St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-06-24

was G0mDiln ON gtttln' Mary. NOBODY
was to know anything about our settle
mint, and when seed Ben, he was set
tim on the fence, about . quarter Of ,
mile from his house, with his guI
acrost his lap, loolxin' lonesomer than ,
cat in a rainstorm. Thar was an Ole
frame barn standin' by itself in th,
field. and we went over to il to have Z
quet place for the closin' arrange
ments. 1t had pile of loose straw IL
1t, and as we sot thar talkin', seed 9
knot-holc in the plank about two
inches acrust, and I ast him ef Il
wouldn't make q good enough marl
with the straw inside to ketch the bull.
lets You see was doin' the most Of
the engineerin', fer Zen was that shook
mp he didn't seem to know his head
from . hole in the ground. lie said ha
thought the knot-holc would do, 90 va
went outside and it was like n ef Il
had been put thar purpose.
1--WE stepped OF 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 Eve, turn about, and neither Of
us was to 60 nigh the other to Illustrate
him during the shootin'. was feelin'
in regular shootin' trim, and when I
shot my 1--WE lknowed Ben was goin' to
have to do some mighty tall shootin' 'er
lose the gal We went to the mark to-
gether and pegged 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 I was
shore seen him shake when he sighted
his gun. but he shot OF his five, and we
went up to see what he had done-and
what do you think, mister? There
wasn't the sign Of . bullet hole any
where's!
Il looked 1t Ben and he looked 1t
me.
"'You amt shootin' very spry To-
day. says he, GRIMM.
"'You air. says I, lookin' ugly and
feelin' my hollis on Mary shppin'.
'Next round I 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 loolin' pealxid, and seed
his knees wabblin'. but he braced up
and went back to settle who should
have the gal, and it 'pearcd to me like
Is 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 unsartin, both of rs, but thar
wasn't any need Of it."
Ibid you win?" broke in the visitor,
in . high state of excitement and in
tercst
Mary win. mister" chuckled the old
man. THAT sandy-hcaded, thumb
headed cuss had sent every one Of his
five bullets smack through the knot
hole and thar wasn't the sign Of q /!
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 fo'most, and Ben went lopin' acrost
the field lords Squire Higgins.
"About . month after the shootin'
match Ben and Mary was hitched and l |
was to the hitchin' feelin' good deal
pesrter than I did the day Ben heat me,
m gettin' some consolation out of =
new gal, jist moved onto the Fork. But
couldn't quite git over Ben's beatin'
me shootin'.
"Along about midnight. had to 70
home. and - started to git on my
hoss. Mary followed me out on the
porch.
"'Danl,' says she. kinder cooin' and
soft like. You won't git mad at me ef {
tell you somethiE'. will your
" OF course not, Mary, savs I. Moth
In you could say er do would make mo
mad st YOU
"'Well, then, Danl,' says she, shalsin'
some. fer was holdin' her hand and
when you and Ben had that
match fer me, Ben didn't have
no bullets in his gun. They was just
wads.'
well, sir, You could a-knocked me
lown with splinter, and got hot all
'ver, but shet my jaws down hsrd
Ter . minute and held in, thinkin' about
hem wads.
"'And he didn't beat me shootin'.
Ifter alp says I, fcelin' mighty good
,vcr 1t, all at once.
"'No, he didn't says she, pattin' me
n the arm like - ef she was my
mother.
"'But he got you.' says 1. droppin'
'ack peg er two. /,
"'Yes,' says she. but I put him up to
t. DanI.'
Then she smiled till ! thought the
I'M was raisin', and throwed my arms
ight round her and says 1:
Mary says I, you've got more
ense than Ben and me put together,
me, and I'm glad you've got
he one you wanted and with that I .
umped on my hoss and rid liclkety split /,
er home. and when I got thar jist
uRged that rife Of mine - ef It had
cen Mary Higgins"
'DanI," called the old mans wife
rom the kitchen 1t this point, Sup .
er's ready" i
$50 air we, Lizzie" !" he said, rising. /.
The visitor looked at him inquiringly )
) he rose to accompany him supper :
ard. Il
''Yes," smiled the old man, ''she's the
.me that vas the new gal on the Fork :
ae night Mary and Ben got hitched.
J. ]. hampton, in Detroit Free Press | :
Awful Looelisess o4 the PlaiDs. =
Midocean is not more lonesome than I
se plains; nor night 50 gloomy - that
amb sunlight II Is barren Of sound.
he brown grass Is knee-deep-and '
rem that tribe gives . shock, in this a
land. The band of s
atelope that drift, like cloud shadows, v
cross the dun landscape suggest less
life than of the supernatural The 3