The daily Alaskan., 1912-08-02
An American View Of the Code Duello
By lAMES D. WILLIAMSON


 ! they are in some things, while they are ' far ahead of us in ot,ers That in \ which we are far m ujSance of them l is In having cast of obsolete customs. | For instance. there Is not nor has there been for nearly century such [ a thing as the code duello in America. l In France and GernIauy especially mans honor must to tlis day bc des fcudcd by the spilling of blood
 Evan Gwyune was On American ' through and through He went abroad, and while there ii never occurred to | him ,wheu "in Rasae to Il, as the ] Romans do" ln entering France with bis famijy. intending hts wife and Sev. eral little children. custom house ot' ticial made seiurp a! his hahy'S milk bottle. Evan SwWg Ais powerful arn, and the mau 6ro,tutd is caused thc American great Ge,sy aHl trouble, hGt the next time any ng gagf9-Cl with him or those untirr rts rssC he acted exactly iu the Same way. licensing fo pay the eNtortioEa,c ucmaads uf q DOT ter. the fellow iEcd Ss; hcl He measured hls length on the floor and dropped the bug
 Que day Evan took his wife out to Versailles on an omnibus A man sat in front of the couple smoking a bad cigar. Evan asked him in a mixture Of French and English not to pun tobacco smoke in Mrs. Gwyune's face. The man looked at him SuperCiliously and continued to smoke, Evan reached forward. seized the cigar. pulled 1t from between the Frenshman's lips and threw it down into the street. No greater insult could have been of- fcred any European. The mSn glared at Evan. then pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it Co him. Evan, not understanding that this was a chal- lcuCe Co mortal rouhat whipped out bis own card. wrote inc name of his hotel on it and handed it to the out ragged smoker.
 MT. and Mrs. Gwynne enjoyed Yer saIlleS and returned to Paris having almost forgotten the altercation., He was smoking in the otiise of the hotel when a man with a waXed mustache and goatce stepped up to him and asked in English if Ee was M. Gwynne. He replied that he was
 "I have come" said the other, ito arrange the matter with M. de FourChc."
 .'who Is NJ. de Fourcheg" asked Evan.
 Have you not his cardy He said he gave it to you OF the omnibus this morning"
 ooh. that fenowl Well. what about itg"
 He wishes to know the place of meeting and the weapons you select"
 A ray of light began to permeate Evans skull He was challenged to fight a duel
 Tell Mir. de Fourche," he said, that our place of meeting win be wherever he happens to find me and the weap- onS fists"
 But. monsieur" protested the other, apparently much embarrassed at the Americans iCnorahce of foreign GUS toms. there must be place-the Bois de Roulognc is customary-for ze meet ing. and there must be weapons-ze pistol, ze sword. Ze foil"
 That's the European custom. We use our fists entirely in America"
 "Ze fist, Eat is brutal" ''wen. Mir. de Fourche doesn't have to fight if be doesn't want to, but that's the only way I'll do it. Do you suppose an American can be ropcd into one of these little abSur,iitics you have over here? Not much No thimhleful of blood for me When land my knuck- les on a mans nose I bring out a pint of claret at least"
 "Rut. monsieur, consider. A gentle man can't fight like pugiliSt.'
 'He doesn't have to fight at all if he doesn't want to-"
 Come. come, monsieur: demand % place of meeting and ze weapons"
 well. you can just take 1t out In demanding. You can tell Mir. de Fourche that I'll be in Paris for a few days yet, and if he wants to see me about anything hen usually find me here up to 10 o'clock in the morning.
 ''Then you refuse to grant my friend satisfactioug'
 "You tell him that if he wants satis- faction to come and take t"
 M. de Fourche will publish you as coward"
 'I wouldn't mind little thing like that. I once ran for political office at home and was called every name from a jackass to a jailbird.
 ''You have no pride? You care noth- ing what the world thinks of you|
 T reckon the world isn't Troubling itself much about an ordinary indi- vidual like myself Your world over here Is running after nobles, princes and kings They haven't time to think about any one else"
 "I go Co report to my friend zat ze Americans have no honor 10 defend. Fey are like Ee pig. He cannot get satisfactiof from you without coming into this hotel to make a scene"
 "rll tell you what you do. Say to Mir. do F0urche that I'll he at the foun.