Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1925-02-04

"a AtsA western Newspaper unAoa.l
TASPAR HALDING inserted the
charge Of powder in either weapon.
then the bah. ramming it down with
the old-fashioned ramrod The pls-
tolls We're each OF great size; they were
Sixteenth century ones. and antiques.
as wen as among the earliest ever
made.
He turned TO Jennings.
Il shall briefly state the facts. Jen-
nings." he said. You and l are very
old aeauaintances Until yesterday we
believed that We were friends. Yester-
day ! discovered that you and my wife
are In love with each other. Correct
nae where | am wrong
Jennings did not correct him. and
Caspar resumed:
This love, which appears to have
been In its manifestations. at any rate,
purely platonic one, is. nevertheless,
no passing fancy. You believe that IL
viii last forever. You have chosen
to bettay our friendship"
Jennings held up his hand and Cas-
par WAS silent. but IL was a silence
OF terrible, repressed passion.
you have been married eight years,
Halding. During that time you have
vented upon your wife every torture
that an ingenious and refined mind
can practice"
Granted in part" said the other
man. 1T was my misfortune 10 dis
cover that my wife had never loved
me. She married me In pique. because
OF quarrel with another man. only
discovered yesterday that You were
that other man. have suffered and
| have made her suffer
ITO continue: We both desire this
woman. We are agreed that our en-
NIFTY IL worthy OF decent and honor
able settlement We are therefore met
here tonight TO settle II. You have
selected your choice % these antique
pistols. One Of US will be killed: we
fire till one is Killed The survivor
VIII go quietly home, leaving II to be
supposed that the dead man met with
an accident In cleaning or examining
vided for. II the survivor IL wounded
my wife will undoubtedly nurse him
back TO health Is there anything more
TO say, Jennings7"
II believe not said Jennings
I'VE stand back TO back. then. As
the clock begins TO strike, we walk
toward our respective walls. As the
last stroke rings out we turn and
are"
The first stroke OF the clock rang
out. The two men. back 10 back,
started to walk away from each other.
There were to be eight strokes--it was
eight In the evening.
Jennings, walking slowly, counted
them. Two, three. four, five. six-he
had nearly reached the wall seven
ne prepared to swing about. But he
had no intention Of killing Halding.
He meant, good shot that he was
deliberately to disable him.
Then, before the eighth stroke had
sounded, the door suddenly opened.
and Mrs Halding stood on the thresh-
old.
She was beautiful woman IN her
early thirtles. She gazed with open
eyes at the scene, the meaning OF
which came to her instantly. She ut
tered cry.
All this had taken place In frnc-
ton Of time. The eighth stroke rang
out. the two men whirled and fred
together
Jennings felt the wind Of the bullet
as II sped past him and embedded r.
self In the wall. But Halding dropped
his weapon spun about and fell prone
on his face.
With a cry, his wife ran 10 his side.
She turned up an agonYzed face to
Jennings az he reached HaldInr's side
moment later.
Halding lay on his face, dead. with
a bullet wound between the eyes
"You have killed him." said Mrs
Hslding.
81 fred low stammered Jennings
See. there IL the mark Of nv bullet"
There was flesh wound In HaId.
ing's leg near the knee. designed to
disable. as II would have done. len
nings picked up HaIding's pistol.
And suddenly be understood. The
pistol was trick one. designed by
some medieval rogue for Just snch :
purpose as II had now been mt 70.
not for the first time, probably.
- l.