The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-02-13
The Vengeance Of. a
Woman Scorned
By F. A. MICHEL

One day a good many years ago John
Dale, Massachusetts Yankee, went
to Louisiana to buy sugar for north
ern firm. He met there creole girl
especially attractive and there being
few marriageable men in that region,
laid siege to him with view to marry
ing him. Dale did not reciprocate.
Louise persisted, and when she found
that nothing would move the finty
hearted Yankee she appealed to her
brother, Antoine, telling him that Dale
had made love to her and then Tilted
hef
Now, Antoine and his sister, who
was older than he, did not get on very
well together, and he wished that she
would handle her love affairs without
troubling him in the matter. But when
a woman makes up her mind to utilize
4 man he may as we'll come down at
once, like Davy Crockett's coon. An
tome was weak enough to be cajoled
into taking up his sisters cause, and
she laid down for him plan for do.
ing so.
These Yankees" she said to him,
are not fighting men at all. They are
shopkeepers and pumpkin raisers. The
way to impress John Dale with the
enormity of his treatment of me is to
insult him. He will be obliged either
to challenge you to fight him or do
justice to Inc"
Antoine held out as long as possible
against this method of procedure and
at last yielded. He waited till he found
Dale on street in the village where
the La Marche family lived and, going
up to him, slapped him in the face.
But the affair did not turn out as ex-
pected. The Yankee contented himself
with returning the slap.
That would have ended the matter
had not Louise been behind it. She
told her brother that he must chal-
lenge Dale or he would be cut by all
his acquaintances. Antoine. who was
not a fighter even If he was a south,
erner, refused. whereupon Louise per-
suaded several of her friends to treat
him sneeringly, and he at last yielded
under duress and sent the challenge.
What was her surprise and conster-
nation to find that Dale accepted the
challenge, but as the challenged party |
named the conditions under which the
contest was to take place. He chose !
pistols in a dark room.
1t is hard lines for q man to be |
obliged to risk his life In cause in !
which he takes no interest. Antoine |
ooked with horror on being shut up in |
here to kill him.
Had Antoine not been propped up by |
ais sister. who by this time, consider
ng herself a woman scorned, desired
vengeance. he would have collapsed
lnder the appalling situation. But
o his work, and he permitted the ar
'angements to be made for the meet
ng.
There was a vacant house in the
,lace with two large rooms on each
ide of hall on the second story. It
'lace in one of these suits. Both
ooms possessed large open fireplaces.
n order that no light should permeate
hem. the affair was appointed to come
If at 10 o'clock at night.
Now. Dale had no more heart for the
fair than his opponent. Had the mat
er concerned the woman alone who
vas at the bottom or it he would have
ed ingloriously. But he could not
ring himself to flee from male en-
my. lie accepted the situation, re-
Owed that he would not kill Antoine
he could help it and if either should
lie it would be himself.
At 10 o'clock the duelists were
laced, one in the front room and one
4 the rear room. As soon as they |