The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-03-09
The vengeance of a
Woman Scorned
By F. 4. mitchell

eu.>fana TO buy sugar for a north
arm lie met there a creole girl.
,i>e Ia Marche, who, not being
erjallv attractive and there being
manageable men in that region.
4 Siege to him with view to marry
him. Dale did not reciprocate.
Mise persisted. and when she found
nothing would move the flmty
rted Yankee she appealed to her
tber. Antoine. telling him that Dale
made love TO her and then Tilted
low Antoine and his sister. who
older than he. did not get on very
m together. and he wished that she
MA handle her love affairs without
ubline him in the matter. But " hen
konan makes up her mind to utilize
han he may as well come down at
r. like Davy Crockett's coon. An
he was weak enough TO be cajoled
10 taking up his sisters cause. and
laid down for him plan for do
50
+TheSe Yankees she said TO him.
r. not lighting men at all They are
paheepers and pumpkin raiserS. The
Il 10 impress John Dale with the
plmitv of his treatment of me is to
ku.t him. He will be obliged either
challenge Sou TO fight him or do
ktiee to me.
antoine held out as long as possible
tanlSt this method of procedure and
last Yielded. He waited till he found
lie on a street in the village where
i III Marche family lived and. going
J to him. slapped him in the face.
ht tie affair did not turn out as ex-
ktcd. The Yankee contented himself
5th returning the slap.
That would have ended the matter
4d not Louise been behind 1t. She
ld her brother that he must chal
Gge Dale OF he would be cut by all
5 acquaintances. Antoine, who was
81 tighter even If he was south
her. refused. whereupon Louise per
)aded several of her friends to treat
m sneeringly, and he at last yielded
bder duress and sent the challenge.
What was her surprise and conSter-
ltion to find that Dale accepted the
)allenge but as the challenged party
emed the conditions under which the
bntest was to take place. He chose
stols in dark room.
II is hard lines for n man to be
bigcd to risk his life in cause in
1hich he takes no interest. Antoine
okcd with horror on being shut up in
dark room with man who was
bere 10 Kill him.
Had Antoine not been propped up by
IS sister. who by this time. consider
y herself woman scorned, desired
tnseance he would have collapsed
lder the appalling situation But
oulse shamed him into standing up
} his work. and he permitted the ar
b..
There was vacant house in the
lace with two large rooms on each
de of a hall on the second story. 1t
Fas agreed that the duel should take
lace in one of these suits. Both
poms possessed large open fireplaces
p order that no light should permeate
BEN. the affair was appointed to come
Il AT 10 o'clock at night
Now. Dale had no more heart for the
1alr than his opponent. Had the mat
fr concerned the woman alone who
'as at the bottom of it he would have
FED ingloriously But he could not
2flng himself to flee from a male en-
lnS He accepted the situation, re-
olved that he would not kill Antoine
he could help it and If either should
De II would be himself.
At 10 o'clock the duelists were
iaced. one in the front room and one
the rear room. As soon as they
eafd the doors closed and the bolts
not they were at liberty to fire.
Dale trusted to his ears. which were
Iery keen. TO let him know where his
hemy was. and. hearing a sound as
one walking on tiptoe. he listened
II and after awhile fancied that his
lrmy was in the same room with him.
Paie at once slipped into the other
'uii1. where he stood stock still for
ome time when he began to move
round the wall. feeling his way as he
eht Presently he struck the fire
lace
by this time some twenty minutes
|ad elapsed. with no prospect of al
Aaiils of the affair. 1t had been ar
aAsed that the seconds should not
one INTO the room until after hearing
Ae suot. IL after five minutes they
hot hear second shot they should
Hter 1t occurred to Dale that by fir
up the chimney he would not risk
AiHs his enemy and it would prepare
e way for an end to the contest
afa>iing his arm into the fireplace.
afed up the old fashioned large
1e Of former times.
Something dropped.
am done for" said a voice that be
esosnlzed as that of La Marche.