The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-05-06

6I12 HufI11 t1t 1Hr0IINI wa II1lIu'
h rrrtNf s|1tttin' trim. and VIXEN I
s4c< 1r 1tc7 k1or6d Ben ,saa f6fr %
h1se 4 q eo'1e mighty tai shootI4 -
lose the cal. We went 70 tho nefk 70.
Estker fn1 pekred ~ thrce hoIe1 noI
h1l< "a Inck from The tmothole. andfRo
bullets 1ed zone smack through. lsaTtn,
no sien.
Then Ben he took his turn. nndIuka
shore I seen him shake when he sighted
hzs Run. but he shof on his I've, 4nd ~
went np 70 ~ what be had done-and
what DO tou thihk. mister There
wasn't The sign of.k bullet hole any.
uherrsi
Il looked AT asn and he looked -
xYou sin's .shootin' reg spry 70
day, says he. GRIMM.
"tYou air. says I, lookin' ugly and
feelin' my hollis on Mary slippin'.
Next round ! was dead cot on doins
my level best and I put three balls
through the hole and scrsped the edges
with the other two.
Ben WAS lookin' peakid, and I seed
his knees wabbiin', but he braeed nd
and went back TO settle who should
have the Rsl and Il 'peared 10 me like
- II he was takfn' TN Christmas 70 FIRE
them hrs shots He got h done at last
though, and we walked up 10 the mark
kinder unsartin. both Of rs, but thar
wasn't any need Of its
ibid you riD7n broke In the visitor,
In = high state Of excitement and IN
teresk
Mary win. mister chuckleE the old
man THAT sandy-hcaded, thumb
headed cuss had semi every one Of his
Eve bullets smack through the knot
hole and thar wasn't the sign Of .
sefstch snywheres in sight
That ended IL 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' ncrost
the field lords Squire Higgins.
"About . month after the shootin'
match Ben and Mary was hitched and I
was 10 the hitchin' feelin' . good deal
peartsr than / did the day Ben beat me,
an gettin' some consolation out Of .
new gal, fist moved onto the Fork. But
/ couldn't quite git ver Ben's bestin'
me shootin'.
along about midnight I bad to 20
home, and as I started to git on my
boss, Mary followed me out on the
porch.
"'Dan'1.' says she, kinder cooin' and
soft like. .you won't git mad at me ef I
tell you somethin', win your
" OF course not, Mary SAYS /. Moth
in you could say er do would make me
mad . you.
"sWell, then. Dan1,' says she. shakin'
some, fer / was holdin' her hand and
knowed, when you and Ben had that
shootin' match fer me. Ben didn't have
no bullets in his gun They was just
wads'
'sWeIl. sir. you could a-knocked me
down with q splinter, and | got hot ali
over. but / shet my jaws down hard
fer q minute and held in, thinkin' about
them wads.
"sAnd he didn't beat me shootin',
after alp says !, feelin' mighty good
over IL. all at oncc.
no ne uAun = says M pabtln me
on the arm like as eff she was my
mother.
"'But he got you says 1, droppin'
back q peg er two.
yes says she, but I put him up to
Il, Dsn1.'
Then she smiled till I thought the
sun was ~raisin', and ] throwed my arms
right round her and says 1:
MARY, says /, you've got more
sense than Ben and me put together,
pertickcrly me, and I'm glad you've got
the you wanted and with that I
on my boss and rid lickety split
fer home, and when I got thar l jist
hugged that rife Of mine rs eff it had
been Mary Higgins"
.
"Dan1,r called the old mans wife
the kitchen at this point, sup
per's ready"
80 air we, Lizzie" he said, rising.
The visitor looked at him inquiringly
he rose TO accompany him supper.
ward.
yes" smiled the old man, s'she's the
same that was the gal on the Fork
he night Mary and Ben got hitched.r-
". J. hampton, in Detroit Free Press