The Washburn leader., 1911-07-28
A Challenge
By REGINALD D'l4AVEN
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation. 1911.

hight a duel.
Monty was still young when he mar
fied and went on the Mediterranean
trip to Italy for wedding tour. He
talked so tiercely about what he would
do If he had any trouble with any one
in foreign lands that his bride was
nearly scared to death.
III Rome Mr.. and Mrs. Sherman were
constantly to be seen, when not engage
cd in sightseeing, seated on their fa-
vorite sidewalk outside cafe in the
rjazza Colonna. the lady slipping some
thing. the man smoking cigarettes.
One day Monty wished to go a short
distance around the corner to buy some
cigars, and his wife chose to remain
where she was till lie returned. While
he was gone an Italian faultlessly
dressed stepped up to the bride and,
raising his hat politely, said something
i:i Italian which she did not under
stand. She turned away from him,
and he passed on.
When her husband returned, forget
Sing his duelistic propensities, his wife
told him of the occurrence. He at 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 lie asked the proprietor
for Capponis address. The proprie-
tor gave it as No Via Rationale.
He tried to say something else, but
Monty did not understand him. In
decd, he WAS so hot that all he wished
to knoWwas Capponi's street and num-
beH which he received written on n
: card.
Then Monty took his wife to their llo-
tel OH the Via Cavour and leaving her
there, Went to the number on the Via
Rationale given him. where he found
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 II he spoke Eng
lish.
"Si, signor, leetle."
Monty thereupon told him that he
wished to see Signor Capponi. The
clerk managed with difficulty to tell
Monty that signor Capponi was ont.
Then Monty told him to tell Signor
Capponi when he came in that he had
insulted Il lady and there must be an
apology or fight. Then he threw
down his card OH the counter. The
clerk took 1t up and began to talk to
Monty about it in a mixed language of
three-fourths 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 un-
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
10 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 promise
from him that II Signor Capponi did
not accept he (AIonty) 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-
BILE had fallen through when 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
unablesto prevent her. Entering the
reception room together, an. italian,
handsomely dressed, arose, poking a
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 Caproni's, pen
ell marks and all. Then the visitor
handed him little packet. Monty
pulled off the cover and found hun
drod IF hia own viSitinp cardS Thon