The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1910-05-21
AGood Buffer
By {. B. BURGESS
Copyright, 1910 by American Press
Association

ter Ned and met In Berlin and went
together to a students bali. While
Ned was dancing with a very pretty
fraulein q young fellow who evidently
had a claim upon her came up to him
and said:
81 viii nigstick you"
That's the way they have over there
Of telling a man that he's got to fight.
Ned turned upon him with well as.
sumed fury and replied.
And will let the sawdust out OF
you
Later dapper officer with a
wasp whist stepped up to Ned and
handed him a 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 or
Fencing, No. Dearborn Street, Chi
cago, u. S. AZ
You see, Ned had known very well
what was coming and with his usual
quick foresight had prepared his first
move. With a magnificent sweep Of
his arm he referred the lieutenant to
me, and | agreed to meet the gentle
man at cafe IN the Unter den Linder
in half an hour.
Ned" protested as soon as we
we're alone, "you can't blum one Of
these young Germans with so palpable
device az that. My opinion is that
we'd better jump the town. You
know well enough you've never han
died foil in your life, 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 morning"
ooh, there's some better way ont Of
IL than that Do you know what Gen.
cral 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 IL be doesn't believe me he
won't be sure that I'm not You go
aud talk with his second and hear
what he has to say"
met Won Batterstein and to help
Ned op in his game assumed q conf
dent air. said as little as possible
for when man is playing a desperate
game it's best to let him do II 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 courser' and as to
other details ! left them entirely to
him, except that the affair should be
settled at once, as my man had an en-
gagement in Paris with pueil who
needed his services in an affair of the
same sort
fiattered myself that this was keep
ing up the instructor in fencing H.
lusion pretty well. II the principal on
the other side had been an officer in
the army the pretense couldn't be re-
lied on, for soldier can't very well
back out from sure death. But the
would be pigsticker Sas civilian.
and that wasn't so Lad. rhe officer
didn't appear in the least frightened,
but be was not the man who would
have to meet a fencing master
II was arranged, iii order that Ned
should meet his engagement in Paris,
that we should Re at rendezvous
where such affairs are settled at 8
o'clock the same morning. ] went
back and reported the outcome TO Ned.
what are you going to doY asked
You're certainly not going to let this
fellow run sword through your vi
ais"
"Oh, I'll keep up the blum till the
asst minute, and IL the thing goes
against me I'll find d pretext to slide
'ut with honor"
At $50 we took a carriage and dEoVe
o the rendezvous. had left the pro-
urement OF the weapons to the enemy,
aging that my principal could fence
Is well with a cutlass as foil and l
would rely on them for weapons.
When we got on the ground the pig {
ticker was looking over stock Of I
oils aud testing them. evidently think
ng that IL he was to meet fencing
laster who didn't care whether he
sed a foil or cutlsss be must be {
arefuIly armed. II looked to me that
he blutf game was up and Ned weuld |
ave 20 wiggle out.
Just before taking position Ned senI s
&c TO the enemy to say that since he !
idn't wish TO kill his antagonist he $
'ould give him the choice between 6
'sing an eye or having bis nose cut {
r.. was to bring back word which
these the pigsticker preferred to '
Sc,
saw by the appearance Of the prln-
pal on the other side when this cool
roposition was announced to him that
2 had made break Won Batterstein
'ok It to him. and they sscod apart
NNa