Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1922-06-23
red amp IN
. Duel
By NORRIS SCHULTZ

and Kovatz. It really dated back to
the time when they were boys In Lub-
lin together, and Anna lived next door.
Then Rafko went to America, and
Kovatz followed little later. Anna
and Rafko had been sweethearts, but,
with Rafko out of the way, Kovatz
thought it would not be difficult to win
the girl.
Kovatz got job In a distant part
Of the country. As he couldn't write,
he made Anna promise to be true to
him. When he came back, year
later, Anna was gone. She had gone
to America after her mothers sudden
death. That was why Kovatz fol-
lowed.
America is n large place, but Poles
stick pretty close together, and 1t was
not long before Kovatz located not
only Anna but Rafko also. Rafko had
q lob in the anthracite mines, and
Anna was cook for the boss wife.
Kovatz learned that they were en-
gagged to be married. It was old
Katherine who told him that. Old
katherine made her living telling for
tunes and picking up bottles.
That was the cause of the bad blood
between Rafko and Kovatz. Every one
knew about it. But they worked
amicably enough in the mine. It was
only afterward, when they drank in
Abrahamovitch's saloon that they
quarrelled.
"She promised to be true to me"
swore Kovatz. snow 1 come to Amer
lea and find her engaged to you"
II loved her before came to this
country" answered Rafko.
He flung bottle at Kovatz, cutting
his cheek. Kovatz kicked Rafko In
the stomach with his hob-nailed boots
Friends separated them, and after
that they never spoke. Once Kovatz
had met Anna in the street, and she
stopped to speak to him, but he hur-
ried past. He had not said word
to her since his arrival in America.
Old Katherine had told him that Anna
ana Rafko were to be married at
Easter.
She had wanted to sell him love
charm, too, but Kovatz had sworn at
her and gone away. He did not want
to charm Anna he wanted to win her
love.
One day Kovatz and Rafko found
themselves working side by side in
a new chamber of the mine. Their job
was to hew the coal in the seams and
send the trolley along the line, to the
~ ,ry{f1 Orpr
at Rafko.
For a long time they worked In
silence. Then Kovatz said:
"Well, why shouldn't we have it out
now?"
Rafko snarled and drew his knife.
Kovatz had meant with fists, but he
drew his knife too, and they circled
round each other, watching for the
moment to rush in.
1t was strange how long that
moment seemed to be in coming.
Kovatz began to see Rafko's face in a
mist. He blinked his eyes. He wanted
to clear that mist away before he felt
the others knife in his heart.
Suddenly he discovered that Rafko
was not there. Dimly he made out
Rafko's form upon the ground. And
as he wondered, he felt a ringing in
his ears, he heard men shouting far
away-and then he knew.
It was the deadly flre-damp that
comes without warning, creeping in on
you till suddenly you fall and die
Kovatz staggered and fell upon his
knees beside Rafko. He saw his knife
lying beside him.
A wild thought came to him. If he
opened Rafko's shirt, and stuck the
point of the knife into his heart, then
closed the shirt and buttoned the coat
and left Rafko lying there, it was
probable that the men who buried him
would not think very much about the
wound. 1t was a long, thin knife
Kovatz picked it up-and then he
thought of Anna, and how the tears
would come streaming out Of her eyes
And suddenly he fell prone across
the body of Rafko, and knew that the
fre-damp had got him.
Out Of the sOoty mist shOne the face
of his love, Anna. He must give Rafkc
back to Anna.
And how he accomplished it he
never afterward knew, but with q
supreme effort he got up, stopped, anG
raised Rafko's body upon his Shout
'ders. And, staggering from weakness
he carried it. along the line into the
main chamber.
He just managed to ring the ele
vator bell. Then he dropped un
conscious.
An hour later he revived, to fine
himself lying beside Rafko at the toy
OF the mine. There was the taste Of
spirits in his mouth.
He hardly needed what was bein&
said to him, because Rafko was speak
ing in their own tongue.
"They tell me thou didst save me
Kcvatz."
1T was for Anna," Kovatz growled
''Well fight it out another day."
Rafko put out his hand.
'There need be no fighting, Kovatz,'
he said quietly. "Old Katherine liet
to thee. I paid her to lie. 1t is thet
Anna loves. She has always iovet
thee"
All Dressed Up. So.
You may not believe It," said Mr.
Dubwaite, "but the woman who is lee
turing to us this evening on some
manifestations of latter day art uset
tn no an nSthotic dancer"