The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1908-05-30

1 can't come on. and III explain wnea
] can"
THAT won't do much good" said
Miller, but I'll do the best / can"
He shook the others hand and left
the room.
Seton on the Britannia l see It
all now" unused Darlington. What a
fool l was not to think OF it myself.
They'll overhaul her without fail. The
Britannia win be back to her anchor
age at daybreak and I'll be there He
stopped. NO, I have this cursed duel
on hand. 1 wonder II it couldn't be
postponed"
For the moment his intense love for
Ellen overbore every other possibility.
The thought that at last she would be
restored to him made him for the
moment forget the pressing demands
Of the early morning hour, but further
reflection plunged him into a black ct
Of jealousy Of Seton. It was he who
had the wit and address to capture
Lady Darlington. 1t was he who would
reap the reward that might come to
him from his skill and daring and
devotion. And Darlington swore to
settle with him as soon as he had ar.
ranged matters with Strathgate.
His reveries were interrupted
toward evening by the arrival of Park
man. 10 whom Lascelles had readily
granted permission to go ashore for
the night. Parkman had brought with
him a ease Of dueling pistols, having
been informed by Miller of what was
on. The two at once settled down to
business, but not until Darlington had
catechized Parkman as to what was
known about the movements Of the adj
miral and the Britannia. Nothing
further was elected than what he had
obtained from Miller. A challenge
was duly drawn up and Parkman car
ried It to Lord Strathgate.
The baron Of Blythedale had a seat
a few miles east of Portsmouth
He was a bachelor, a congenial
spirit and an old friend OF Lord
Strathgate's. He had agreed to act
as S~trathgate's second. He and
Lieutenant Parkman soon came to an
agreement. The encounter would
take place in the park at Blythedale,
where the comDatants would be
free from any possible interruption OF
from prying eyes of any sort
S~trathgate, as the challenged, had the
choice Of weapons, and selected
swords, to Carrington's great satisfac
ton. The other preliminaries were
o settled. A surgeon was also
designated, and Parkman came bach
to report the progress of events, mos
agreeable, from his point Of view, t.
his principal.
Darlington was as expert with tht
sword as with the pistol, and he made
no demur to any Of the conclusionl
OF the seconds. All he wanted wa,
to have his deadly enemy opposit,
him, with no one to intervene. H,
had duties to perform before he wen
to rest. One of them was the writ
ing of a letter to Ellen, which, afte
he had signed and sealed 1t, he CAV,
to Parkman, with instructions to turn
1t over to my Lady Darlington in cas-,
the approaching encounter should ter
inmate fatally for my lord. Whel
Parkman asked where Lady Caring
ton was to be found, Darlington re
piled bitterly that in all p~robabilit,
she could be seen on the Britannia il
the morning with Sir Charles Seton
And bark We, Jack" said CARING
ton, clapping his hand on his friend.
shoulder, SAY to Sir Charles SetoI
that as regards the unsettled differ
ence between us, I'm ready to NEE
him here and now, IL he'll come ashore
in the proper mood for an encounter
l might as well finish up all my en-
emies in n day and leave mysel
free for dealing with my wife, or ger
a clearance for Dayy Jones locker my
self from one or the other Of them