HIS RETIREMENT.
I
I
How a Famous Duelist Gave Up
the Practice.
By F. A. MITCH EL.
Copyright, 1910, by American Press Asso
ciation. Count Andreas Mennerzek, a Hunga
rian who had fought many duels, aft
er having safely come out of his fif
teenth encounter determined to retire
from the field. On doing this he re-
solved to give a Danquet to tnose only the glances east at It by the revelers,
who could prove that they had partici- When the hands were near the hour
pated in at least five duels. Selecting of 12 every face was turned toward
three of his friends, all of whom were the door at which the guest would
entitled under the condition to an in- enter. The count, who sat facing the
citation, he asked them to examine entrance, gave an1 order that the door
the credentials of those who claimed should be unlocked. This was done,
the right to be present. and the conversation gradually drop
As I have said, the count proposed to ped off until the clock Btruck 12, when
retire after his fifteenth encounter, it ceased entirely.
Some said that at his twelfth he had
shown a lack of nerve, which was re-
peater and grew upon him in his sub-
sequent encounters, and that the rea
son" why he intended to retire wa that
be dare not continue in the field. His
twelfth meeting was with a mere boy
barely eighteen years old. The chal
lenge was sent with a statement that
the count had killed the challenger's
brother. Whether it was the youth of
BVEBT MAN BOS ft.
this his twelfth adversary or' the cir
cumstance of that adversary's fighting
to avenge bis brother or some super
stition no one. knew, but Mennerzek
showed an extreme distaste for killing
the boy, intending to pink blni. But
the youth fought so desperately that
the count -was finally obliged to run
him through to save bis own life. The
youth did not die, but it was said that
he would never recover from his
wound.
Ail these facts and encounters were
the talk of Vienna, and never was
there so much interest manifested in
any function as "the Immortal's" ban
quet celebrating his retirement from
the field lu which he had so long held
the most conspicuous place. For two
months the committee examined cre
dentials. Among the applicants was
one woman. She had been out only
once, but claimed that for a woman to
fight a duel with a man was equivalent
to the record of "the. immortal" him
self. She declined to appear before
the committee, but sent a certificate
of a physician who had attended her
been wounded. The committee, all of
whom were gallant gentlemen, unanl-
mously voted to admit the applicant
When the evening for the banquet
arrived Count Mennerzek received his
guests in an anteroom cuwlu
with the banauet ball. He looked
about as if for some one and said:
"But I have been told that I am to
entertain a lady. 1 don't see her."
"She wrote, count," said one of the
Invitation committee, "that since a
woman would be out of place among
so many men she would merely ap
pear for a few minutes after coffee
la served."
The host led the way Into the ban
quet room and stood at his seat at the
head of the table flanked by a man on
his right who had fought the next
greatest number of duels thirteen
and on his left by one who had fought
the next number eleven. The others
were arranged In accordance with
their records; One seat was not oc
cupied that at the end or the tame
opposite the count It was reserved ror
the lady.
For three honrs there was the hum
of conversation, naturally about the
encounters of the conversers. while
the popping of corks represented tnose
contests wherein pistols or rines uau
been nsed." In several cases men met
men who had been adversaries, it
was singular to hear them diffusa In
friendly way combats In which tney
had tried to kill each other. Then
tnere were tnose wuu uau i'6"
had never been reconciled, uespite
the Injunction of the bost that every
man should be every other mans
friend some of these glared at one an-
other as though they would like to go
out again and settle their quarreL une
couple attempted to leave tne room
for such a purpose, but found them-
selves locked ln. Tbo count naa rore-
seen that the meeting of so many men
who had so often fought might Kindle
anew some smoldering name ana naa
taken the necessary precautions.
Coffee had been brought on and had
been drunk and still the one guest
tn whom was xeit sooro wieresi man
In ail the rest together did not appear.
Mennerzek, whose spirits were at the
highest, called out to the commlttee-
man who hud told him the lady would
Join them at coffee to know why she
did not appear.
