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1 J\ j ( BSBS??yg Woman i By Harold M&.cGrath V sssid vivif? Copyright, i coo, &•? iT**. r* : •-*.*: By Hsxold M: Grath. :“-. C' .v. .•;>:;?■M chill up nty spine. A dnel! “The devil!" said I under my breath. 1 knew less nlMiut fencing than I did al>out aerial navigation, which was precious little. The fact that Gretchen was now smiling aggravated the situa tion. I could not heip the shudder. Why. the fellow would make a sieve out of rne! “Will you look at my passports now?” 1 asked. “You mav not have the opportunity again.” “Your passports from now on will be void.” was the retort. "But I shall be pleased to give you a passport to the devil. I shall kill you.” complacently. "Think of my family." suit! I, u ■trange humor taking possession of me. “You should have thought of your family before you struck me that blow.” he replied. My laughter was genuine. Even Gretchen smuggled a smile. The lieu tenant had taken my remark in all se riousness. “You will not run away?” he asked. “I shall probably be obliged to run away tomorrow,” said 1 smoothly. "I should not l>e aide to account for your presence here. But I shall await your return from the barracks, never fear.” All this was mere bravado. Honestly, 1 shrunk within my clothes and shiver ed in my shoes. But I bad an unfailing nerve. Some cull it bluff. Gretchen had been whispering to the innkeeper. When in* moved from her side, she was smiling. “What the deuce Is she smiling about?” 1 wondered. “Does the wom an take me for a modern D’Artag nan ?” "Innkeeper,” said the lieutenant, “If this man Is not here when I return I’ll take satisfaction out of your hide.” The innkeeper shrugged. “1 have never heard of an Englishman running away." “And I have seen many a German do that." 1 put m. "liow am I to know that your going to the barracks is not a ruse?” Ho gnsjxni. The words would not come which would do justice to his feelings. Fie drew off one of his gloves snd threw it Into my face. It stung me. I should have knocked hint down but for the innkeeper stepping be tween. "No, herr, ’ he sail; “do not disable him." “Von had best go to the barracks at once.” said I to the lieutenant. My clothes were too small for me no..', and 1 did not shiver in my shoes. My "Yankee” blood was up. 1 would have fought him with linttleaxes. "Herr." said the innkeeper when the two had made off for the barracks, “you are a man of courage.” “Thanks.” said I. “I>o you know anything about ra piers?” lie asked. "I know the handle from the blade; that’s ail. But that does not make any difference. I'd tight him with any weapon. lie struck me, aid then then lie kissed (iretchen." ”1 have wiped it off, herr." said Gretclien dryly. Then she passed frotn the room. I went up stairs too. 1 looked out of my window. There was moonlight, possibly the last time I should ever see moonlight in the land of the living. Nothing blit a mishap on my opponent’s part and that early in the combat would save my epidermis. The absurd side of the affair struck me, and I laughed mirthlessly, but none the less I laughed. If it had been pistols, the chances would have been equal. A German does not like pistols as a dueling apparatus. They often miss tire. A sword is a surer weapon. And then the French use them—the pistols—in their fiascocs. Rapiers? 1 was as familiar with the rapier as 1 was with the Zulu asftngai. I unstrap ped my traveling case and took out Phyllis’ photograph. I put it hack. If I was to have a last look at any wom an, it should be at Gretchen. Then I pot out my cane and praet ; >d thrust ing and parrying. My Ist was strong. “Well,” I mused, “there’s consolation In knowing that in two hours I shall be either dead or alive.” L dung the cane into the corner. To pass away the time 1 paced back and forth. It passed too quickly, and it was not long ere I heard the clatter of the returning cavalrymen. Some one knocked at my door. I swung it open and was thrown to the floor, bound and gagged In a tenth of a minute. “Put him on the bed,” whispered the leader of my assailants. When this was done, the voice added. “Now you can go to the stables and wait there till I call you.” It was the innkeeper. He surveyed me for a moment and scratched his chin. “Will herr keep perfectly quiet if i’ take the handkerchief from his mouth?” he asked. 