Passaic City record., 1893-04-29


+" Fer why2' SAYS /.
" You air handler than me with
gun, says he.
g Some, mebbe,' says /. tumble
enough, sbut I'll give you twenty-five
yards advantage, and that'll about make
it even.'
ssWell, after talkin' fer half an hour
er more, we fixed up shootin' match
fer next day, on Ben's farm, fer he was
skeert to go anywhere's else, and l rid
back home. and next forenoon I was on
hand feelin' as slick as whistle, fer
was gamblin' on gittin' Mary. Nobody
was to know anything about our settle
mint, and when seed Ben, he was set
TIN, on the fence, about quarter of
mile from his house, with his gun acrost
his lap, lookin' lonesomer than a cat in a
rain storm. Thar was an old frame barn
standin' by itself in the field, and we
went over to it to have quiet place for
the closin' arrangements. 1t had pile
of loose straw in it, and as we sot thar
talkin', / seed knot hole IN the plank
about two inches acrost, aud l asst him eff
it wouldn't make good enough mark
with the straw inside to ketch the bull
lets. You see was doin' the most of
the engineerin', fer Ben was that shook
up he didn't seem to know lis head
from hole in the ground. He said he
thought the knot-hole would do, 80 we
went outside and il was like as ef it had
been put thar a purpose.
ssWe stepped off 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 dur
ing the shootin. 1 was feelin' in regu-
lar shootin' trim, and when shot my
FIVE knowed Ben was goin' to have TO
do some mighty tall shootIn' 'er lose the
gal. We went to the mark together and
pegged up three holes, not half an inch
from the knot hole, and two bullets had
gone smack through, leavin' no sign.
ssThen Ben he took his turn, aud
was shore I seen him shake when he
sighted his gun, but he shot off his five,
and we went up to sec what he had
done-and what do you think, mister2
There wasn' the sign OF a bullet hole any
wl1eresl
II looked at Ben and he looked at
me.
Z: You amt shootin' very spry to-
day, says he, grinnin.
" You air, says I, looking ugly and
feelin' my holts on Mary slippin.'
uNext round was dead sot on doin'
my level best and I put three balls
through the hole and scraped the edges
with the other two.
ssBen was lookin' peakid, and seed
his knees wabblin', but he braced up
and went back to settle who should have
the gal, and it 'peared to me like as if
he was takln' till Christmas to fire them
Eve shots. He got it done at last,
though, and we walked up to the mark
kinder unsartin, both of US, but thar
wasn't any need Of it,"
ibid you wina" broke in the visitor,
in high state of excitement and inter-
est.
ssNary win mister" chuckled the
old man. ssThat sandy headed, thumb
headed coss 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.
ssThat ended it fer me. both fer
shootin' and fer the gal, and rid home
feelin' like saw log had fell on me butt
end fo'most, and Ren went lopin' acrost
the fed lords Squire Higgins's.
sAbout a month after the shootin'
match Ben and Mary was hitched aud /
was to the hitchin' feelin' a good deal
pearter than did the day Ben beao me,
and gettin' some consolation out of a
new gal, jist moved onto the Fork. But
/ couldn't quite git over Ben's beatin'
me shootin'.
ssAlong about midnight, had to go
home, and as started to git on my hoss,
Mary followed me out on the porch.
"sDan'l," says she, kinder cooin' and
soft like, you won't git mad at me ef
tell you somethin', will youa"
usOf course not, Mary, saysI. Moth
in you could sag er do would make me
mao AZ you.
sssWell, then, Dan'l,' says she, shak-
in some, fer was holdIn' her hand and
knowed, when you and Ben had that
shootln' match fer me, Ben didn't have
no bullets in his gun. They was just
wads.'
ssWell, sir, you could knocked me
down with splinter, and got hot all
over, but / shet my jaws down hard fer
minute and heldin, thinkin' about them
wads.
.ssAnd he didn't beat me shootin' ,
after alls' says I, feelin' mighty good
over it. all at once
80 NO, he didn't, says she, pattin' me
on the arm like as ef she was my mother.
g But he got you, says |, dropping
back peg er two.
s.sYes, says she, but put him up to
it, Dan'l.'
..Then she smiled, till / thought the
sun was rasin' and says L
.ssMary, SAYS I, you've got more