The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-11


| with the straw inside to ketch the bull.
let's You see I was doin' the most OF
! the engineerin', fer Ben was that shooli
up he didn't seem to know his head
from q hole in the ground. He said he
thought the lznot-hole would do, SO we
| went outside and it was like as ef i,
had been put thar a purpose
1--WE stepped off a hundred yards fust,
and druv pin 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
and Ben five, turn about, and neither OF
us was TO go nigh the other to Illustrate
him during the shootin'. l was feelin
in regular shootin' trim, and when
shot my FIVE / lnowed Ben was goin' &c
have to do some mighty tall shootin' 'er
lose the gal We went to the mark to,
gethcr and pcgged up three holes, not
half an inch from the knothole, and two
bullets had gone smack through, leavin
no sign.
''Then Ben he took his turn, and was
shore | seen him shake when he sighted
his gun, but he shot off his FIVE, and we
went up to see what he had done-and
what do you think, mister? There
wasn't the sign of a bullet hole any
where's!
II looked at Ben and he looked at
me.
"'You amt shootin' very spry to-
day says he, GRIMM.
''You air. says ], loolsin' ugly and
feelin' my hollis on Mary slippin'.
next round l was dead sot on doin'
my level best and I put three balls
through the hole and scraped the edges
with the other two.
''Ben was lookin' peakid, and I seed
his knees wabblin', but he braced up
and went back to settle who should
have the gal, and it 'peared to NE like
as if he was takin' till Christmas to fire
them five shots. He got it done at last.
though, and we walked up to the mark
kinder pnsartin, both of US, but thar
wasn't any need Of it.
"Didgou VIM" broke in the visitor,
in high state Of excitement and in
terest.
Mary win. mister" chuckled the old
man. THAT sandy-headed, thumb
headed cuss had sent every one of his
five bullets smack through the knot
hole and thar wasn't the sign of a
scratch anywheres in sight.
THAT ended it fer me, both fer shoot
in and fer the gal, and rid home feel
in like saw log had fell on me butt
end fomost, and Ben went lopin' acrost
the field lords Squire Higgins.
about a month after the shootin'
match Ben and Mary was hitched and l
was to the hitchin' feelin' a good deal
pearter than 1 did the day Ben beat me,
an gettin' some consolation out of a
new gal, jist moved onto the Fork But
1 couldn't quite git over Ber's beatin'
me shoctin'.
along about midnight, had to go
home, and as l started to git on my
boss, Mary followed me out on the
porch.
"'Danl,' says she, kinder cooin' and
soft like, you won't git mad at me eff
tell you somethin', will your
9 OF course not, Mary, saws I. Moth
in you could say er do would make me
mad at you
"'Well, then, DAHL says she, shal1in'
some, for was holdin' her hand and
knowed, when you and Ben had that
shootin' match fer me, Ben didn't have
no bullets inlhis gun. They was just
wads'
''Well, sir, you could a-knocked me
down with splinter, and got hot all
over, but l shet my jaws down hard
fer minute and held in, thinkin' about
them wads
"'And he didn't beat me shootin',
after alp says I, feelin' mighty good
over it, all at once.
"'No, he didn't says she, pattin' me
on the arm like as eff she was nv
mother.
But he got you.' says l, droppin'
back a peg er two.
Eyes says she, but put him up to
it, Dan'L'
Then she smiled till thought the
sun was ruisin', and l throwed my arms
right round her and says l:
Mary says l, you've got more
sense than Ben and me put together,
pertickcrly me, and I'm glad you've got
the one you wanted and with that l
jumped on my boss and rid lickety split
fer home, and when got thar jist
Rugged that rife of mine as eff it had
been Mary Higgins"
"Dan1," called the old mans wife
from the kitchen at this point, sup
per's ready"
80 air we, Lizzie" he said, rising.
The visitor looked at him inquiringly
as he rose to accompany him supper
ward
Yes" smiled the old man, "she's the
same that was the new gal on the Fork
the night Mary and Ben got hitched. -
". j. Hampton, in Detroit Free Press.
Awful Loneliness OF the Plains.
Midocean is not more lonesome than
the plains; nor night SO gloomy as that
dumb sunlight. 1t is barren OF sound
The brown grass is knee-deep-and
even that trihe gives q shock, In this
hoof-obliterated land. The band of
antelope that drift, like cloud shadows,
across the dun landscape suggest less
of life than Of the supernatural The
spell Of the plain is a wond-ous thing.