The daily Alaskan., 1907-04-03
A Compromised fee

rigorous than in the north. The slaE'
 cry agitation was on, and the north | erner found making an entry either
 socially or professionally slow work 1 But there Is oue held in ThiCI at the
 age of tweuU-three progress $ never ! slow-the field of love. Otis and An ] tofuette Le Bert. the daughter of a
 sugar planter. met, and their hearts
 fused as readily as if there was lo
 war cloud gathering between their respective sections.
 , But, while AntoinetJe's father had no objection 10 Otis on a. count of be- l ing a portherner. he hau serious oo- i fectgous to him on acCOuuC of his pOT' ! erty. for the young man on his ar 1 rival at his new home had not SluU l in the world NeyerthG Iess Mr. Le Bert was friendly to h.S daughters ] lover. probably because Otis was too 1 manly to pay court to a girl he was not able to marry. Indeed, Otis con 1 sfdered marriage with Miss Le Bert us impossible as did her father. Mr. ] Le Bert gave him what li-tle law bus!- 1 ness he had and wuS impressed with 1 the ingenious methods the young man employed to gain his ends.
 One day NIr. Le Bert placed a col 1 lection for a goodly sum in the law yers hands aud ln doing so said to ! him.
 "Le Grand BOuyier. who owes me i this de6r. is g ire eater of the worst kind He hates a northeruer as he | bsres snakes. He Is 8 dueilst, a dead shot. and has killed several men under the code durIlo There Is no lawyer 1 hpreabout who will take the collection 1 The amount Is Sl".nUO. If you will fad | a way 10 force ur persuade him to pay | t you shall have half for a fee. But remember yau must exercise the great est care not To offend hW, for if you do be will challenge you. and if you re | fuse him satisfaction sentiment here ,-ll be against you, and you will have Co go elsewhere. Besides do not care l to antag1ulzc Le Grand Bouvier my serr-noc thar fear him. but we south eruers consider ir beneath Us to press claim for debt especially from one of our own class"
 Otis took the papers in the case aud said that he would look into II. He neither spoke to Nlr. Lc Bert about it nor Mr. Le Bert ro him till one morning week later when the client rushed into Otis office with letter in his hand and threw ir down before him. It read:
 sfr-I have received an insulting letter from a yaunE gutter suipe from the north damgvG.0g payment of my indebtedness ro sou. in which he uses the word dead beat and accuses me of having obtained your property under "talSe pTctenseS. l desire 60 know .E y1u assume resp0DSihil, ity for the uuupy.s insults. ] have the honor ro be your most ched.ent servant
 LIZ GRAND BOUNlER
 Ie Bert expected to see Otis pale when he rrud the letter, hut he did not. He wrote on rur face of f..
 Arv n,te was written without the knowl- edge ur AIr. Le Bert. and l alone am re- sponsI1Ia for ly OLIVER OTIS.
 Handing il back To Lr Bert, he re- stunned yne work ut which be was ell gagged a, it nothing uausuaI had oc- cured.
 Are you aware" asked Lc Bert, "whar rl.S means:
 Perfectly"
 "Very we'll IT you waUr 10 get hole ID you. 90 ahead"
 That evening a gentleman with very black hair aud eyes who spoke softly the creole dialect ca.le4 upon Ous with a demand tor satisfaction on the part of B0uy.vr Otis -sked if be | would be expected to tg { under the | Louisiana code The visitor said that l his 1rfuylua! Was sO eur. geu that be would fight under any roue, where uDon Otis sail that iu so.-e states the | code especially slipuIare. that there should be no meeting retWeen two nerS5ns wherein our owed the other | money. that he was persO. ally interest ! ed in the deDr due from Nr. Rouyter. 1 therefore his challenger Vas his debt or. He could not accept any challenge
 from AIr. B0uvic, until Ile debt had
 been paid
 The visitor departed, and nothing | more was heard or the u[fuir for ten days. whyl Mr. Le Bert received a check toI tue full amount of his claim with interest. The payment had not ] been uaJ. i've minutes when Mir. 1 Bouvfer's second called at Otis office. | AIr. Le Bert came in at the same mo
 melr with his check. The second po- Utslv informed OGs that there being
 nothing in the way Of the meeting, his
 principal expected it would take place
 without delay.
 Then Otis placed his hand on his
 heart. made 8 profound bow and said:
 May l ask you to convey to MT,
 Bouvier my sincere and humble apOt'
 ogy: I supposed him 10 be what l
 called him. but see l was mistaken, l have proof in the payment of this
 debt that he is an honorable man."
 The creole looked surprise through
 his soft black eyes. bowed, turned and
 left the office. And that w;rs the last
 of the prospective duel between Oliver
 Otis and Le Grand Bouvirr.
 That afternoon Mir. Le Bert sent
 Otis a check for SG.GS3Tl, exactly half