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Show 8 - . -THIS BETIREIHT, j. f How a Famous Duelist Gave Up . j M e Practice. ' y P- A. MITGHEL. iliicopyrlKht, 1910, by American Proas Asso- H elation. unt Andreas Mcnncrzck, a Hunga-Ittlari Hunga-Ittlari who had fought many duels, oft Wev having safely coinc out of his flf-jPtoenth flf-jPtoenth encounter dctcrminctl to retire . 'from tho Held. On doing this he re- ' ' ?--solved to giro a banquet to thoso only j who could prove that thoy bad participated partici-pated In nt least five duels. Selecting ' ' three of his friends, nil of whom were ; entitled under tho condition to nn in ' ' vltnUon, ho asked them to examine tho credentials of those who claimed the right to bo present. As I have said, tho count proposed to retire after his fifteenth encounter. Soino said that nt his twelfth Jio had (shown a lnek of nerve, which "was re pcatcr nud grew upon him In his sub sequent encounters, and that the ren-Boniwhy ren-Boniwhy ho Intended to retire wns that he dare not continue in tho field. Ills twelfth meeting was with n mere boy barely eighteen years old. The chal-7 chal-7 lenge wns sent with n statement thai t tho count had killed tho challenger's , brother. Whether it wns the youth ol I Evcnr lux iiosr. this his twelfth adversary or tho cir- I cumstanco of that adversary's fighting 1 to avenge his brother or some Bupcr- i atltlou no ono knew, but Mennorzek I showed nn extreme distiustu for killing 1 tho boy, Intending to pink him. Hut I the youth fought so desperately that 1 . the count was llnnlly obliged to run 1 hltn through to oavc his own life. Tho 1 youth did not die. but it wan said that rM ho would nevor recover from his I , wound. '1 All these facta nnd oncouutcra wore I the talk of Vlouini, and never wan i there so much Interest manifested In any function its "the Immortal's" banquet ban-quet celebrating his retirement from tho field In which lib had eo long hold i the most conspicuous place. For two months tho committee examined credentials. cre-dentials. Among the applicants was ono woman. She had been out ouly once, but claimed that for a woman to light u duel with a man was equivalent to tho record of "the Immortal" himself. him-self. She declined to appear before the committee, buf sent a certificate of a physician who had attended her after her encounter In which .she bad been wounded. The committee, all of whom were gallant gentlemen, unanimously unani-mously voted to admit the applicant. Whoti the evening for the banquet arrived Count Mennorzek received his guaats In an nntor'ooin communicating with the banquet hall. Ho looked nbotit as If for aomo ouo and said: , , "nut I have been told that 1 am te entertain a lady. I dou't SfQ her." "She wrote, count." aafcl tints of the invitation cwnnltte, "that since a - ' ' woman wptilfl be ut of plnce among so man? tana she would merely ap- j r ; " poor for a few minute after re Co ".Jx Is served." . ' The host led the wrf lato the bau- Ja '- quet room xnd stood nt his at nt fhe V ' hwul of the table flaukwl by a man on ? ' ' hi rfcbt who IumJ fought the next " greatest number of duels thlrteeo -Jf and on hi left by ote who Uod foaght V? 'J , the next nnrobcr-cteven. The others i U, . wore arranged In accordance . wtth a ff their iwwrta. One seat was Hot or- J. capied-tbat at the end o lb table I v . opposite the count It wjs rewrod far , V ' " tho lady- , I V For tbfHOHJro I" ." of convewatlon, naturally about the " encounters ot the converwm. while I the popping of corka jrejM-eacaUea tlio i-vs- ' contests wherein, plstolo cr rises nail f been used, to several n n w f raw who J'l l011 advcaarie. it ' ' viJltogwar to hear t!nm di-:us8 In ;iv a friendly way coabala in, whka Jim " tlwre woro tboae who had tfSH&b ajip $ bad .tt tot lMtV ! . P1M tno ln3inQtionoi;'tno-nosttrst orery " man should be every jStlier man'a friend Bomo of'tlicso glared at ono another an-other as though they would llko to go out again and settlo their quarrel. Ono couple attempted to leave the room for such a purpose, but found themselves them-selves locked In. The count had foreseen fore-seen that tho meeting of so many men who bad so often fought might kindle anew somo smoldering flame and nnd taken tho necessary precautions. Coffee had been brought oil and had been drunk and still the ono gneat In whom wai felt moro Interest than In all the' rost together did sot appear. Mcnncrzck, whose spirits were at the highest, called out to tho committeeman committee-man who had told hltn tho lady would join them at coffee to know why sh did not appear. "I told her, count," was the reply, "that I could not namo tho exact time coffee would be served, but I thought it would be at 12 o'clock. Sho will be here nt that hour." There was something In this fighting fight-ing woman connected with tho witch-ing witch-ing hour of night that added to the zest of her expected entrance. A