1 nodded, bewil dered. * “What in tophet does this mean 7” I asked. I did not say tophet, but it looks better in writing. “It means nothing and everything,” was the answer. “In the first place, herr will fight no duel. The man with, whom you were to fight-was sent on an errand to this out of the way place as a punishment for his dueling at the capital. I know him by reputation. He is a brawler, but a fair swords man. He would halve you as I would a chicken. There is another who has a prior claim on him. If there Is any thing left of Herr Lieutenant at the end of the fray, you are welcome to It. Yes; there will In* a duel, but you will not be one of the principals. It Is All arranged.” “But I do not understand,” I cried. “It is not necessary that you should.” He laughed and rubbed bis hands in pleasurable anticipation. “There is a young man down stairs who arrived a few moments before the lieutenant, lie has a special affair. There were words. Herr Lieutenant is mad enough to fight a whole company.” “Then why In heaven’s name am I Up nete In tLis condition?" ! cried. “Let me go and be the young man's second, though I can’t for the life of me see where he has come from so sud denly and 1 might say opjwrtunely. Come, cut me loose.” “It is too late.” “Too late?” "Yes. Herr Lieutenant has been in formed that you ran away.” "Ran away!” i roared. “You told him that I ran away? Curse your Inso lence! i'll break every bone in your body for this!" I cried, straining at the ropes. "The ropes are new,” said he. "You’ll hurt yourself.” “You told him that 1 ran away?” Inis was too much. “1 cs. Ah. but you will be surprised. The duel will last five minutes. Herr Lieutenant will thrust. The thrust will be parried. He will feint; useless. Thrust on thrust, parry on parry. Con sternation will take the place of confi dence. He will grow nervous. He will try all his little tricks, and they will fail. Then his eyes will roll and his breath come In gasps. Suddenly he thinks he sees an opening. He lunges. Ach. the fool, it Is all over!" The old man’s voice quivered with excitement. He had passed bis time in the barracks and had seen many a sword skirmish. “Well, are you going to take off these ropes?” “Xo. You would break every bone in my body.” 1 groaned in exasperation. “You will soon be out of breath.” Oh, could I have but loosened those cords! "Slalilherg, who left the service a year ago. will act in the capacity of second.” Stahlberg was at the head of the vineyard. “I shall watch the af fair from the window here. The scene of action will take place in tin* clearing beyond. It will he an affair worth wit nessing.” “And where is Gretchen?" “Where site should la*—at the bar, a dutiful barmaid.” Then 1 heard noth ing but the deep cacninnatious of the innkeeper. There wan. something in the affair which appealed to his humor. 1 could not see It. For ten minutes my vocabulary was strictly unprintable. “Will you kindly tell me what the meaning of all this Is?” “Herr Wlnthrop, the idyl has come to an end. The epic now begins.” CHAPTER XII. The golden summer moon was lar up now. and the yellow light of it came in to tiie window and illumined the grim face of the innkeeper, throwing a gro tesque shadow of him on to the floor. The leaves rustled and purred against the eaves. As the branches moved so diil the light and darkness move over the innkeeper's visage. He was silent and meditative. “An epic?" I said. “An epic.” “Innkeeper,” said I, “if 1 give you my word of honor not to molest you or leave this room will you let me be a .witness?” Ho passed into the gloom, then back Into the light. “This is no trick?” sus piciously. “I have a deal of regard for my old bones, old as they are.” “On my honor." “Well. I'll do it. It is in the blood of us all. Rut a false move on your part, and 1 promise you that this knife shall find a resting place in you.” lie cut the ropes, and I was free. P.ut my arms ached. The two of us took our stand fy the window and Uvaited for the principals in the drama about to be enacted in the clearing. 1 confess that my conscience was ill at ease. Why I knew not. 1 was dread ing something. I knew uot what. The Innkeeper’s hand trembled on my arm. "Sh! They come,” he whispered. As I looked beyond his finger I saw four figures advance over the sWard. One of them, a slight boyish form, was new to me. The fellow walked briskly along at the side of Stahlberg, who was built on the plan of Hercules. When they came to the clearing, they stopped. The seconds went through the usual formalities of testing the temper of the sWords. Somehow I “could not keep my eyes off the young ster who was going to do battle with the veteran, and 1 could not help won dering where in the world he had