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Show G: r 1 ,..-T"- .I; i i i i - - r i. j. DY GEORGE HOQ.TON Cojyright4, 1906, ij Tk$ Cobb-2zI Cfeorcpanjr . ' ' , of fear, be knew bow to disguise It. Did it seam at all unlikely that a high-bred, aristocratic woman, the daughter of a hundred warriors, should have fallen tn love with a man like that? fit Is time now, my friend. said Gort-chakov, Gort-chakov, coming up to Hardy. "I must trouble you to remove your coat' But you will not catch, cold, for it will only take you a minute. Upon my word, I admire ad-mire your nerve. .Tod ought to have been a Russian. You will shoot him at Xhe word three'l" ' . ' . , Hardy removed his nlster and faced his opponent. A long dueling pistol of excellent ex-cellent make and perfect precision was placed In his hand. . . "Are you ready, gentlemen? asked Koukolnftc. I will count three, slowly. You will raise your weapons and take aim when I commence, and will fire at the word 'three'." , As these words were being uttered. Hardy Axed his eyeglasses more firmly on his nose, the while he examined the distance dis-tance and the person of his antagonist with a cool, practiced glance. . Koukolnik began. . "Odeen!" . . The two weapons were raised and pointed. "Dvah! It oould not be seen that the hand of either man trembled In the slightest "Tra!" 'Two shots rang out, almost simultaneously. simultane-ously. Neither "man fell "HeU and furies!" cried Romanoff, throwing his pistol to tha earth. "I have missed him. This weapon is utterly worthless. I demand another shot" "Very welL" replied Hardy quietly! "but if we shoot again, I shall shoot to kill. I beg that you will Inform his Highness of my intentions, at the same time conveying to him the assurance of my most distinguished consideration. 'Ton have missed," whispered Gort-chakov Gort-chakov petulantly. "Way did you do this? You're as cool this minute as I am. Are you sure you have - not wounded him?' 1 "My principal demands another shot, said Koukolnik. advancing. ' "He presents pre-sents his compliments to Mr. Hardy, and suggests that he has not done Justice to his great reputation for sklU. Perhaps he will get better control of his nerves, now that he has escaped danger once, and bla hand will not tremble aa much as it evidently has dons this time." "Tell the Prince for me that if we shoot again. I shall do myself, the honor of lodging a ball exactly midway between h,Kouk"inlk started for the Prince with the message. He had not traversed over half the distance when Hardy said: "I am faint Lieutenant Let me lean on you for a moment" "My God, you are wounded!' cried Gortchakov, putting his arm about the American's waist; and. mdeed. a dark stain, rapidly spreading, dyed" his waistcoat waist-coat and shirt front. .... "I I am slightly wounded. gasped Hardy, and. fainted away. "What's the matter there with our manT" asked Romanoff in a voice that made no attempt to conceal a sneer. "He seems to be slightly weary. I thought I must have hit him. How Is it surgeon? Hsve I done his business for him? "He is seriously wounded, I fear, replied re-plied the surgeon. "Get his coat about him. Here, lift him into the sledge. Let me get in with you. Now, drive like mad; drive, I say!" - (To Be Continued.) CHAPTXaXL. j Tha'DueL. - , . . Frederick Courtland Hardy ' Blept poorly that Bight.. The typical hero of romance, when about to fight a duel at break of day, goes to bed and aleep more soundly than ever before In his life. This deep slumber proves bis iron nerve more incontestable than any amount of awash-buckling; bravado or any number of great oaths could do. But we are not dealing with, a typical hero of romance. Hardy, as he tossed about for hours on the bed. felt genuine diigust at himself him-self that he was unable to go to sleep. He experienced no fear, and he had a feeling that it was irregular -for a gentleman to lie awake under such cir-. cir-. eumstances. About midnight . it occurred to him that it might be a good thing to make his will. Buck a document already existed, ex-isted, but he now arose and, putting on dressing gown and slippers, went out into the office. Lighting. the gas, he wrote the following: MOSCOW. Jan. 7, 1904. Being of sound mind and in possession posses-sion of all my faculties, I write this as a codicil to my will now in the keeping keep-ing of Andrew Mackey. Esq, attorney at law, Boston. I hereby will and bequeath be-queath all my ready money, deposited in the Busso-Kitaisky bank at Btrye-tensk, Btrye-tensk, and amounting to something over six thousand roubles, to my faithful faith-ful secretary, Wang, and I heartily commend the said Wang to the faror-, faror-, able notice of Frederick. Emery, president presi-dent of the American Trading company in Siberia. The boy is faithful, honest, hon-est, and .possesses a degree of business ability quite astonishing in one so voung. Frederick courtland hardy. This he folded . and put in an envelope en-velope on which he wrote with alead pencil, "For Wang." Tossing 'the envelope en-velope on a table in his sleeping-room, - he went back to bed, and at last succeeded suc-ceeded in getting to sleep. He was awakc-ned by Gortehakov pounding upn-this door and shouting: i f np, my friend, get opt We eh a late for the rendezvous!" Hardr dressed . hurriedly and went out to his second, who was waiting in the office. i "See, I have ordered coffee for you." said the Lieutenant,-"and here : it comes. I took the liberty because we have no time to lose. Drink a cup ?ow and we shall be back in an hour, o time for breakfast, after you have killed his Highness!" I The Lieutenant was in nnnruslly high spirits over the prospect, and his Voyish fare beamed genially. Hardy sighed as he gulped down his steaming coffee. Gortchakov desired Romanoff out of the way that his own chances v,ith the Frincess might be improved; bnt it never for a moment occurred to him to take the American into consideration. con-sideration. A Princess and a tradesman! trades-man! The very idea was absurd. Hardy had struggled into his overcoat. over-coat. ' ! . 4 4 Well, I m ready, ' he said. 4 Let s be going, and have this business over." As they passed out they met Wang, who glanced anxiously at his master. "I a ingoing to take an early ride with the Lieutenant," he explained; 4 'it's a fine morning for riding, Wang." But he added in a low tone to Gortchakov: "If anything should happen to me, let that boy know immediately. im-mediately. He is devoted to me. In ease the worst should happen, there is a paper on the dresser in my bedroom, leaving him a small sum of money. I have had no time to have it attested, but you can bear witness that I told you the thing was genuine." 4 'The Lieutenant's sledge and beautiful beau-tiful team of thoroughbreds was waiting wait-ing at the curb. "Jump in,-pray," he said, "and I let 's be off. And we mustn 't talk of anything 's happening. There is nothing noth-ing to ' happen except that you will shoot a great rascal and bully thrgh the heart, and we shall come bavV.v'o a hearty breakfast, having dotw .mribd morning's work with very little, hiBte of time." I GtHohakov had now fixed on Ro-'mandlf Ro-'mandlf 's heart as the most pleasing re-jceptacle re-jceptacle for Hardy's bullet. The coaehran cracked his long whip and the high-strung, nervous steeds gave a great bound and went scurrying through the early streets of the Muscovite Musco-vite capital. In half an hour they had reached their destination, a thick wood on the banks of the Moskva. Hardy's other second was already on the spot with a surgeon, a fat little man, wrapped thick in furs, who walked briskly to and fro in the snow, rarrying a case of instruments. I "You are in good time, gentlemen," cried Gortchakov, consulting his watch, f there are still ten minutes to spare." "I think I hear sleigh bells now," said the surgeon. "I nope it is Romanoff, Ro-manoff, so that I can get back to my waxm bed. What the devil people want to come out in such weather as (his, is more than I can understand. Let them shoot each other, and be lamned, if they want to, but not at this hour, and in such weather." I "We shall try to be expeditious," Mud Hardy cheerfully, 44 and, in the neantime, I beg pardon for my share n the inconvenience to which we are cutting you. You're right about the leigh bells. Here are our friends 30W." Through a vista between the leafless reoa a sledge could be seen approach-ng, approach-ng, drawn by three horses, running ike mad. The driver rose to his feet md settled back on the seat, bringing I hem to a rearing, pawing, sudden halt. 1 "Your servants, gentlemen " said koukolnik, lifting his hat. " We trust i re have not kept you waiting." "And yours." replied Oortcnakov, rs urnlng the salutation, in which the oth-rs oth-rs joined. "You are Just on the rain-te, rain-te, if my watch la right." i "You are fast." said Koukolnik. climb-ig climb-ig laboriously from the sledge, bis time-lece time-lece in his hand. "We are five min-tea min-tea ahead." M m "I will wager you a hundred roubles I m right," Insisted Gortchakov, with the -.usaiQ's ever-present mania for gam- replied Koukolnik; "and now, t t buaineae." ThCiietails were soon arranged and the round measured off.- Hardy did not pay ny attention to theee preliminaries, but alked briskly backward and forward to ep his feet warm, glancing occaslon-ly occaslon-ly at Romanoff, who stood leaning Hlnst a tree, his hands in his ulster H'kts, an insolent careless smile on his ndsome face. He certainly was a splen-j splen-j specimen of manhood, thought the mcilcao, and If fee (sit the least tremor , |