The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1909-05-06

| more overwhelmed with the cold wave
of responsibility, Joy, JOY Joy!''
he kept repeating to himself as a sort
| OF charm to keep off evil. To let go
his anger now might-would be fatal
| to her happiness. He marvelled to
| himself as he went on in his equal
| voice. seemingly calm:
| That sir was with no intent of evil.
| Twas but a natural consequence of
tie series of disasters which fell on
the enterprise which has so crowned
my happiness. When 1 turned tq~eome
| home SO that so that the lady
might be in time to meet her parents
| who were expected to arrive at-;it her
| destination. 1 forgot. in my cage rness
to meet her wishes. the regulations as
| to speed: and L was arrested for
| furious driving. In my anxiety to save
her from any form of exDosal to pub
licity. and i'll my perpleXity to how
to manage it. L advised her returning
| by herself in my motor 1 remaining
at Dairy. When she had gone, and I
had arranged for attending the sum-
| mons served on me, wired over to
| this motel to keep me rooms. thought
| it better that as J that the
| lady had gone to England 1 should
remain in Scotland. I started to walk
| here; but l was overtaken by .. fog
| and delayed for hours behind my time.
| The house was locked up-every one
| asleep. The night porter who lei me
| II told me that as / had not arr ived,
as by my telegram. the bedroom had
| ordered was let to some one else who
| had arrived in plight similar to my
| own. Another party were his words;
l had no clue to whom or what the
| other visitor was. The only place left
| in the house unoccupied-for there
| We're many unexpected guests through
| the fog-was that sofa. There 1 rept.
Only a few minutes ago I was Weakened
| by some one coming into the room.
When I saw that it was when
| 1 saw who it was-the woman whom
| L loved and whom I intended to marry
1 ill.,
| without thinking" Then without
| pausing, for he saw the anger il. the
ColonePs face and felt that to Pre- long
| this part of the narration was dan
gerouS, ne went on quickly:
Il trust that you understand. Colonel
Ogilvfe. that this explanation in no
way infringes your right of nishing
me as you suggest. Please understand
gestion as to my appealing to law
that accept your wish to go through
the form of a duelr' He was holly
interrupted by the Colonel:
Form of dueli Is this another in
suit? When I say fight 1 mean fight
understand that. 1 fiht foutrance;
and that way only" 'Athlyne'S COM
posture did not seem even ruffled:
Exactly! I took no other meaning.
But surely 1 am entitled to take it
that even a real duel has the form of
a dueli"
Then what do you mean sir by in
Simply. Colonel Ogilvie. to protect
myself from a later accusation on your
part-either to me or of me-of
charge of poltroonery; or even a silent
suspicion of it in your own nlindT'
How do you mean?"
Sir. 1 only speak for myself have
already said more than once that
hold my life at your disposal. From
that do not shrink; accept the form
of duel for my execution
"Your execution Explain yours elf.
sir?'' In calm even voice came the
answer.
Colonel Ogilvie. I put it to you as
man to man-if you will honour me
with SO simple comparison, or ju1 ia
position whichever you like to consi Ter
it-how can 1 fight freely against The
father of the woman whom / lC We.
Pray. sir" for the Colonel made an
angry gesture "be patient for a mo-
ment. 1 intend no kind of plea or APP
peal. I feel myself forced to let you
know my position from my point of
view. You need bear no new ana er
towards me for this expression of ny
feelings. 1 do so with reluctance. a. Id
only because you must understand
here and now. or it may make. Later
on, further unhappineSS for some one
else-some one whom we both hold in
our hearts, Colonel Ogilvie hesitatcd
before replying. The bitter Scowl was
once again on his face as he spoke:
Then 1 suppose L am to take it, sir.
that you will begin our meeting on IL e
field of honour by putting me publicly
through the expression of your
intenticn-in the position of a murder"
Not so, Surely you know better
than that. I did not think that any
taken another. If have to speak ex
plicitly this point-on which TO-
your sake and the sake of OF
one dear to you. 1 would fa1n be ret1- |
cent-let me reassure you on one point:
L shall play the game fairly. For this |
duel is game. and. so far as L am
concerned at all events. one for a pref |
ty large stake Il indeed that can be |
called a, game which can only end in |
one way. You need not. assure you |
feel the least Uneasy as to my not go |
ing through with 1T properly. 1 am
telling you this now so that you may
not distort ray intention yourself by |
some injudicious comment on my con- |
duct. CT speech. or action. made under |
a INSTRUMENTATION or from diStruSt of !.
me. Sir. your own honour shall be pro- I
so possibly rests with me-" Here, see |
ing some new misunderstanding in the |
Coloners eye he went on quickly:
81 venture to say this because I am
aware that you doubt my being able |
to carry out my intention. When
say rests with me- 1 mean the re- |
sponsibility of acting properly the role |
I have undertaken. I shall conduct |
my part of the duel in all seriousness. |
1t must be in some other country; this |
for your sake. For mine it will not |
have mattered. We have only to bear |
ourselves properly and none, will sus- |
pect. 1 shall go through all the forms |
with your permission-of fighting |
Poutrauce, SO that no one can suspect. |
No one will be able afterwards to say |
that you could have been aware of my |
intention. 1 shall fire at you all right: |
but ] shall not hit!'
Instinctively Colonel Ogilvie bowed |
He did not intend to do so. He said |
no word. The rancour of his heart |
nnitiea his intention fO 1
kill in no wav lessened. His action |
was simply a spontaneous recognition /
of the chivalry of another, and his ap
probation of it.
Athlyne could not be glad of even sc |
slight 8. relaxation of the horrible ten
sion. He stood quite still. He felt that
in some way he had scored with his
antagonist: and as he was fighting for
Joy he was unwilling to do anything
which might not be good for her. He
WAS standing well out in the room with