The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-04-28

some clew to the common sense or
what he was dong. He did not want
to kill Tudor. Because that man had
blundered in his love making was no
reason that he. Sheldon. should take
his life. Then what was it all about7
True, the fellow had insulted Joan oy
his subsequent remarks and been
knocked down for II. but because he
had knocked him down was 40 rea-
son that he should now try to Kill him
In this fashion be covered quarter
of the distance between the two rtv-
ers. when 1t dawned upon him that
Tudor was not on the beach az all. Or
course not. He was advancing, &C
cording to the terms of the agreement
IN the shelter of the cocoanut trees.
Sheldon promptly swerved to the left
TO seek similar shelter, when the faint
crack of a rife came to his ears, and
almost Immediately the bullet, strtk-
ing the hard sand a hundred feet be-
yond him, ricochetted and whined on
ward in a second fight, convincing
him that preposterous and unreal >as
1t was, it was. nevertheless, sober
fact 1t had been intended for him.
Yet even then it was hard to believe.
Keeping now to the shelter of the
trees, he went forward another quar-
ter of a mile. IL Tudor had advanced
with equal speed they should have
come together at that point, and Shell
don concluded that the other was cir
cling. The difficulty was to locate
him. The rows of trees, running at
right angles, enabled him to see along
only one narrow avenue at time. His
enemy might be coming along the next
avenue or the next to right or left He
might be hundred feet away or half
a mile. Sheldon plodded on and de-
cided that the old stereotyped duel was
far simpler and easier than this pro-
tracted hide and seek affair. He, too,
tried circling. in the hope of cutting the
others circle; but, without catching
glimpse Of him, he finally emerged
upon fresh clearing where the young
trees. waist high. afforded little shell
ter and less hiding. Just as he emerged,
stepping out a pace, q rife cracked to
his right. and, though he did not hear
the bullet in passing, the thud of 1t
came to his ears when it struck a palm
trunk farther on.
He sprang back into the protection Of
the larger trees. Twice he had ex-
posed himself and been fired at, while
he had failed to catch single glimpse
of his antagonist A slow anger be-
gan to burn in him. 1t was deucedly
unpleasant. he decided. this being pep
was, 1t was none the less deadly seri-
Gus. There was no avoiding the is
sue, no firing In the air and getting
over with IT, as in the old fashioned
duel. This mutual man hunt must
keep up until one got the other. And
If one neglected chance to get the
other that increased the others chance
to get him. There could be no false
sentiment about it. Tudor had been a
cunning devil when he proposed this
sort Of duel. Sheldon concluded, as he
began to work along cautiously In the
direction of the last shot
When he arrived at the spot Tudor
"NS SSAIs anu OAAg lOOlDIlllS
NAMED, pointing out the course he had
taken into the depths OF the planta-
ton. Once, ten minutes later, he
caught glimpse of Tudor, a hundred
yards away, crossing the same avenue
as himself, but going in the opposite
direction. His rife half leaped to his
shoulder. but the other was gone.
More in whim than in hope of result,
grinning to himself as he did so, Shell
don raised his automatic pistol and
in two seconds sent eight shots scat
tering through the trees in the direc-
ton in which Tudor had disappeared.
| Wishing he had a shotgun. Sheldon
dropped to the ground behind a tree,
slipped fresh clip up the hollow butt
of the pistol, threw a cartridge into
! the chamber, showed the safety catch
into place and reloaded the empty clip.
1t was but short time after that
that Tudor tried the same trick on
him, the bullets pattering about him
Ike spiteful rain, thudding into the
palm trunks or glancing off in whining
r1cochets. The last bullet of all, max
ing double ricochet from too diff
ferent trees and losing most OF its mo-
mentum. struck Sheldon a sharp blow
on the forehead and dropped at his
feet. He was partly stunned for the
moment, but on investigation found no
| greater harm than a nasty lump that
soon rose to the size of a pigeons egg.
T1ring Of the endless cfrcling. Shell
/ don tried once more to advance direct.
~ on his foe, but the latter was too
crafty. taking advantage of his bold
{ ness TO fire a couple of shots at him
and slipping away on some changed
and continually changing course. For
an hour they lodged and turned and
twisted back and forth and around and
hunted each other among the orderly
palms. They caught fleeting glimpses
or each other and CHANGED flying shots
| which were without result. On a
/ grassy shelter behind a tree Sheldoa
came upon where Tudor had rested
and smoked a cigarette. The pressed
! grass showed where be had sat At