"1 told her, count." was the reply,
"that I could not name the exact time
coffee would be served, but I thought
it would be at 12 o'clock. She will
be here at that hour."
There was something In this fight
lng woman connected with the witch
ing hour of night that added to the
zest of her expected entrance. A clock
resting on a mantel over a broad fire-
place marked the hour, and many were
A few minutes after 12 the door was
thrown open by a servant, and the
lady stepped Into the apartment Every
man rose.
The woman who was entitled to a
place among these duelists w;as about
twenty-five years old, of medium
height, a willowy figure and very dark
hair and eyes. She wore a cloak,
which she handed to the servant who
had admitted her. It was evident thai
she had been beatitiful and that her
beauty had been lost by sorrow, for
her face bore unmistakable signs of
having suffered. She advanced to the
vacant chair at the end of the table
opposite the host, and as she seated
Tierself the others resumed their chairs,
Meanwhile the expression the
Kniltit's tnna I
and eager curiosity. He was the first-
naturally the first since he was the
last to speak.
"Your face is familiar to me, madam.
May I ask where I have met you?"
The answer came icy cold:
"On the field. It's to my encounter
with you that I am entitled to the
honor of a place among you here."
"Fnrdon me; I have never fought a
woman."
"You fought one you thought to be a
beardless boy. I was that boy."
The count started. A slight pallor
overspread his face. The woman con
tinued: "The duel you fought before that
count, was with my husband the day
after onr marriage. I offered my for
tune to any man who would kill you.
One tried to oblige me, but lost his
life in doing so. Then I felt that it
was my own time to act Personating
the brother of this man who tried to
avenge me, I challenged you and was
carried off the field, as it was sup
posed, mortally wounded."
There was a pause. The clock on
the mantel ticked loudly in the other
wise silent room. Then the woman
continued:
'As you see, I recovered. I was plan
nlng further effort to punish you for
your many crimes when I heard that
you were about to retire from the duel
lng field. I secured an Invitation here I
in oraer mat you mignt grace your re-
tlrement with one more victim. I have
a proposition." .
The count continued to stare at his
nnlv wnmnn mipftf hilt rtlil nnt- snonlr I
"Gentlemen," continued the lady, "1
have no formal challenge for our host.
I simply request that we be furnished
with pistols and that some one of your
number will give us a signal. We can
do so as we sit and with a large num
ber of expert witnesses to see f?lr
play."
No one spoke for a few moments;
then the man on the host's right said:
"Gentlemen, you hear the lady's prop
osltlon. It seems to me that we are
iu honor bound to accord her the oppor-
8ents to her terms.".
i will not fight a .woman," said the
count, almost with a groan.
y0u thall fight a woman." said the
ia(jyi "or I will post you as a coward
ail over tne capital. "
All lnnkixl tnwm-rt tho onnnt If
seemed that he read the hand of fate
in the coming of this woman whose
Ufa Iia hnA wmch n1 TTa ant Invion.
lute, as if trvlnor to make lin his mind
wbat to do. whether to sacrifice ber
or uiinseu. J.uere were too many wu
nesses for him to act any other part
than that of a man. He could not kill
a woman before them, especially one
be had so injured. If be did not kill
her she would kill him. lie must ac
cept one or the other of these alterna
tlves.
"Come, count," sold his friend on
his rhrbt. "what is your decision?"
"Bring the pistols," he replied in a
scarcely audible voice.
A smile of triumph lighted the face
or his adversary.
QDg or tne guests who was to stand
as second -In an affair to come off In
. te early morning had a case of duel
jng pistols within reach. They were
brought The count appointed one of
nla puests to act for him, and the lady
appointed another to act for ber.
gU(; gucn action was superfluous.
rhe count knew that he was doomed
tn n mattered not whether he was
or waa not Droperl v served. As for
ladyt 8he cared not for her. life
proviaeu sne coma am me man wno
nnd gIatn ner husband almost at the
yery bridal.
Tne pistols having been examined.
one wag banded to the count the
otner t0 tne lady. One of the guests
j,, tTOm chair, holding a hand
kerchief in bis hand.
