His Other Wife: A Novel — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

134 A MORTAL COMBAT. was no match for him in sheer physical force. He seemed not to have counted on this turn, for his voice was utterly choked with rage as he said, almost in a whisper, but with a horrid oath: *“T shall kill you for that!” | ‘“You will #y to, I know, of course. I ask your pardon for the blow, which, as the stronger man, I should have refrained from giving, only that I felt constrained to fur- nish you another pretext for a quarrel than the one you took. You understand now which of my offenses I am _to settle with you in our ostensible quarrel.” ‘“How dare you presume to instruct me on points of propriety, sir!” ‘“Only because a man who can insult a lady with false- ness and frivolity is not apt to be too careful how he uses his opportunities of injuring her by other means.” Of course there could be but one mode of concluding an interview of this character between two Southern gentlemen. After a few more words, they separated for the night. At dawn of the following morning these two men stood calmly fronting each other in the gray shadows, upon a lonely strip of sward by the river, just one mile from the city. Each clasped a loaded revolver, and the cold gleam of the deadly weapons was not more ominous than the light that flashed from Julian Vernois’ black orbs as they met the steadfast, level gaze of his antagonist. They had cast lots to decide which should give the signal to fire. EComicbooks.,com