The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1911-11-10
A Challenge
By REGINALD D'HAVEN
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

fight duel.
Monty was still young when he mar
ried and went on the Mediterranean
trip to Italy for a wedding tour. He
talked so fiercely about what he would
do if he had any trouble with any one
in foreign lands that his bride was
nearly scared to death.
In Rome Mr.. and Mrs. Sherman were
constantly to be seen, when not engage
ed in sightseeing. seated on their ia
vorite sidewalk outside a cafe in the
Piazza Colonna, the lady slipping some
thing, the man smoking cigarettes.
One day Monty wished to 60 a short
cigars, and his wife chose to remain
where she was till he returned. While
he was gone an Italian faultlessly
dressed stepped up to the bride and.
raising his hat politely. said something
in Italian which she did not under
stand She turned away from him.
and he passed on.
When her husband returned, forget
ting his duelist1c propensities, his wife
told him Of the occurrence. He ct once
became very much enraged.
"But the man was very polite"
"That doesn't matter. He shall apol-
ogize."
Mrs Sherman tried to reason with
him, but to no purpose. He rushed in
to the cafe and asked the proprietor If
he had seen the man who had spoken
to his wife. The proprietor said that
he had not, but called several Of the
walters who happened to notice the
episode, one of whom said the man
was Signor Capponi, who came to the
cafe every afternoon.
Monty could not wait for the next
afternoon to avenge the insult to his
young bride, so he asked the proprietor
for Capponi's address. The proprie
tor gave 1t as No. Via Rationale.
He tried to say something else. but
Monty did not understand him. In
deed, he was so hot that all he wished
to know was Capponi's street and num-
Der, which he received written on
card.
Then Monty took his wife to their no.
tel on the Via Cavour and, leaving her
there, went to the number on the Via
Rationale given him. where he found
a store for the sale Of books and sta
tionery. Monty. who was bent on do
ing things as he had always read Of
their being done in affairs of honor, en-
tered the store and asked clerk who
advanced to meet him If he spoke Eng
lish.
Isl, signor, q leetle."
Monty thereupon told him that he
wished to see Signor Capponi. The
clerk managed with difficulty to tell
Monty that Signor Capponi was out.
Then Monty told him to tell Signor
Capponi when he came in that he had
insulted lady and there must be an
apology or fight. Then he threw
down his card on the counter The
clerk took it up and began to talk to
Monty about it in a mixed language of
threefourths italian and one-fourth
execrable. English. He got out the
words How much?'' to which Monty
replied. Immediately" The clerk
made a pencil mark on the card. and
Monty. taking it from him. wrote
Grand Hotel on it. Then he stalked
out. saying that he would await a re-
ply at the address given.
Now. If there is a matter of life and
death on the tapis it is better to have
an interpreter. The clerk had not I'M
derstood one word of what Monty had
said. and vice versa. Monty returned
to his hotel, where he tried to act be-
fore his wife as If nothing of impor-
lance had happened. But the eye Of
love Is not to be deceived. Mrs. Sher-
man worked upon him till he confessed
that he had challenged Signor Capponi
to deadly combat. She was in despair.
She was sure he would be killed She
was so troubled that he half regretted
he had been SO precipitate. especially
since his wife, who understood lit
tie Italian, said she thought the man
asked her if he might not take an
order for some merchandise.
Monty received no reply to his chal-
lenge that evening, and before he
went to bed his wife secured a promise
from him that If SignOr Capponi did
not accept he (Monty) would let the
matter drop. The next day passed.
but still CappOni sent no representa-
tive to arrange meeting. The bride
was beginning to hope that the trOu
bic had fallen through when a waiter
announced that some one wished to
see Signor Sherman in the reception
room. Mrs. Sherman insisted on going
down with her husband. and he was
unable to prevent her. Entering the
reception room together. an Italian.
handsomely dressed. arose. poking
card at Monty.
Mrs. Sherman gasped aud clutched
her heart. Monty looked at the card
and was surprised to see that 1t was
the one he had left at Capponi's. pen
Gil marks and all. Then the visitor
banded him a little packet. Monty
pulled OF the cover and found q hun
dred Of his own visiting cards. Then
the man showed bill under his nose
for ~ francs