The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1921-12-30

ded n OF the two, if ii is necessa-
ry, etc; it will take us quite two or
three hours more"
The viscount articulated a second
time:
Thank you"
The colonel asked:
You're all right? You're calm?''
eyes, quite calm, thanks"
The two men retired.
When he felt himself alone again.
it seemed to him that he was going
mad. His servant having lit the
lamps, he sat down before his table
to write sole letters. After tracing
at the top of a page, "This is m y
WILL" he got up again and drew off,
feeling incapable of putting two ide-
as together, of taking a single reso-
luton, of deciding anything at ali"
And so he was going to fight a
dueli He could no longer escape
that. What could be passing within
him? He wanted to fight, he had
that intention and that resolution
firmly fixed; and he felt very plainly
that, Notwithstanding all the effort
of his mind and all the tension of
his will, he would not be able to re-
tain strength enough to go as far as
the place of encounter. He tried to
fancy the combat, his own attitude,
and the bearing of his adversary.
From time to time, his teeth
struck against one another in his
mouth with a little dry noise. He
tried to read, and took up de Cha
teauvillard's duelling code. Then he
asked himself:
my adversary, has he frequented
the shooting galleries? Is he well
known? What's his class? How
can l find out?"
He remembered the book by Ba-
ron de u Upon pistol-shooters, and
he searched through it from one end
to the other. Georges Lamil was
mentioned. But, however, if the
had not been a good shot, h e
would not have accepted Immediate
ly that dangerous weapon and those
conditions, which are mortal.
His pistol-case by Gastinne Re-
nette lay on a little round table. AS
be passed he opened it and took out
one of the pistols, then placed him
self as if to shoot, and raised his
arm; but he trembled from head to
loot, and the barrel shook in all
directions.
Then he said:
ut is impossible. 1 cannot fight
ike this"
"At the end of the barrel he re-
that little hole, black n Il
leep, which splits out death; he
bought of dishonor, of the whispers
n the clubs, of the laughter in the
.rawing-rooms, of the disdain of
of the illusions in the pa
ers, of the insults which would be
at him by towards.
He went on staring at the pistol,
raising the hammer, he suddenly
aw a printing glitter beneath 1t
Ike a little red flame. The pistol
ad been left loaded, by chance, by
versight. And he experienced
ON that a confused inexplicable
~.
If in the presence of the other he
adj not the calm and noble bearing
hich is fit, he would be lost for
Ter. He would be spotted, marked
it'll a sign of infamy, hunted from |
'ciety. And he should not have
at calm and bold bearing; he knew
he felt it. And yet he was real /
brave, because he wanted to 1
,ht! He was brave, because - !
thought which just grazed him (
d not even complete itself in his I
irit; but, opening his mouth wide. !
b%rusquely thrust the pistol bar
into the very bottom of his
roat and pressed upon n e S
.gger. b
When his valet ran in. attracted =
the report, he found him dead. st
his back. A jet of blood had b'
altered the white paper on the "