Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-01-10
C0L0NELQUARlTCH,V.C.
By H. RIDER HAGGARD.

very badly. They br,ke back, went off to one side or the other, and generally misbe- haved themselves Ia tho first drive the colonel and Edward Cossey got a bird each. In the second drive the latter got three birds, firing five shots, and his antagonist only got hare and pheasant that jumped out of a ditch, neither of which, of course, counted anything. Only one brace of birds came his way at all but if the truth must be told he was talking to Ida at the moment and did not see them till too late.
 Then came longer drive when the birds were pretty plentiful The colonel got one, low flying Frenchman, which he killed as he topped the fence, and after that for the life of him he could not touch feather Every sportsman knows what a fatal thing it is to begin to miss and then get nervous and that was what happened to the colonel. Continually there became distant cries of Mark! mark! over!" followed by the ap- partition of half a dozen brown balls showing clear against the gray autumn sky, and sweeping down toward him light lightning Whizz ill front, overhead, and behind; bang, bang; bang-again with the second gun, and they were away-vanished, gone, leaving nothing but memory behind them.
 The colonel swore beneath his breath, and Ida, kneeling at his side, sighed audibly, but it was no use, and presently the drive was done, and there he was with one wretched French partridge to show for it.
 Ida said nothing, but she looked volumes, and if ever a man felt humiliated Harold Quaritch was that man. She had set her heart upon his winning the match, and he was making an exhibition of himself that might have caused 6 school boy to blush.
 Only Edward Cossey s1d1led grimly as he told his bearer to give the two and half brace which he had shot to George.
 Hast drive this next, gentlemen" said that universal functionary as he surveyed the colonels one Frenchman, and then, glancing sadly at the tell tale pile of empty cartridge cases, added: You'll have to shoot up, colonel, this time, if you are going to win them gloves for Miss Ida Mr. Cos sey has knocked up four brace and half. and you have only got brace Look you here, sir" he went on i'll portentous whisper, "keep forrard of them, well forrard, fire ahead and down they'll come. You're a better shot than he is, long way. You could give him 'birds,' sir, that you could, and beat him."
 Harold said nothing. He was sorely tempted to make excuses, as any man would have been, and he might with truth havs urged that he was not accustomed to part ridge driving. and that one of the guns was new to him. But he resisted maufully, and said never q word
 George placed the two guns and then went on to join the beaters. It was a capital spot for a drive. for on each side were young larch plantations, sloping down toward them like V. the guns being at the narrow end and level with the ends of the plantations, which were at this spot about a hundred and twenty yards apart. In front was a large stretch of open fields lying in such a fashion that the birds were bound to fly straight over the guns and between the gap at the end of the shaped covers.
 They had to wait a long while, for the beat was of considerable extent, and this they did in silence, till presently couple of single birds appeared coming down the wind like lightning, for stiffish breeze had sprung up. One went to the left over Edward Cossey's head, and he shot it very neatly, but the other, catching sight of Harold's hat beneath the fence, which was not a very high one, swerved and crossed, an almost impossible shot, nearer sixty than fifty yards from him