THE PLANTATION HOUSE OF " FAR AWAY." 65 



ever did. Yet that duel ruined him; he has been a 

 broken-down man ever since." 



" How is that ?" 



" "Why you see they had a dispute about the winning 

 horse. He said that Centiped came in first, and Travers 

 replied that if had not staked so much money on Centiped 

 he would have seen straighter. This was a reflection on 

 his honor that no one was expected to stand. He chal- 

 lenged Travers, and Travers fell at the first fire. It 

 wouldn't have been so bad, but Travers' old mother got 

 wind of the duel from some of those Puritan meddlers, 

 and came riding down to the field with her grey liair all 

 streaming, and when she saw her son dead she cursed 

 him. I wasn't there, but those that were there said it 

 Avas a hard thing to see. He never got over it. It was 

 a windy afternoon, about sunset, when the duel occurredj 

 and to the present time, when there comes up a hard 

 wind about that time of day, the poor fellow rides off as 

 if the devil was after him, and will not speak to man or 

 beast." 



" What a diseased mind a man must have to fight a 

 duel !" said the Doctor. 



" How can he helj) it — is he going to have his honoi 

 impugned, his character insulted ? He would fall so low 

 that no one would speak to hun." 



" But he does not mend his character by killing a 

 friend, and haunting his conscience." 



" That is an accident inseparable from society. There 

 are certain wrongs which the pistol alone will redress, 



