The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1908-12-05
In the Sweetness
of Death
y. xx1RDA .. Rxx1Ls

Plainly it was farce. That was
well understood. But the duelists
were certainly guilty of something
Of presumption to play their little
"joke," 90 solemnly-so realistically
for 1t must have shocked the in
vitsd gathering Of young women
and their beaux-all dressed as for
. summer mornings outing-to see
two men walk silently into an open
space of ground, separate q few
PAGES, turn upon each other, level
pistols simultaneously, and fire!
There were few gasps and few
pale faces among them, and q few
men who became interested. But
others laughed, unwilling to seem
too easily impressed by this eccentric
method of morning entertaining.
Their invitations had simply
read: "Come-you will be sur
prised." And although a man had
fallen, grasping, as only good ac-
tor could, the garment over his left
ohest-the laughter had spread, and
conversation began to rise. The sud-
denness of it had made an unpleas-
ant impression-that was all-and
now they would wait for the next
event in the performance"
It was LAtture who had invited
them, and it was Latture who now
lay upon the grass with his hand on
his chest, and actually looked pale.
And though the surviving principal
and large contingent of acting
seconds" seemed to be having q very
hard time to restrain a strong dis
position to laugh at how we'll it was
taking" the audience really did
not like it. That was why they
talked, and turned their backs.
But they looked back again pres
entity, because Latture was dead.
Some one had suddenly called that
out, in = Mortified wsy-because
blood had been found on the pros
trats mans ahirt, and because his
heart wasn't beating.
When convinced that LAtturs was
really dead al turned to the advcr-
cary in the "pfay" and found him
vry much confused. ~ loaded both
pistols myself" he said, 'T'll swear
that I didn't kill him." and friends
there were who were ready at once
to swear with him.
But there were, as always, skep-
tics, and Jervis was held for . trial,
which resulted in sentence of 20
years in prison.
People seemed to forget Richard
Jervis very easily. He had certain
~ been little liked, though some ole
had said that it was because people
did not understand him.
But the occurrence of that day
the invitation to a murder in
the fullness of a summer day
was long remembered by many,
though the name of Jarvis was only
spoken when the story was told on
some All Halloween, or other occa-
sion when ghoulish and Creepy"
stories take on something of relish,
aud folks are wont to listen.
Gu the night before the death of
I4atture, he had summoned to him
friend and a notary. And packet
containing a document sworn to by
him was placed in the friends hands.
to be opened after ten years should
have passed.
"On the tenth anniversary OF TO-
morrow" Latture had said. "and
swear to me also, before your God
and before men, that no word shall
DO said of this oath or its import to
any living creature until that day"
And IL was 90 sworn.
And now, after ten years, wherein
the possessor Of the packet had come
to know the torment of uncertain
things-the harassing burden Of
tonesty-had heard soul-cries, pro-
claiming that in the envelope there
was salvation for a mans life, so
that he came to believe that in some
way it should finally explain the
tragedy of Latture's end, the envel-
ope was to be opened.
So great had been this torment
that in the second year the pocket
49,. 4.