The Lafayette gazette., 1893-06-10
A SHOOTING MATCH.
Story OF the Love Affairs OF Mary,
Bon and DanL

II amt much on the shpot, now,"
: said the old man. as he tendarly hung
his squirrel rife on the dcerhorn hooks
over the door, ''but when was a young
ster there want no man er boy in Poor
Fork Valley that could shoot alongside
of me. Nary a one" and the old man
sighed heavily. ''But," he continued,
''this gittin' old knocks the edge off a
mans eyesight, and makes his hand
go trenbly that he can't even take a
drink'of liquor without SWasEin' HALF of
it; and as fer shootin' us old fellers
might as we'll try to hit centsr with a
maui at a hundred yards
The visitor, to whom this conversa-
ton was addressed, made a few desul-
tory and incongruous remarks. and the
old man resumed his talk, pretty much
rs if nothing at all had been said which
it was mostly.
II never got beat but once." he went
on, with q good -humored reminiscent
chuclxle, s'and that was by a fellcr that
hadn't Sense enough slkeercely to go in
out Of the rain. Leastvvays that's what
I thought when the match come of.
He didn't live in my neighborhood, but
he had q farm about twenty-mile furder
up the Fork and had a habit of goin'
up thar to see a 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
Mary. Mary's purity name, and Mary
was q purity gal. Nothin' on the Fork
was apatchin' to that gal, and 1 wanted
her bad enough to go up thar sparkin'
about twict a week durin' of a mighty
hard winter, when it was cold enough
to freeze the knobs off a bureau. Mary
kinder liked rae, too. Liked me better
in any of the other young fel1ers that
was hangin' round, exceptin' Ben
Wilkins, and it was neck and neck be-
twixt mo and Ben. Ben was her neigh
Dor. and the same feller had the shoot
in match with. 1 never could see how
she stuck to Ben, he was so doggoned
freckled-faced and sun-burnt and sandy
headed and fgnorant-lilke and foo1er
than Thompson's colt, but you can't
tell about a woman. and thar wasn't no
goin' back on the solemn fact, that eff
Ben didn't git~out of my way 1 was
never goin' to git the gal, and it was
most nigh as certain that ef somethin'
didn't happen to me, Ben wasn't goin'
to git her neither. 1t was close runnin',
mister, and the gal settin' on the fence,
aggin' us on. That's another weakness
that has her choice, like Mary Higgins.
Want no danger of her film a maid
ems grave, even eff me and Ben both got
put out of the way.
''One mornin' when I was on the road
leadin' up the Fork, towards Squire
with load of hay, and I'd been goin'
to see Mary then for mighty nigh a
year.
"'Howdy, 'Ben?' said I. friendly
enough.
"'Howdy', Danl,' said he to me.
''Fair to middlin',' says I.
''Goin' up to the squires, I reclzon?'
says he, qucstionin'.
''Thats what says I, spealxin' 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 go'in',' says he,
with grin.
'''Whats that to you?' says I, not
over polite, I reckon.
"'Nothin',' says he; but eff you want
to see her, you'd better go down to
mothers. She's down thar to a quilt
i'm
Ben grinned again and I got purity
mad, but not enough to hurt anybody,
and says I to him.
Ben Wilkins says I, have you got
gum
You don't want to fight, do you2'
says he. backin' off kinder, fer 1
was.
No. says I; but want Mary Hig-
gins.'
so do T. says he.
'Ihen it cleared up a bit, and we both
looked at each other sortcr sheepish and
grinned, fer before this we hadn't ever
had no understandin'.
Now as we know what we want
says I, we orter have it settled on short
notice who's to git it, a.fd cf you air
agreeable Well settle it to the satisfac-
ton of all parties at intrust, the
lawyers say
- "s'How?' says he.
we can't both have her, kin we7'
says I.
"'Not accordin' to law says he.
sNer no way says I.
reckon not,' says he.
Then s'posin' we have a shootin'
match fer her. says I.
81 amt agreeable to that says he.
Fer why?' says I.
"sYou air handler than me with a
gum says he.
'' Some mebbe,' says 1, tumble
enough, but I'll give you twenty five
yards advantage, and that'n about
make iteven.'
.'Well. after tall<in' fer halt an hour
er more, We axed up shootin' match,