The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-11
4 SHOOTING MATCH.
Story Of tho Love AGairs,Of Mary,
Zen and DanI

his squirrel ride on the deerhorn hooks
over the door, "bpt when / was q young
ster there want no man or boy IN Poor
Fork Valley that could shoot alongside
of ne. Nary one" and the5Old man
sighed heavily. But" he continued,
this gittin' old knocks the edge of
mans evcsight, and makes his hand
so trenlbly that. he can't even take u
drink of liquor without wastin' half of
it: and as fer shootin' US old fellers
might as well try to hit center with
maui at hundred yards"
The visitor, to whom this converse
ton was addressed, made a few desul-
tory and homogeneous remarks, and the
old man resumed his talk, pretty much
as II nothing al all had been said, which
it was mostly.
u never got beat but once" he went
or, with a gocd-humOred reminiscent
chuckle. ''and that was by teller that
hadn't sense enough sleercely to go in
out of the.rarn. Leastways that's what
I thought when the match come off.
He didn't livesin my neighborhood, but
he had farm about twcnty-mile fuIder
ap the Fork. and | had Il habit of goin'
up thar to ;seea4 mighty likely gal, that
was darter TO the man that owned the
place next to ,theIchap that beat me at
the shooSin' The old mans name was
Squire Higgins, and the gals name was
Mary Mary's purity name. and Mary
was purity gal. Nothin' on the Fork
was a patchin'1to that gal, and / wanted
her bad enough to go up thar sparllin'
about twict a yeekidurin' Of mighty
hard winter, when it was cold enough
to freeze the KNOBS off a bureau. Mary
kinder liked ne, too. Liked me better
fn' any of the other young fellers that
WAS hangin' round, eXceptin' Ben
Wilkins, and it was neck and neck be-
twixt ne and Ben. Ben was her neigh
Dor, and the same feller had the shoot
in match with. / never could see how
she stuck to Ben, he was so doggOned
and sun-burnt and sandy
headed and ignOran1-Iike and fooler
than Tkonil1sOn's colt, but you can't
tell about q woman. and thar wasn't no
Coin' backAon the solemn fact, that eff
Ben didn't git out of my way l was
never goin' to git the gal, and it was
most nigh as certain that OF somethin'
didn't happen to me, Ben wasn't gOin'
to git her neither. II was close runnin',
mister, and the gal settin' on the fence,
aggin' US on. That's another weakness
woman has; I mean these young women
that has her choice, ike Mary Higgins.
Want no danger OF, her film a maid
ems grave, even eff me and Ben both got
put out of the way.
Lone mornin' when I was onsthe road
1cadin' up the Fork, towards Squire
Higgins farm met Ben comm down
with load of hay, and I'd been goin'
to see Mary then for mighty nigh
year.
"'Howdy, Benz said I. friendly
enough
"'Howdy', Dan'1,' said he'to me.
Fair to middlin', says I.
"'Goin' up to the squire's, reckon?'
says he. Guostionin'.
That's what says I, speakin' as if
had the rights to.
Mary amt home says he.
"'Who said anything about Mary%
says I, gittin' red round the years.
THE way you're goin'.' says he,
with grin.
Whats that to your says 7, not
over polite, reckon.
'Nothin',' says he; but eff you want
to see her, you'd better go down to
mothers. She's down thar to quilt
in
Ben grinned again and got purity
mad, but not enough to hurt anybody,
and says [ to him:
Ben Wilkins, says 1, have you got
q gum
You don't want 90 fight, do your
says he, backin' off kinder, fer I
thought he was .skeert, and mebbe he
was.
mo says 1; but want Mary Hig-
gins
- SO do L says he.
'Then ii cleared up bit, and we both
looked at each other sorter sheepish and
crinped. fer before this we hadn't ever
had no underst2udin'.
Now as we know what we want
says I, we ortcr have il settled on short
notice who's to git it. and eff you air
agreeable Wen settle it To the satisfac-
ton OF all parties at intrust. as the
lawyers say
" Howe SAYS he.
"'Wc can't both have her, kin we?'
says T.
Not accordin' TO law says he
'Ner no way says l.
Is I reckon not says he.
Then s'posin' we have shcotin'
match fer her says !.
Il amt agreeable 70 that says he.
Fer why?' says L
"'You air handler than NE with q
gun says he.
Some mebbe.' says I. tumble
enough, but I'll give you twenty-five
yards advantage, and thatu about
make il even
We'll, after talkin' fer half an hou-
or more, we fixed up shootin' match
fer next day, On Ben's farm, fer he was
sl1eert to 50 2nyvheres else, and / rid
back home, and next forenoon l was on
hand feelIn' as sick rs a whistle. fer |
was gamblin' on gjttiu' Mary Nobody
WIS to know anything about our settle
mint, and when / seed Ben, he was SET
TN or the fence. about quarter Of =
mile from lis house, with lis can
acrost his lap. IooI1i2' lonesomer Than I
cat ia raiustorm. Thar VS. an old
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