Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-18

ginning at last to see that L am IN deadly
earnest. When | strike there is nothing half
hearted behind my blow. swear to you
that | shall neither relent nor draw back
If ruin overwhelms me, Cynthia Vanrenen
shall be involved in my downfall. Picture
to yourself the smiles, the whispers, the half
spoken scandal that will cling to her through
life! Who will believe her when she says
that she was ignorant of your rank when she
started out from London? The incompar-
able CYNTHIA and the naughty Vlscount,
touring their thousand miles through Eng
land with Mrs. Devar as a shield of lnno-
cence! Mrs Devar! Cant you hear the
long and loud guffaw that would convulse
society as soon as her name cropped up!
All, you are writing under the lash now,
fancy! 1t is dawning upon you that peril
greater than the sword or bullet may be
near. Dozens of people in Paris and London
know. or guess, at any rate, that l was
Cynthia Vanrenen's sutton; but as many
hundreds as there were dozens shall be told
that cast her of because of the faint placed
on her by your silly masquerading. You
have no escape-you have no answer-your
marriage will only serve to confirm my
words! Do you hear? | shall say But
you know what | shall say. Now will you
fight me?"
"Yes!" said Medenham.
A SPASM of hate and furious JOY strug
gled for mastery in Marigny's face; but
he showed an iron resolution that almost
equaled the GOODNESS of the man whose
scornful gaze might we'll have abashed him.
Il thought so, he said Under terms
of course?"
Terms, you beast! The only terms ask
are that YOU shall stand before me with
sword in your hand
"A sword! Is that quite fair? You Eng
lishmen are not proficient with the sword.
Why not pistols?'
Il think you are right" said Medenham,
turning away as if the sight of him was
loathsome. You deserve the death of a
dog! 1t would dishonor bright steel to
touch you'll"
I'VE shall see" said Marigny, who, hav-
ing achieved his purpose, was now appar-
emily unconcerned as to its outcome; but
it would be folly to fight without arriving at
an understanding. | shall try to Kill you,
and | am sure you will admit that | have
. striven to force you into active reciprocity
in that respect. But one might only be
wounded, that is the lottery of it,-so
stpulate that. if fortune should favor me,
and you still live, you agree to leave me IN
undisturbed possession of the field tor at
least six months after our encounter.
Medenham still refused to look at him.
Il agree to no terms or conditions Whatso-
ever he answered. Il am meeting you
solely because of the foul lie you have dared
to utter against the reputation OF the woman
love. If you breathe a word of it IN any
other ear, shall tear your tongue out by the
roots, duel or no duel!
"Ah, but that is PITY jeered the French
man. Don't you see that unless you &C
cept my offer | shall be compelled to fall
back on the sword, since it is absolutely an
essential element of my probable success
that you should be cleared out of my way!
| have no chance against you in the matri-
monial market; but think the odds are in
my favor when cold steel is the arbitrator.
Now, could anyone be more frank than [ in
this matter? / mean either to win or lose.
There must be no middle course. Unless you
are willing to stand aside, if beaten, | can
win only by stepping over your corpse. Why
not avoid EXTREMIST They may be unnec-
essary."
"You have already convinced me that
your ethics are drawn from the police court;
but | see now that you depend for your wit
on the cheaper variety of melodrama, said
nehemiah with quiet derision that at last
brought a flush of passion to the French
E.. g. =, Cf