The Lehi banner. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1891-1917, 1893-09-14
A SHOOTING MATCH.
story OF the Love Affairs of Mary,
Bon and Danl.

us SluifFtt Ilnt ON inc uccrnoFu HOOKS
over the door, "but when was young
ster there want no man or boy in Poor
Fork Valley that could shoot alongside
of me Nary ono" and the old man
sighed heavily. But" he continued,
this gittin' old knocks the edge off
mans cycsight, and makes his hand
10 trcmbly that he can't even take
drink OF liquor without wastin' half of
IL; and as fer shootin' us old fcllers
might as well try to hit center with q
maui at hundred yards"
The visitor, 10 whom this converse
ton was addressed, made few desul-
tory aud homogeneous remarks, and the
old man resumed his talk, pretty much
as II nothing at all had been said, which
IL was mostly.
II never got beat but once" he went
on. with good.humorcd reminiscent
chuclgle, land that was by Teller that
hadn't sense enough skecrccly 80 10 in
out Of tho ram. Jeastways that's what
| thought when the match come off
lie didn't live in my neiRhborhood, hut
he had farm about twcntyamilc furder
up the Fork, and ] had n habit Of goin'
up thar to see mighty likely gal, that
was darter TO the man that owned the
place next To the chap that beat me at
the shootin' The old mans name was
Squire Higgins, and the gals name was
Mary Mary's purity name, and Mary
was a purity gal Nothin' on the Fork
was a patchin to that gal and wanted
her bad enough TO go up thar sparlSin'
about twict q week durin OF n mighty
hard winter, when II was cold enough
10 freeze the knobs off n bureau. Mary
kinder liked nc. too. Liked me better
m any OF the other young fellers that
was hangin' round. eXccptin' Ben
Wilkins, and IL was neck and neck be-
twixt me and Bon. Ben was her neigh
Dor. and the same felfer had the shoot
In match with, ! never could see low
| she stuck 20 Zen, he was so doggonod
| frccllcd-faced aud sun-burnt and sandy
| headed and Ignorant like and fooler
/ than Thompson's colt, but you can't
| tell about a woman. and thar wasn't no
-oin back on the solemn fact, that ef
Ben didn't git out Of my way I was
never goin' 60 git the gal, and u was
| most nigh as certain that ef somcthin'
didn't happen to me, Ben wasn't goin'
t. git her neither. II was close runnin',
mister, and the gal scttin' on the fence,
! aggin' us on. That's another weakness
| woman has, mean these young women
that has her choice like Mary Higgns.
Want no danger Of her film n maid
on's grave. even &C me and Ben both got
put out Of the way.
zone mornm' when I was on the road
lcadin' up the Fork, towards Squire
Higgins furm, met Dcn comm down
with a load OF hay. and I'll been goin
TO see Mary then for mighty nigh q
year.
"IIowdy. Bcn?' said ], friendly
enough.
"'iiowdy, Dan'l,' said he TO me.
Fair to mlddlin', sayB J.
"'Goiu' up to the squires, reckon?
says he, qrcs tionin'.
"'Thats what says !, spealsin' as i
| had the rights 10.
"'NIary amt home says he.
"'Who said anything about Mary7
eays l, gittin' red round the years.
"'Thc way you're go'in',' says he
with grin.
"'whats that 70 yop?' says l, no
over polite. reckon.
"'Nothin' says he; but Of you wan
20 see her, yod'd better go down (
mothers. She's down thar 10 II quilt
in
"Ben grinned again and got purt
mad, but not enough 70 hurt anybody
and says | TO him;
''Bcn Will,ins,' says ], have you 90
gum
lyon don't want 10 fight. do YOU
saws he. baclSin' of kinder fer
thought he was slSeert, and mebbe h
was.
NO, says /; but I want Mary Ilig
gins.
" So do I : says he,
"Thcn il cleared up bit, and we bot
looked at each other sorter sheepish an,
grinncd, fer before this We hadn't eve
had no understanding
row as we know what we want
says /, we ortcr have II settled on shor
notice who's TO git 1t, and cf you al
: agreeable wen settle II to the satisfac
lion of all parties at intrust, us tn
lawyers say
, =" How says ne.
We cant both have her, kin we
says 7,
:" Not accordin' to law SAYS he.
, "'Ner no way says |.
." 4 reckon not, says he.
" Then s'posin' wo have q shootir
match fer her, says
g J ain't agreeable to that says h,
/ 3" Ter wy rays |.
. "You air EJgdier than me with
gun, says he
" some mcbbe,' says !, 'umbl
enough, but III give you twenty-flv
yards advantage. and that'll obou
, make &c even
, "Wcll, after tallSin' fer half au hou
or moro. We fixed up shootin' match
fer next day, on Bels l..rm, Ter he wa
slSecrt TO 20 anywhcrcs else, and ri
back home, and next forenoon | was O
hand feslin' as slick rs whistle, fer
! was gamblin' on gittin' Mary. Nobod
was TO know anything about our settl,
mint, and when seed Ben, he was sci
tim on the fence about quarter of
mile from his house, with his gu
Z acrost his lap, looldn' loncsomer than
|; cat in q rainstorm. Thar was an oil
frame barn standin' by itself in Tn
field, and we went over TO it TO have
umet. place for tho closin' arrange
:" monts. 1t had pile of loose straw 1
IL, and ms we sot thar taliin', | seed
bnot-holc in the plank about tw
inches acrost, and | ast him Of
=. wouldn't make a good enough mar
:. with the straw inside 10 6ctch the bul
lets. You see ! was dom the most O
thut shoe