The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-11-14
The Irresistible Lunge.
TOriGinal.1

years of age During the siege OF
Santiago George was left wounded in
an exposed position. | went back and
carried him to safer place. He set
great store by an act which l consider
only the most natural in the world
and declared that he would never rest
content till he had repaid the debt.
But he did not recover from his wound
and in addition contracted typhoid
fever, of which he died at Mdntauk
Point. He expired broodng over the
fact that he could not live to repay the
service | had done him.
When was mustered out of the Serv-
ice | was offered commission in the
regular army, but l decided to study
medicine While taking a tinishin:
course in Paris | unintentionally Won
the regard of a girl who unfortunately
for me. had a lover already. Had
known of this mans existence | shonld
have endeayored to keep the girl at Il
distance The first intimation | had
of him was at supper | was enjoying
with number of my fellow students
A man in passing behind me brushed
against me SO forcibly as to knock
me off my chair. Looking up at him.
saw that his act was Intentional
Quick as fash l sprang at him and
knocked him down Before he could
retaiate l was seized by my compan
ions, and my antagonist. throwing q
card at me- left the cafe. The card
bore the name of Antoine Dupuy. and
one Of my party informed me that he
was the lover of the girl who had hon
ored me.
Well, l was obliged to fight him
| that is, l saw no way of avoiding meet
ing him under the Paris code without
subjecting myself to worse fate, for
the friend he sent me with a challenge
| Informed me that his principal was
bent on killing me, and preferred to
die in a respectable fashion ratEer than
! be stabbed in the back. l BID little
! or no training as 4 shot or f'.ncer. so
| | threw dice to decide whether | should
| choose q had the right as the chal-
| lenged party, foils or pistols. The
| dice said foils, and foils it was.
| knew the fellow could do with me
what he liked. and. as his second had
t told me he would kill me, the prospect
was gloomy. Before Santiago there
had been no more chance of my getting
| killed than any one else. 1t was the
certainty. in the present case | didn't
like Had not had soldierly instincts
| Co., ~J, of piI hn1i
| would have left Paris by a midnight
| train.
The night before the meeting was
asleep in bed. Suddenly | awoke.
There stood George Ringwalt. My first
impression was that | had been mis-
taken in his death. Before | could
pass to a second impression he said to
| me:
"Get upr'
l did so and stood in my pajamas.
waiting the next move in this strange
affair A couple of foils were standing
in a corner. George took one, handed
| me the other then placed himself on
guard. l passively did the same. After
a few passes he put back his left foot
and toyed with my foil. Then sud
denly he lunged saw, but did not
feel, his foil pass through my body
While | was wondering he said. ION
guard!' and made the same movement
second time, again running me
through the body.
"Try it yourself" he said.
did as he suggested, making sew
eral trials, every one of which failed
not because of the defense, but because
of my own clumsiness. But ! kept on
until at last it seemed to me that il
was not George standing before me. bu1
my enemy of the morrow, and that my
!. life depended on my making the lunge
successfully. Concentrating all my
watchfulness, my activity, my strength
threw it with one supreme effort, run
ming my foil clean through the body
before me and breaking my foil agains
the wall.
That's the last of consciousness fol
me till was aroused at O'Clock by
my second Had | dreamed or haC
, George Ringwalt come back to show
me how / could win? The foils stood
in the corner. Neither was broken.
!. must have dreamed. AS soon as hat
got into my clothes we went down
stairs, stepped into carriage and rol,
ed away to the place of meeting. Their
stood my adversary, with self salts
fed look on his face which seemed t.
, say, 81 shall kill you in a few min
utes.'
l remembered the lunge had prac
ticed in my dream, if it was dream
: and felt that it was my only chance
Almost as soon as we had crosse,
weapons l put my left foot back ant
toyed for few moments with my ad
versary's blade. What there was il
: my eye that disconnected him | don
know. He must have seen something
there, for he showed momentar
fright Selling my opportunity, fee
ing a confidence could not accoun
for, lunged. My foil passed throug
:. my enemy's body and protruded eight
c cen inches from his back.
L. e.