.Are yotI ready?" be asked.
"Ready." said the lady In a Ann
ee.
The connt f8Te tne speaker a look
t0 signify that be was ready.
Tlie handkerchief fluttered to the
table. A single shot rang out Ths
connt fejj deaa- ju, veapsn had not
been discharged.
Why the Present
Cost of Living
Is High,
JB SB By Various Authorities 0 &
By JAMES WILSON, Secretary of Agri
culture. c
HAT prices are higher now
than ever before is certain.
The American standard of
living is HIGHER THAN THAT
OF ANY OTHER COUNTRY
ON THE GLOBE, and that is
one of the rea
sons why food
prices have been
forced up to such
an extent.
Too many are
engaged in the
business of distri
bution. What we
need is MORE
FARMING. Too
many persons are rushing to the
cities, and not enough are stavinc
'
m the C0UJ"ry A oo many are
TRYING TO GET ALONG
WITHOUT WORK, and not
enough of them are in the business
of producing something.
ONE MAN COULD DO THE DIS
TRIBUTING WHERE TWENTY
ARE NOW ENGAGED IN IT. THAT
13 THE REASON WHY THE COST
OF LIVING 13 HIGH AND EVERY
ONE COMPLAINING.
By Senator MOSES E. CLAPP of Minn'
ota.
CHE
CO
TH
NEW TARIFF LAW HAS
COST AND IS COSTING
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN
INCREA8ED COST OF LIVING.
The thing STARTED WITH
THE. TARIFF INCREASES
AND IS GOING ALL ALONG
THE LINE apparently.
Raise the price of one necessity
of life and the man who is com-
pelled to pay that increased price
must get more for what he has to
11 j v .. .
8eU ln order that M.may pay it;
therefore it necessarily affects the
nr;n ftf va nrnAnM Tr
musteuner ajvji, ju&oq ntUJ!-
TT OR ELSE RAISE HIS
PRICE.
t it
By Profeiaor J. R. KENNEDY of Illinois
Unlvenlty.
HERE is no mystery about
the increased cost of com
modities. It is the result
0f perfectly NATURAL AND
INEVITABLE CAUSES
Food used to be cheap, largely
, , , rru
L,CV-U0,J WUB reaper. iuc
I country is filling up, and the price
nf larj t,,,.,,!!,, anA wi'th
" v-..v
I the cost of the food products it
I produces
I
AS LAND COSTS
MORE TODAY THAN FOR-
MERLY, FOOD NATURALLY
COSTS MORE.
It is the same
with ores.
IT COST8 MORE TO FARM TO
DAY THAN FORMERLY. IT COSTS
MORE TO MINE ORES THAN TEN
YEAR3 AGO. THIS MAY BE
PROVED IN A HUNDRED WAYS.
A3 A RESULT THE PRICES OF
THE PRODUCTS OF THE FARMS
AND OF THE MINE3 HAVE BEEN
GRADUALLY RISING.
St K
By Senator JOSEPH L. BRISTOW of
KanMa.
'HE increased cost of living
due to a COMBINA-
- TION OF A HUNDRED
CAUSES. The chief is the tend-
ency to COMBINATIONS OF
MEN WHO CONTROL COM
MODITIES and fix arbitrary
prices on them.
THE FARMER CANNOT COM
BINE. THERE ARE TOO MANY
OF HIM, AND HIS CIRCUM
STANCES DO NOT LEND THEM
SELVES TO COMBINATION.
THE INFLUENCES TnAT
COME BETWEEN THE FARM
ERS AND THE CONSUMER
re responsible for that
By Senator W1LUAM
E. BORAH of
Idaho.
z
JiAl nign prices are world-
wide is conceded. That it
is true of articles affected
by the tariff and articles upon the
free list is easily proved. It must,
in my judgment, be considered as
due to a MULTITUDE OF
CAUSES.
