and gave his
horse the rein. 81 think you'd charge
the l'all of Man TO him if that would
give you better leave to Kill him. I'd
hate To own YOU for my enemy John
Ircton.
For all our swift speeding we were
yet little late at the rendezvous UNI
der the tall oaks. When we came on
the ground the baronet was walking up
and down arm i'm arm with his second,
IA broad shouldercd young Brton, fair
of skin and ruddy of face.
III Falconnet had set the Tory trap
for us he yelled his disappointment at
Its failure. His face, dark and inScrut :
sinister by the plaSters knitting up his
broken cheek, but | WAS right glad To
make sure tina. my blow had spared his
eyes. Richly us he deserved his fate
thought it would be i'll to think on
afterward that had had him at i, dis
advantage of my own making.
There was little time wasted in the
prcliminaries. When I'alconnet saw
us he dropped his seconds arm and be-
gan to make ready. l gave my sword
to .Tcnnifer. and the seconds went apart
together. There WAS some measuring
and balancing of weapons. and ther
Richard came back.
THE baronet's sword is Il good inch
longer than yours i'm the blade. and is
somewhat heavier. Tybee has brought
pair of French short swords which
he offers. VIII you change your
terms"
NO: l am content to fight with my
own weapon"
Jennifer nodded so / told him
And then: There WAS no surgeon tc
| Re had i'm town, DR.. Carew having gone
| with the minute men to join Mr.. Ru-
| therford. Tybee says tbs scarce in ac-
cordance With the later ruling to hgh,
without one
ITO the devil with their hairsplit
4 tings!" said |. Let us have done With
! them and be ut it,"
t'alconnet was removing his coat
and | stripped mine. The seconds chose
| the grouRd where the turf was shor
| and firm, and yet yielding enough tC
1 give good footing. We faced each 9TH
/, er, my antagonist barring an arm which
| despite the bejeweled hand. was TO tn.
full as big -muscled as my own. My
glance Went from his weapon. IL rather
!! heavy German blade, straight and slen
| der pointed, To his face. He was slnii: