Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1912-08-16

! day was done he bad declueu VI Ia"
course. lie wrote her as follows:
1t ia not by receiving your fire, my dear
| sir that I ron atone for my fault. but by
hunting down the perpetrator OF TINS scan
dial. l received 1t from woman ana an.
| confident II originated in a woman. IL
within three months | do not bring you
retraction from lis originator VIII no.
deny you the satisfaction you oeillaia'
| shall look for your reply at the sahie hou'
| tomorrow.
The next afternoon Thibad>aux
watched Miss Lenoines Windo"
through pair Of glasses and saw tue
hand much more clearly than before.
This time The note was thrown by the
left hand.
"Not married and not engaged the
watcher remarked to himself with
satisfaction. I'm pleased to notice
that the third finger is unoccupied.'
The note had evidently been written
in an exuberance of delight and was
consequently dead give away.
Your proposition Is accepted. You have
shown yourself to be noble man. IL /
| were q woman I'm sure l should rail- In
| love with you.
Thank you," remarked Thibadeau1.
That's exactly what l wish you to
do
After writing one more note, stating
that he WIS leaving for New Orleans
and hoped within the specified time
to bring the yindication. he made
ready for his departure.
| But two Of the three months hal
elapsed when Miss Lemoine received
the following note from the man who
was to Guash the SANDER or fight:
I hand you herewith an acknowlede-
ment from Miss Lenoines traducer that
there was no truth in the story she cir
culated. / am sorry. however, to admit.
| my dear SIR that your good opinion of
me expressed in letter written before
NV departure was misplaced. I acquired
| this retraction by dishonorable means.
| made love to the woman who wrote II.
accused her OF disappearing the facts
| In this case and agreed to forgive her
| ONLY upon her written confession. l am
| yours unworth!ly,
CHARLES t. THIBADEAUx.
Having dispatched this self accusing
epistle. the writer waited impatlentlS
for reply. 1t was this:
assure you. sir that by your conduct
you have not only relieved me and the
| subject of the confession Of burden, but
| you have shown yourself. notwithstanding
your own opinion of your act, too honor
| able, too lovely. for anything. Your de-
| ceplion was perfectly excusable. shali
| always respect and admire you for 1t. 1t
| Is needless for me to add that my chal-
| lenge is withdrawn.
Thibadeaux chuckled over this letter
with its manlike beginning and Its
feminine ending. He was anxious to
get glimpse Of this lady who had sent
him a challenge to mortal combat and
thus declared that she respected and
| admired him for an act upon which his
sensitive conscience was not quite
| clear. So he wrote another note, beg
ging that he might meet Mr.. Renard
and apologize in person for the wrong
he had done in reporting SANDER.
Thibadeaux had resided in Charles
ton but a few days before receiving
the challenge, and after sending it Miss
Lemoine had kept herself very dark.
Then he had left Charleston, and upon
his return his enemy had gone again
into hiding. Consequently he was still
| In ignorance as to whether she were
an aged spinster or young girl,
whether comely or homely. Therefore
be was much relieved and pleased at
receiving a note that Mr.. Renard would
''be happy to receive call from Mr..
| Thiba deauy on the next afternoon at 5
| o'clock" They could drink cup OF tea
together and Mr. Renard could express
| his sense Of obligation to Mr.. Thiba
deaux for the vindlcation he had pro
cured.
Since Mr.. Thibadeaux never drank
anything weaker than wine. the offer
| of tea was not as alluring as the an
| ticipated vision of the woman who had
brought about the approaching ,ac-
quaintance by proposing to kill him.
On the appointed afternoon he called
on Mr.. Renard and sent in his card.
He had prepared himself to feign
surprise on seeing n woman instead OF
man, but when the queenly Marga-
ret came into the room there was no
need Of pretense. The splendor Of her
presence quite took his breath away.
! 81 did lot dream you would be so
| beautiful" be exclaimed.
WHAT she replied, starting. did
you know ME to be a womanT
"Not till saw ring sparkle on the
hand that dropped the challenge. For
heavens sake. what did you mean by
taking such q course"
81 meant to fight you disguised as
man" id
"If you had made no better pretense
| In mans clothes than In writing q
mans letter you would not have de-,
| ceived me-"
"Did I give myself away in that?"
she asked, coloring.
| "Certairly! It was first your hand.
| then your heart, that gave you away.
Men do not write with the same feel
ing as women"
".Alls well that ends WE'LL" she
said, smiling.
A few months later Charles Thiba-
deaux slipped on the third finger of
her left hand che ring ne mad prom
isAd himself he would put there.
FEED FOR VIGOROUS GROWTH