Sharp County record., 1879-09-25

the president declares it is too late,
Some of you fellows stay here, and I'll
bring him."
And away he ran, first giving me
charge of his precious bow. There was
no need of his asking us to stay. We
were bound to see the fun out, and to
fill up the time our president offered a
special prize of handsome bouquet
from his gardens, to be shot for by the
ladies.
Pepton ran to the railroad station,
and telegraphed to the Champion. This
was his message:
You are absolutely needed here. II possi-
BILE, take the 8: 80 train for Ackford. will
drive over for you. Answer.
There was no train before the 6: 10
by which the Champion could come di-
rectly to our village; but Ackford, a
small town about three miles distant,
was on another railroad, on which there
were frequent afternoon trains.
The Champion answered:
All right. Meet me.
Then Pepton rushed to our livery sta
Bile, hired a horse and buggy, and drove
to Ackford.
A little after half-past six, when sew
eral of US were beginning to think Pep
ton had failed in his plans, he drove
rapidly into the grounds, making very
short turn at the gate, and pulled up
his painting horse just in time to avoid
running over three ladies, who were
seated on the grass. The Champion
was by his side
The latter lost no time in talking or
salutations. He knew what he had
been brought there to do, and he i'm
mediately set about trying to do it. He
took Pepton's bow, which the latter
urged upon him; he stood up, straight
and firm on the line, at 35 yards from
the gentlemen's target; he carefully Sc
lected his arrows, examining the feath-
ers and wipiHg away any bit of soil that
might be adhering to the points after
some one had shot them into the turf;
with vigorous arm he drew each arrow
to its head; he fixed his eyes and his
whole mind on the center of the target I;
he shot his "a arrows, handed to him,
one by one, by Pepton, and he made a
score of 81.
The whole club had been scoring the
shots, as they were made, and when the
last arrow pumped into the red ring,
cheer arose from every member except
ing three the Champion, the president
and O. j. Hollingsworth. But Pepton
cheered loudly enough to make up these
deficiencies.
"What in the mischief did they cheer
him forP" asked Hollingsworth of me.
"They didn't cheer me, when beat
every body on the grounds, an hour
ago. And it's no new thing for him to
win the badge; he does it every time"
"Well," said 1, frankly, :" think the
club, as club, objects to your wearing
the badge, because you don't know how
to shoot"
"Don't know how to shoot" he
cried. "Why, I can hit the target bet
ter than any of you. Isn't that what
you try to do when you shootP"
eyes," said l, tof course that is
what we try to do. But we try to do it
in the proper way"
"Proper grandmother" he exclaim.
ed. "It don't seem to help you much.
The best thing you fellows can DO is to
learn to shoot my way, and then per-
haps you may be able to hit oftener."
When the Champion had finished
shooting, he went home to his dinner,
but many of us stood about, talking over
our great escape.
81 feel as if l had done that myself, "
said Pepton. 81 am almost as proud
as if had shot-well, not an eagle, but
a soaring lark"
"Why, that ought to make you
prouder than the other," said |, "for a
lark, especially when it's soaring, must
be good deal harder to hit than an ca
gle."
"That's so," said Pepton, reflective
ly, "but I'll stick to the lark. I'm
proud"
During the next month our style OF
archery improved very much, so much,
indeed, that we increased our distance,
for gentlemen, to 40 yards, and that for
ladies to 80, and also had serious
thoughts of challenging the Acktord
club to a match. But as this was gen.
orally understood to be 8 crack club,
we finally determined to defer our chal,
! lenge until the next season.
, When say we improved, | DO not mean
, all of us. l do not mean Miss Rosa
Although her attitudes were as fine as
ever, and every motion as true to rule
as ever, she seldom made a hit. Pep
ton actually did try to teach her how te
aim, but the various methods of point
l ing the arrow which he suggested re
t suited in such wild shooting, that the
boys who picked up the arrows never
7 dared to stick the points of their noses
, beyond their boarded barrieade, during
r Miss Rosa's turns at the target. Bu