We seem to be approaching a
time when we shall be importing
food products, and this i3 due to
the failure tn FFTCTTT T7T? atvjt
tne iauure to I" 1K11L1Z,.L AJND
KEEP UP THE PRODUCING
POWER of our lands and the
failure to utilize the 25,000,000
acres of arid lands of the west.
No doubt the TRUSTS OR
COMBINATIONS have had an
unfavorable effect upon prices.
They have not only manipulated
prices, but by reason of these ma
nipulations and by reason of their
controlling the market they have
discouraged live stock producers,
many of whom have gone out of
business, while others have de
creased their flocks and herds,
t
By Senator CHARLES DICK of Ohio.
HE present TARIFF LAW
HAS NOTHING TO DO
WITH THE. INCREASE
in the price of commodities or the
cost of living.
We cut the tariff on lumber in
two, but we are not getting it any
cheaper. What we
took off the Cana
dian product is
added to the price,
and we are not
benefiting any.
We put hides on
the free list, but
shoes have not be
come cheaper.
The tariff on sug
ar was reduced 20 per cent, but the
price of sugar is no less, and the
sugar trust is putting the differ
ence into its pocket.
Three things are to blame for
the increase in the cost of living
the INCREASED PRODUC
TION OF GOLD, which has rais
ed the price of staple products ; the
great INFLUX OF PEOPLE
FROM THE COUNTRY INTO
THE CITIES, making the de
mand for food products greater
than the supply, and general EX
TRAVAGANCE IN LIVING.
t t
By BYRON W. HOLT. Vice President of
the American Auoclatlon for the Ad'
vaneement of Science.
ANY explanations, MOST
LY FOOLISH AND IN
CONSISTENT, of the
cause of high prices are given to
us. They tell us in scholarly lan
guage that the real causes of rising
prices are monopolies and trusts,
the tariff, the growing scarcity of
land, the laziness and indifference
of farmers, speculation, corrup
tion, high freight rates, population
outrunning production, too many
people in cities, cold storage, less
ening supply, rising land values.
pure, food laws, labor unions, the
greediness of "middlemen," auto
mobiles, hookworms, etc.
All advances in prices when con
fined to particular commodities or
to particular localities or countries
could perhaps be explained in or
dinary ways. But no such expla
nation will answer for a world
wide rise of the general price leve'
such as has been occurring during
the last twelve or thirteen years,
THERE IS AND CAN BE BUT
ONE CAUSE FOR SUCH AN AO
VANCE NAMELY, A DEPRECIAT
ING MONEY UNIT OR STANDARD
OF VALUE.
V3S
Count the Timet Horse Roll.
To see a horse when out at pasture
rolling on the ground and endeavoring
to turn over on his back is a common
sight but how many people have no
ticed that in doing this he observes
an invariable rule? The rule is that
he always rolls over either at the first
or third attempt never at the second
and more than three attempts are
never made. In other words, if the
horse succeeds in rolling over at the
first try, well and good that satisfies
him. But if the first attempt is a fail
ure the second one always is. Then
he either rolls quite over at the third
or gives It up. He never makes
fourth. If horses are rolling on slop
ing ground they usually roll uphill.
Thla la noo- ..I.... .1
the strange custom - regulating the
number of attempts. As to this no
adequate reason has ever been offered.
Will those ingenious people who tell us
why a dog turns around before lying
down and why ducks walk behind
each other In a string instead of
abreast explain why a horse never
makes four attempts to roll over and
never succeeds at the second? Ex
change. Disease of Fear.
If you are afflicted with an unreason
able fear of anything do not waste
! tlme belng ashamed of hurry
at once t0 a doctor advlsM ft wrUer
In Success Magazine. A writer ln the
! Dlete,t1,CJ an Hygienic Gaxette has
evComplled a list of fear diseases from
: which it appears that everything, from
screaming at mice to being afraid to
go home in the dark, Is a well recog
nized mental ailment. The tramp is
in reality a sufferer from ergophobla,
or fear of work, often complicated
with aquaphobla and sapophobia,
which make him shun the bathtub.
