The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1915-03-08
An Incorriigible
Coquette
By EDITH v. ROSS

In an:ebellum days there We're shoot
: ing matches among the gentlemen 0
; the southern states in defense of thei
honor. the causes Of which We're usual
ly published to the world. But whel
a woman WAS the subject of DISPUTE
some other cause was invented in or
der to keep her name out Of the mat
ter. At times when the ingenuity O
the participants failed them In invent
ing cause they would resort to alb
surd eXpedientS.
Miss Cary Randolph many years
ago WAS II belle In Charleston, s. C.
Among her suitors were Robert Fitz
Hugh and Percy Bryce. both South
Carolinians Miss Randolph was NOT
averse to setting her suitOrs against
one another 1t grati6ed her amour
lropre Hut IN this case she went too
far
One day while she was walking with
FitZ-IIugh Bryce passed them. The
lady smiled on him and invited him
to join them She knew that neither
would relish the presence Of the 9th.
en- but this did not trouble her: she
wished her friends to see her with
one of the men who were known to
be devoted to her on each side of her
Having paradetl her lovers before
her friends she turned in the direction
of her home and on arriving there
dismissed them. Had she asked them
to 20 in with her there might have
been no unfortunate result. Had she
asked one of them in 1t would have
been tantamOunt to an expression Of
preference. This. too. would have end
ed the matter. for they were both gen
tlemen and either would have taken
his dismissal rs final. Leaving them
to walk away together was the worst
thing she could have done.
They proceeded some distance. re-
marking upon the weather and such
other makeshift topics: then when they
were about to part Fitz-Hugh said to
Bryce:
II was surprised at your intrusion"
The lady invited me-"
That was comIlOn politeness."
IF you think yourself aggrieved you
have right to repnration."
Both men were ready to explode
but Fitz-IIugh repressed his feelings
for the time and. turning on his heel.
walked away. As he proceeded jeal-
ousy got the bette Of him. and. seek
Ing his friend Walter Raymond. he COM
misSioned him to take II challenge to
Bryce. Raymond asked the cause and
when told Of It replied that he would
have nothing to do with an affair that
would bring in the name Of lady.
whereupon FitZ-Hurh told him to
make up pretext to he given to the
world as the cause of the duel. Ray
mond. after some thought. decided that
the ostensible reason for the quarrel
was to be that Bryce had called Fitz-
Hugh a redhead. FitZ IIugh's hair
was auburn. This was not II reason
calculated to deceive the public. but
Raymond had 10 inventive genius. and
1t was the best he could do.
Miss Ranuolph had made choice be-
tween these two men-,i very decided
choice. She was ready to give herself
to one of them. But she desired to
prOlong the pleasure Of being courted
by both and make herself more val
liable to the man she loved by render
ing her winning more difficult.
Despite the effort made to keep the
coming meeting II secret from her. she
got wind of it, On the morning APP
pointed for the duel she mounted a
cob and rode to the grounds, ar
irving there just In time to see the
rivals for her. hand standing facing
each other with deadly intent. Her
presence put u stop to the proceedings.
Il have heard" she said. that one
of you gentlemen Is about to kill the |
other. Since ! have made up my mind
to accept n proposition Of marriage
killing him.
The rivals glared ut each other. but /
said nothing. The seconds. who were |
opposed to the meeting, saw an oppor-
tunity to stop it where II was.
Perhaps" said Bryce's second after
an awkward pause. Miss Randolph
will deign to remove the cause of the
What is the cauSe?" asked the lady
Again there WAS Il pause. more awk.
ward than the first. M the end of !
which FitZ- Hugh's second said that her /
principal had been inSulted by being
called II relhead II Miss Randolph Il
would decide whether Mr.. Fitz- Hugh's
hair was red it would end the matter.
MIR. Fitz-iluch's hair is u fiery red"
she said. but that has nothing to do
with my preference"
Fitz-1Iugh colorcd. Gentlemen" he
said. Il see no reason why this affair
should not proceed"
Nor l." added Bryce.
Miss Randolph made no internosition