come from and why In the world he had chosen this place to settle his dispute in. There were plenty of convenient places in the village in and around the barracks. He took ids position, back to me, so 1 could not tell wbat he was like. The moon shone squarely in the lieutenant’s face, upon which was an expression of contempt mingled with confidence. My heart thumped, for I had never seen a duel before. “I do not know where you came from,” I heard the lieutenant say. “but you managed nicely to pick a quarrel. It Is all on your own head. It is too bad that cur of an Englishman had to run away." The Innkeeper's knife was so close that I could feel the point of it against my ribs So I gave up the wild idea of I yelling from the window that I hadn’t run away. The lieutenant's opponent shrugged. IB* placed himself on guard. ; That was his reply. Suddenly the two j sprang forward, and the clash of swords followed. I could not keep track of the weapons, but I could see that the youngster was holding his j own amazingly well. X'eitber was touched tlie first bout. | "Two minutes,” murmured the old rascal at my side. “It will be over this time." “You seem to have a good deal of confidence In your man." s**id I. “There Is not a finer swords—swords man in the kingdom, or on the conti nent for that matter. There, they are at it again!" Step by step the lieutenant gave ground. The clashing had stopped. It was needlelike work now. Gradually they began to turn around. The blades flashed 111 the moonshine like heat lightning. My pulse attuned itself to every stroke. I heard a laugh. It was full of scorn. The lunch—it recalled to me a laugh I had heard before. Evi dently the youngster was placing with the veteran. I become fascinated. And while the innkeeper and I watched a curious thing happened. Something seemed to Im* slipping from the young ster's head. He tried to put up bis free baud, hut the lieutenant was making furious passes ,\ flood of something dimly yellow suddenly fell about the lad’s shoulders. Oh. then I knew! With a snarl of rage l took the innkeeper by the throat and hurled him. knife and all. to the floor, dashed from the room, thence to the stairs, down which I leaped four at a time. Quick as I was, I was too late. The lieutenant’s sword lay on the grass, and lie was clasping his shoulder, with the sweat, of agony on his brow. “A woman!” he groaned. “A wom an!" Then he tottered and fell in the arms of his subordinate. He bad faint ed. “This will make a pretty story!” cried the young officer as he laid bis superior lengthwise and tried to stanch the flow of blood. "Here’s a man who runs away and lets a woman —God knows what sort—fight his duels for him. the cur!” 1 never looked at him, but went straight to Gretchen. Stahlberg gave me a questioning glance and made a move as though to step between. “Stand aside, man!" I snapped. "Gretchen. you have dishonored me.” “It were better than to bury you,” lightly. "I assure you he caused me no little exertion.” Yet her voice shook, and she shud dered as she cast aside the sword. "You have made a laughing stock of me. I am a man and can fight my ow n -a 7 Hr tottered and tell in the arms of his subordinate. battles," I said sternly. “My God,” breaking down suddenly, “supposing you had been killed. “It was not possible. And the man insulted me, not you. A woman? Very well. 1 can defend myself against ev erything but calumny. Have I made a laughing stock of you? It is nothing to me. it would not have altered my"— She was very white, and she stroked her forehead. “Well?” said l. “It would not have altered my deter mination to take the sword in hand again." She put her hand to her throat ns though something there bad tightened. "Ah, 1 am a woman, for I believe that I am about to faint. No!” imperious ly as 1 threw out my arms to catch her. “1 can reach the door aloue with out assistance.” And so we went along. 1 did not know what to do nor yet what to say. A conflict was raging in uiy heart be tween shame and love—shame that a woman had fought for me and won where I should have lost, love that strove to spring from my lips in exulta tion. I knew not which would have conquered had I not espied the blood on Gretchen’s white hand. “You are wounded!” I cried. She gazed at her hand as though she did not understand; then, with a little sob and a little choke, she extended her arms toward me and stumbled. Was ever there a woman who could look on blood without fainting? Gretchen had not quite fainted, but the moou had danced, she said, and all had grown dim. Gretchen. why did you risk your llte? In God’s name, what manner of woman are you and where did you learn to use the sword? Had you no thought of me?” I was somewhat in coherent. “No thought of you?” She drew the back of her hand over her eyes. “No thought of you? 1 did it because—be cause I did not —I could not —you would have been killed!” 