Slderophobla and astrophobla cause
timid ladles to go Into the closet when
it thunders and lightens. Any number
of people have cat and dog phobias.
Phantophobia is what you would have
if you were afraid of your shadow,
while an all around unqualified cow
ard might be called a pbantophoblac.
The list is long and Includes every
human weakness except the actress'
horror of publicity.
A Useful Peat.
Despite the fact that the spider, next
to the mouse, is most violently stimu
lating to feminine sensitiveness, it is
an insect of a very good character. It
feeds exclusively upon other freshly
killed Insects, and they are the kliidn
denounced by sanitary authorities, the
housefly being Its favorite quarry.
His service iu reducing the numbers
of this pest is considerable, because
the spider is always busy, and be is
present in countless numbers, says
Leslie's Weekly. The reason why he
is not more frequently seen Is that he
is retiring ln his habits and shuns hu
man society quite as much as that
shuns him. He seldom bites anything
but food, and even when ln self de
fense he does assert himself the result
is no worse than a mosquito bite or a
bee sting. The touching story of "The
Spider and the Fly" was evidently in
tended to invite sympathy for the fly.
. Buttered Side Up.
One of the stories which Levi Hutch-
ins, the old time clockmnker of Con
cord, N. H., delighted to tell related to
the youth of Daniel Webster.
One day," said the old man, "while
I was taking breakfast at the tavern
kept by Dauiol's father, Daniel and bis
brother Ezeklel, who were little boys
with dirty faces and snarly hair, came
to the table and asked me for bread
and butter. I complied, with their re
quest, little thinking that they would
become very distinguished men. Dan
iel dropped his piece of bread on the
sandy floor, and the buttered side, of
course, was down. He looked at it a
moment, then picked it up and showed
it to me, saying:
"'What a pity! Please give me a
piece of bread buttered on both sides;
then- if I let It fall one of the buttered
sides will be up.' "
Comets of the Paet Century.
During the nineteenth century 235
new comets were discovered as against
sixty-two ln the eighteenth century.
The nineteenth century also beheld a
greater number of large and brilliant
comets than did its predecessor. The
finest of these were the comets of 1811,
1843, 1858, 1881 and 1882. In the year
1800 only one periodical comet was
known, Halley's. Now many are
known, of which at least seventeen
have been seen at more than one r
turn to perihelion.
Alabama's Capitals.
When Alabama was a territory Us
capital was at St Stepheus, ln Wash
lngton county. The convention that
framed the constitution under which
It was admitted . Into the Union was
held ln Huntsvllle, where the first leg-
Lslature met ln October, 1810, and the
first governor was inaugurated. Caha
ba becamo the seat of government ln
1820. In 1825 the capital was removed
to Tuscaloosa, and In 1840 it was again
removed, this time to Montgomery.
Didn't Want to See Much.
"What are you wearing that mono
cle for?" asked the theatrical man
ager. "Ton paid to see the show?"
"Yes," replied the young man, "but I
can see all I want of this show with
the monocle." Yonkers Statesman.
Cauetlo.
Baplelgh The doctor says there's
something the matter with my head.
Sharp You surely didn't pay a doctor
to tell you that! Boston Transcript.
How Good Hs Was,
George Do you think fm good
enough for you, darling? Darling No,
George, but you're too good for any
other girl. Illustrated Bits.
II 1 !!! M l 1 I KMBBBB
A Bernard 8haw Criticism.
Before fame came to him Bernard
Shaw wrote dramatic criticisms for
the London Saturday Review. The
following sample is characteristic of
the man:
"I am ln a somewhat foolish posi
tion concerning a play at the Opera
Comlque, whither I was bidden this
day week. For some reason I was not
supplied with a program, so that I
never learned the name of the play.
At the end of the second act the play
had advanced about as far as an or
dinary dramatist would have brought
it five minutes after the first rising
of the curtain or, say, as far as Ibsen
would have brought It ten years be
fore that event Taking advantage of
the second interval to stroll out Into
the Strand for a little exercise, I un
fortunately forgot all about my busi
ness and actually reached home before
It occurred to me that I had not seen
the end of the play. Under these cir
cumstances it would ill become me to
dogmatize on the merits of the work or
Its performance. I can only offer the
management my apologies." Every
body's. An Obliging Father.
