The wageworker., 1910-05-20
Good Buffer
By c. B. BURGESS
Copyright. 1910, by American Press
Association.

tOeseCneF TO students pail. W nile
Ned was dancing with a very pretty
fraulein a young fellow who evidently
had claim upon her came up to him
and said:
Il will pigstick you
That's the way they have over there
of telling man that he's got to fight
Ned turned upon him with we'll as
sumed fury and replied:
And l will let the sawdust out of
you"
Later dapper officer with
wasp waist stepped up to Ned and
handed him card on which was en-
graved Lieutenant Ernst Won Batter
stein''
Ned, understanding that the officer
addressed him as bearer of a chal-
lenge whipped out his own card. on
which he had scrawled. Instructor of
Fencing No Dearborn Street, Chi
cago. U. s. A.
You see. Ned had known very well
what was coming and with his usual
quick foresight had prepared his first
move. With magnificent sweep of
his arm he referred the lieutenant to
me. and l agreed to meet the gentle
man at a cafe in the Inter den Linden
in half an hour.
Ned" l protested as soon as we
were alone. "you can't bluff one Of
these young Germans with so palpable
a device as that. My opinion is that
we'd better jump the town. You
know well enough you've never ham
died foil in your fife, and at shoot
ing you couldn't hit ten story build
ing at ten PAGES. We don't duel any
in America. and it's no disgrace to flee
| from these fellows who do. All we
have to do is to lose ourselves for the
rest of the night and take an early
| train in the mcrning.'
"Oh. there's some better way out of
it than that. Do you know what Cen
eral Grant said when going to attack
his first enemy? He said that the 9th
er fellow was probably as much scared
as he was. and so he went on. Well.
| I've put at least the probability into
this young mans head that I'm an eX-
pert. and if he doesn't believe me he
won't be sure that I'm not You go
and talk with his second and hear
what he has to say"
| met Won Batterstein and to help
Ned on in his game assumed a conf
dent air l said as little as possible,
for when man is playing desperate
game it's best to let him do it all him
self. The slightest interference with
Ned in this instance might cost him
his life. When the lieutenant asked
what weapons my friend as the chal-
lenged party would choose ! simply
replied "Foils, of course!' and as to
other details l left them entirely to
him. except that the affair should be
settled at once. as my man had an en-
gagement in Paris with pupil who
needed his services in an affair of the
same sort.
flattered myself that this was keep
ing up the instructor in fencing il
lusion pretty well. If the principal on
the other side had been an officer in
the army the pretense couldn't be re-
lied on, for a soldier can't very well
back out from sure death. But the
would be pigsticker was civilian.
and that wasn't so bad. The officer
didn't appear in the least frightened.
but he was not the man who would
have to meet fencing master.
| 1t was arranged. in order that Ned
should meet his engagement in Paris
that we should be at rendezvous
where such affairs are settled at &
o'clock the same morning. went
back and reported the outcome to Ned
"What are you going to do?" asked.
you're certainly not going to let this
fellow run sword through your vi
tals.''
"Oh. I'll keep up the bluff till the
last minute. and If the thing goes
against me I'll find a pretext to slide
out with honor"
| At $50 we took a carriage and drove
to the rendezvous. had left the pro-
curement of the weapons to the enemy,
saying that my principal could fence
as we'll with a cutlass as a foil and l
would rely on them for weapons.
When we got on the ground the pig
sticker was looking over stock of
foils and testing them. evidently think
| ing that If he was to meet a fencing
master who didn't care whether he
used foil or a cutlass he must be
carefully armed. 1t looked to me that
the bluff game was up and Ned would
have to wiggle out.
Just before taking position Ned sent
me to the enemy to say that since he
didn't wish to kill his antagonist he
would give him the choice between
losing an eye or having his nose cut
off. ! was to bring back word which
Of these the pigsticker preferred to
lose.
l saw by the appearance of the prin-
cipal on the other side when this cool
proposition was announced to him that
we had made break. Won Batterstein
took it to him. and they stood apart
talking earnestly. ! was In suspense
as to the issue. Presently the lieuten-
ant came to me and said that his prin-
cipal had decided that the contest was