clock resting on a mantel over a broad fireplace fire-place marked tho hour, and many were the glances cast at it by tho revelers. When tho bands wcro near tho bout of lir every face was turned toward tho door at which tho guest would cuter. Tho count, who sat facing the entrance, gave an order thnt tho doot should be unlocked. This was done, nnd tho conversation gradually dropped drop-ped ofT until the clock struck 12, when It ceased entirely. A few minutes after 12 tho door wna thrown open by a servant, nnd the lady stepped into tho apartment. Every man rose. Tho woman who wns entitled to a plnco among theso duelists was about twenty-flvo years old, of medium height, a willowy figure and very dark hair and eyes. Sho wore a cloak, which she hnnded to tho servant who had admitted her. It was evident that sho had been beautiful and that hoi beauty had been lost by sorrow, for her faco bore unmlstakablo signs of having suffered. Sho advanced to the vacant chair at tho end of the table opposite the host, and as sho sentcd herself tho others resumed their chairs. Meanwhile the expression on the count's face changed to one of serious nnd cngcr curiosity. Ho was tho first untiirally tho first since he was the last to speak. "Your faco Is familiar to me, randam. May I ask where I have met you?" The answer came ley cold: "On tho field. It's to my encounter with you that I nm entitled to Hie honor of a plnco among you here." "Pardon mo; I have never fought a woman." "You foiiL'ht ono von Uiousht to bo a beardless boy. I was that boy." The count started. A slight pallor overspread his face. The woman continued: con-tinued: "Tho duel you fought before that, count, was with my husband the day after our marriage. I offered my. fortune for-tune to any man who would kill you. Ono trlod to oblige me, but lost hi life In doing no. Then I felt that It wns my own time to act. Personating the brothor of this man who trlod to avenge me, I challougnd you nnd was carried off the field, as It wns supposed, sup-posed, mortally wounded." There was a pause. The clock on tho mantel ticked loudly In tho otherwise other-wise silent room. Then the woman continued: "As you see, I recovered. I wns planning plan-ning further effort to punish you for your many crimes when I heard that you wore about to retire from tho dueling duel-ing field. I secured an Invitation here in order that you might graco your retirement re-tirement with ono moro victim. I hnve a proposition." The count continued to stare at his only woman guest, but did not speak. "Gentlemen," continued tho lady, "I have no formal challenge for our hot. I simply request thnt wo bo furnished with pistols and that some ono of your number will glvo us a signal. Wo can do so no wo sil and with a large number num-ber of, expert witnesses to see fair play." No one spoke for a fow moment: then the inan on the host's light raid: "GtenUeujon. you hear the luii?' prop osition. It scl'Kib to me that we are iu honor bound to accord her the opportunity oppor-tunity .hy asks provided our host consents con-sents to iter terms." "I will wot fight n woman." said the count, almost-with a groan. "Yen thall flslit a woman." said the lady, "or 1 will post you as n coward all over the capital." All looked' toward the count. It seemed that he read the hand of ftte in the coming of this woman whom life lie had wneekad. lie sat Irresolute, Irreso-lute, as If trying -to wok up his mind what to do, whether to sacrifice Uer or himself. Tbero were to many wifr-ucascs wifr-ucascs for him to act any, other part than rhat of a man. fle cov.'d not kill a woman before them, specially one he had so iujnrod. If he did not kUl her she would kill blm. He must nc-coptjuae nc-coptjuae vw the other of these alternatives. alterna-tives. "Come, roujat," laid htt friend on his rbrht, "vbajt la yob? decUionT' ' "BAag t HJairta," tw repiiW In a i HlWte !4ftj "Vole, ' A. gSte pf.trtwwb Ihjhrtd the face or nnr iuivcrsnry. Ono of the guestH who was to atnud as second In an affair to come off In the early morning hnd a cnHe of unci-lap unci-lap pistols within reach. They wore brought. The count nppolntctl-ono.of his guests to act for him. and tho lady appointed another to act for her. lint such action wn-i .supcrfiuoua Tho count know that he wan doomed and It mattered not whether ho wn'i or was not properly uorved. Ah I'd the lady, sho cared uot for lier lif( provided she could kill tho iniiu who hnd slain her husband nlmost ut tin very bridal. The pistol1, havlui: been oxanilnod. one wna hnnded to the count, thi1 other to tho lady. Ouo of tho guest rose from his chair, holding a handkerchief hand-kerchief iu hlH hand. "Aro you ready V" ho asked. "tteady," wild the lady lu a lirj voice. The count gave tho speaker a loo', to fdgnlfy that ho was ready. Tho hanflkorehier fluttered to tin1 table. A single shot rang out. Tlv.' count foil dead. Ills weapon hnd uoi been discharged. -. |