Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1893-05-27
whats that to your SAYS I. no,

You don't want to fight. do yon1
says he, backin' Oft kinder. fer /
thought he was skeert, and mcbbe he
was.
NO says I, but I want Mary Hig.
gins
g so do l. says he.
"Ihen it cleared up a bit, and We
both looked at each other. sor,er sheepish,
and grinned, fer before thi. We hadn't
even had no under:tandip'.
Now, as we know what we want
says l, we orter have it settled o.. short
notice who's to git it, aud ef you air
agreeable, we'll settle it to the satisfac.
ton of all parties at iutruss, a. the law.
gers say
"'How?' s1s he.
"'We can't both have her, kin we7'
says !.
"'Not accordiu' to law, says ho.
"'Ner no way says I.
" Il reckon not, says he.
"'Then s'posing we have sLootin'
match fer her, says I.
Il amt agreeable to that, says he.
"'Fer why7' says 7.
"'You air handler than me with
gun, says he.
g Some, mebbe,' saws I, tumble
enough, '5ut I'll give you twenty FIVE
yards advantage, aud thatll about make
it even.'
''Well, after talkin' fer half an hour
or more, we fixed up shootin' match
fer next day, on Ben's farm, fer he was
skcert to go anywhere's else, and rid
back home, and next forenoon I was on
hand fcelin' as slick as a whistle, fer I
was gamb!in' on gittin' Mary. Nobody
was to know anything about our settle
mint, and when | seed Zen, he was set.
tin, on tne fence. about quarter OF
mile from his house, With his gun acrost
bis lap, lookin' lonesomcr than cat in q
rain storm. Thar was an old frame barn
staudin' by itself in the field, and we
went over to it to have quiet place for
the closin' arrangements. 1t had pile
of loose straw in it, and as we sot thar
talkin', seed knot hole IN the plank
about two inches acrost, and ast him ef
it wouldn't make good enough mark
with the straw inside to ketch the bull
lets. You see l was .doin' the most o.
the enoineerin', fer Ben was that shook
up be didn't seem to know lis head
from hole in the ground. He said he
thought the knot-hole would do, 50 we
went outside and it was like as ef it had
been put thar purpose.
"We stepped of hundred yards .lst,
and druv a pm down, and then went on
twenty-five yards and druv another, and
me and Ben took our places. We was to
shoot ten times apiece. me five aud Ben
Eve. turn about, and neither of us was to
90 nigh the other, to Illustrate him dur
inc the shootin.' | was teelin' in rcgu.
lar shootin trim, and whap | shot my
Eve knowed Ben was goin' to have TO
do some mighty tall shootln' 'er lose the
gal. We went to the mark together aud
pegged up three holes, not half an inch
from the knot hole, and two bullets had
gone smack through, leavin' no sign
"Then Ben he took his turn, aud
was shore l seen him shake when he
sighted his gun, but he shot of his FIVE,
and we went up to see VIA. he had
done-and what do you think, mister1
There WASH the sign OF bulle. hole any
where's! !.
81 looked at Ben and be looked a.
:. you amt shoo.in' very spry to.
day. says he, GRIMM
You air, says /, looking ugly aod
.celin' my holts on Mar: slippiu.'
.'Nex, round l was dead sos on doin
my level bes. aud | put three balls
through the hole and scraped the edges
with the other two.
Ben va. Ioosin' psskia, and seed
his knees wabblin', 6a: he braced up
and went back 20 settle who should have
the gal, ard it 'pered 10 ne like As i!
be vas takln' till Christmas 70 FIRE them
Eve shots. He so, i. done =. last,
though, and we walked up to the mark
kinder unsar;in, both OF us, bu. tina.
wasa', any need of IT."
did you wiai" broke in the visitor,
In high state Of excstsnea: and inter
est.
"Nary win mister" chuckled the
old rnaa. That sandy headed, thumb