Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1907-11-21

The colonel asked: DO you insist
upon a serious duel?''
The visSount replied: VERY seri-
GUS"
The marquis asked: "You wish
pistols?'
Yes"
well, we leave you free to regulate
the rest
The viscount articulated in a dry,
jerky voice:
Twenty paces-to fire at the word
to fire on the rise instead OF the
fall; balls to be exchanged until one
or the other be seriously wounded"
The colonel exclaimed, in tone of
satisfaction: '.These are excellent
conditions. You shoot well and all
the chances are in your favor
And they parted on their errand.
The viscomt returned home to wait
for their return His excitement, tenn
porarily appeased, now began to in
crease every minute. He felt all along
his legs and arms, in his chest, a sort
Of sinking-a continual quivering; he
found himself unable to remain quiet.
His mouth felt dry. He could not eat.
He ordered a decanter of brandy
brought in, from which he helped him
self to six small glasses, one after the
other.
A heat, as of burn, passed through
him, followed by a sort of mental
numbness. He thought: Here's the
remedy. Now | am all right
But at the end of an hour he had
emptied the decanter and his excite
ment became intolerable.- Evening
came. sudden pull at the door bell
gave him such sense of suffocation
that he could not find strength to rise
and receive his seconds. He did not
even dare to say Good evening""
through fear that they might discover
everything from his voice.
The colonel said:
Everything has been arranged ac-
cording to the conditions you stipula-
ted. His seconds are two military
men"
The viscout said: Thanks"
The colonel asked: well, you feel
all right; you are cool?'
Yes; very cool, thank you"
The two men retired
When he found himself alone again
he felt as if he were going mad. When
his servant had lighted the lamps he
sat down at table to write some let
ters After having traced, at the
head of a blank sheet of note paper,
the words: This is my last will and
testament" he rose with a sudden
start, feeling incapable Of putting two
ideas together.
AS he walked up and down, he
stopped before the little round table
on which lay pistol case. He took
out one of the pistols, placed himself
in the position of man about to fire,
and raised his arm. But he trembled
so that the barrel of the pistol quiv-
cred and pointed in all directions.
Then he said to himself: ut is
simply impossible. I shall never be
able to fight as | am now"
He looked down the muzzle of the
barrel, into the little deep, black hole
which spits out death He thought OF
the dishonor, of whisperings in the
salons, OF laughter at the clubs, of the
contempt that women can show, of al
lusions in the newspapers, of the open
insults he would receive.
Still he stared at the weapon, and,
pulling back the hammer, he suddenly
observed a cap shining under it, like
a tiny red flame. The pistol had re-
manned loaded by some chance, some
forgetfulness, and the discovery filled
him with a confused and ineXplicable
JOY.
If he could not maintain before the
other man the cool and dignifled de-
pertinent which behooved him, then
he would be ruined forever. He would
be stained, branded with the stamp OF
infamy-driven out of society! And
that calm, fearless attitude he would
not be able to have; he knew it. Yet
he was brave enough, since he wanted
to fight He was brave since. Sud
denly opening his mouth wide, he
thrust the muZZlo OIL lu0 piston III anu
pulled the trigger.
When the valet de chambre ran in,
he found his master lying on his back,
dead A gush of blood had spattered
over the white paper on the table and
formed a great red blot Immediately
underneath the words:
"This is my last will and tesla
ment. TRANSLATED from the French
of Guy de Maupassant.