Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 317: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

308 ‘““T presume Victor is a better shot than I am,” Joe responded. ‘TI doubt it, but even so, look at the chances. He’s bound to be nervous, and he’ll probably miss you at the first fire. Now this matter isn't so con- foundedly serious as to require a fight ad outrance, and it will be very strange to me if we cannot persuade the blood- thirsty little wretch that an exchange of shots, however harmless, has satis- fied his honor.” “You look forward to a duel @ la Faris, then? ”’ “I lope to make it so, if there must be a duel. Come, shall it be pistols? ” Before replying Joe waited for his secretary, who had just come in with the mail, to Jay several letters upon his desk. Picking up one of these, he opened it in an absent minded way and read it through. It was from a man whom Wolcott had interested in the trolley line. “Hold your men,” it said in part, “until I can get there. If the situation is as you represent it, I will back you, but I cannot go at once. If there is anything in it, you will be able to keep _your men interested until I arrive.” “Well,” observed the’captain, a bit impatiently as Joe laid the letter down. ‘““Qh,” said Joe, in a surprised tone, | “about that duel. Well, we will fight } > ‘ with swords.” , “ What!” yelled the captain. “ Swords,” said Joe. | “ Barber, you're crazy. do anything of the kind!” “ Cap, old chappie, who is running this duel?” ‘Thunder and Mars! As your sec- ond I ought to be, but you don’t secm to give me my privileges.” “ According to the code, as your principal, I have the privilege of veto- ing any of your arrangements, haven't [? 99 “T suppose you have,” admitted the captain, groutily. ‘Well, then, understand, it must be swords, if I have to fight.” You shan’t THE ARGOSY. ‘And that same you won't, if I can prevent it.” With this the captain departed from the Syndicate office to confer with Montoro, with a view to bringing about an amicable adjustment of the matter. He would better not have tried. His very effort to establish terms of peace inflamed the hot headed young Span- iards the more, and also gave rise to no little unpleasant gossip concerning the unwillingness of the American bus- iness man to satisfy an injured Span- iard’s sense of honor. There was altogether too much pub- licity about the affair to suit anybody who had the slightest regard for the requirements of the code, but the pub- licity was no fault of the American’s, and after the captain Had vainly en- deavored to prevent a fight, the actual arrangements for the combat went for- ward with due secrecy. It was late in the evening when they were completed, and Captain Tooker went down to the American Hotel to tell his principa] about them. He found Joe in the hotel office, leaning back in a chair, with his feet on another, his hat on the back of his head, conversing interestedly with a portly gentleman who sat on one side of him, and a lean, dark, spectacled man who sat on the other. If he saw the captain when he en- tered, he pretended not to, and even when Tooker put his hands on Joe’s shoulder, the manager of the Syndi- cate remarked: “ Just one minute, old fellow. As I was saying, Mr. Haskell, the opportunities in Ponce were seen by me and my friends long before the invasion. I said to them then ‘the army is going to get to that island first and make it ours. Then the cohorts of business must invade it and complete the capture, and we,’ said I, ‘ must en- list in the vanguard.’ Eh? what is it. captain?” * Really, Joe,” said Tooker, in a low, serious voice, ‘ you must ive your . CO