A man who grew rich bad a son of
whom he disapproved, and when the
son was married against the father's
wishes the father made him an allow
ance of $20 a week and said that was
all he could have.
Awhile later he was discussing the
matter with a friend of his pioneer
days. "Do you think $20 a week is
enough for the boy?" he asked.
"Well," replied the friend Judicially.
'I don't know about that."
"It's a darn sight more than we had
when we started ln," argued the fa
ther. "Perhaps it is," said the friend, "but
you must remember that times have
changed. We used to dig clams for
our dinner."
"By George," said the father, "I
guess I have been too severe with
him! I'll be kinder ln the future. I'll
buy him a spade and show him where
the clams are." Exchange.
His Conciliatory Way.
Mr. and Mrs. Pickaway, although
really fond of each other, had frequent
quarrels owing no doubt to Infirmities
of temper on the part of both. Mr.
Pickaway was telling his troubles to
his elderly maiden aunt
"I try to be as good a husband to
Bertha as I know how to be," he said,
"but we don't seem to get along. It
takes so little to irritate her, and when
she starts to scolding she never knows
when to stop. She takes offense, too,
at such little things."
"Then don't Bay those little things,
Joshua," said his aunt. "When she
is cross you must try to be concilia
tory."
"I am conciliatory, Aunt Betty," he
answered. "I often say to ber, 'Ber
tha, I know the utter uselessness of
trying to reason with you, but will
you listen to me just a minute?' and
she gets mad even at that" Youth's
Companion.
They Like Fat Qirls In Tunis.
A Tunisian girl has no chance of
marriage unless she tips the scale at
200 pounds, and to that end she com
mences to fatten when she is fifteen
years old. She takes aperients and
eats a great deal of sweet stuff nnd
leads a sedentary life to hasten the
process. Up to fifteen she is very
handsome, but at twenty what an Im
mense, unwieldy mass of fat she be
comes! She waddles, or, rather, undu
lates, along the street. Her costume is
very picturesque, especially If she be
of the richer class. She Is clothed
ln fine silks of resplendent hues of a
bright red, yellow or green and wears a
sort of conical shaped headdress, from
which depends a loose white drapery.
Turkish trousers and dainty slippers,
the heels of which barely reach the
middle of the feet, complete the cos
tume. Evolution of the Apple.
Apples are new in the economy of
the world's use and taste. At the be
ginning of the last century few varie
ties were known, and we can go back
in history to a time when all apples
were little, sour and puckery crab ap
ples and nothing else. The crab apple
was and Is ln its wildness nothing but
a rosebush. Away back in time the
wild rose, with its pretty blossoms
that turn to little red balls, apple fla
vored, and the thorny crab had the
same grandmother.
A Curious Error.
The Rev. Dr. Edward Everett Hale
told bow a curious error crept into the
translation of the Lord's Prayer into
the Delaware Indian tongue. The Eng
lish translator bad as an assistant an '
Indian who knew English. "What Is
'hallow' ba Delaware?" asked the trans
lator. The Indlun thought be said "hal
loo" and gave him the equivalent.
Therefore the Delaware version of the
Lord's Prayer reads, "Our Father, who
art ln heaven, hallooed be thy name."
As Corrected.
"Tommy," said the teacher to a
bright grammar class pupil, "correct
the sentence 'I kissed Jennie two
times.' "
" 'I kissed Jennie three times,' " re
plied Tommy proudly. Chicago News.
His Ad. Answered.
A man stopped at a newspaper office
on bis way to the theater and placed
an advertisement for a boy. Half an
hour later one fell from the gallery
Into bis lop.
Simple.
you keep
"How
sharp?"
do
your raaor
)
Easy enough
I bide It where my
: wife can't find It" Cleveland Plain
Dealer.