1 was a man—human. I loved her. I had always loved her, 1 had never lot ed any one else. I was a coward t ■ {TO BE COXTllirip] AMERICAN C )MPETITION-. Englishmen Complain of Rivalry In Iron and Steel Products. London, Feb 20. —The Duke of Devonshire presided today at a meeting of the Furness Railway Company in this city. He attrib uted the serious depression in the iron and steel indurtries to Ameri can competition, and predicted that the competition, would become more acute, especially in rails, in which further depression was inev itable He declared that with coal at its present enormous price, it was hopeless to try to meet the competition in foreign steel. Sir Christopher Furness, M. P., in an address to the shareholders of the Stephenson company, of New castle said that the American lo com dive trade had increased 450 per cent, while the British trade had decree sed 25 per cent. He added that, as the Stephenson com pany could not obtain in Newcastle the accommodation necessary to enable it to compete with foreign ers, the works vvculd be transferred to Darlington. A Prominent Chicago] Woman Speaks Prof, R'fXa Tyler, of Chicago Vice-President Illinois Woman’s Alliance, in speaking of Chamber lain’s Cough Remedy says. "I suf fered with a severe cold this win ter wnich threatened to run into pneumonia. I tried different rem edies hut I seemed to grow worse and the medicine upset my stom ach. A friend advised me to try Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy and I found it was pleasant to take and it relieved me at once. lam now entirely recovered, saved a doctor’s bill, time and suffering, and I will never he without this splendid medicine again.” For sale by HaiJ & Greene, druggists. March Ladies’ Home Journal “ The Only American Girl Who Ever Married a King,” ‘‘The Love liest of all Kentucky Girls, ‘‘The Anecdotal Side of Theodore Roose velt,” and “The Author’s Reading at Bixby Centre,” by Kate Doug las Wiggin, will have a wide read ing in the March Ladies’ Home Journal. And “The Gibson Play,” too. It accentuates the satirical humor of Charles Dana Gibson’s ‘‘Widow and Her Friends” in a two-act co.nedy by Marguerite Merington. The illustrations by Mr. Gibson are characteristic and interesting. Edward Bok’s editor i-ils and Helen Watterson M >ody’s ‘‘Girls Who ‘Go In’ for Something” are helpful in counsel, and will be profitably read. “The Story of a Young Man” is completed in the March Journal, and “The Succes sors of Mary the First” presents new and extremely funny compli cations and vexations. A good share of space is devoted to Easter fashions in feminine attire, and there are articles on cooking, china painting. “A Successful Country House at Bryn Mawr,” “A Sub urban House for $6500”; a page picture showing “The Old Stage and the Turnpike”’ of W. L. Tav lor’s-‘‘The Last Hundred Years in New England” series,and “Through Picturesque America”—two pjdges of photographs of views in Cuba and Porto Rico. A feature of the March Journal is Eugene Field’s "Armenian Lullaby,” set to music. By the Curtis Publishing Company, Philadelphia. One dollar a year; ten cents a copy. Dr. Cady’s Condition Powder are just whai a horse needs when in bad condition. Tonic, nlood pur ifier and vermifuge. They are not food but medicine and the best in use to | ut a horse in pri._je condi tion. Price 2„ cents per package. For sale by all druggists. Re ;c and Rates to Washington Ard count Inauguration. The Southern Railway, the great trunk line from the south’to Wash ington offers specially reduced rates to Washington, D. C., for the inauguration of President McKin ley, March 4th, 1901, as follows: Por individuals, (single tickets) rate of one first class fare for the round trip, to be sold March Ist, 2nd and 3rd, with final limit March 9 th, 1901. For regular organized military companies and brass bands in uni form accompanying them, twenty five (25) or more cn one ticket still lower rates will be granted Tickets to be sold Match Ist, 2nd 3rd, with final limit March 9th, 1901. The service of the Southern Railway is by far the mon com plete and fastest of any line from the south. 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