Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-06-01
A SHOOTING MATCH.
Story OF the Love Affairs OF Mary,
Ben and DAHL

'T amt much on the shoot, now"
said the old man, as he tenderly hung
his squirrel rife on the deerhorn hooks
over the door, but when was a young
ster there want no man err boy In Poor
Fork Valley that could shoot alongside
of me. Nary one" and the old man
sighed heavily. But" he continued,
this gittin' old knocks the edge off a
mans eyesight, and makes his hand
so trembly that he can't even take a
drink Of liquor without wastin' half Of
IL; and as fer shootin us old fellers
might as well try TO hit center with
maui at hundred yards"
The visitor, to whom this CONVERSE
ton was addressed, made few desul-
tory and homogeneous remarks, and the
old man resumed his talk, pretty much
as II nothing at all had been said, which
IL was mostly.
~ never got beat but once" he went
on, with a good-humored reminiscent
chucltle, land that was by Teller that
hadn't sense enough skeercely TO go in
op. Of the rain. Leastways that's what
l +, ought when the match come off.
He didn't live In my neighborhood, but
he had farm about twenty-mile furder
up the Fork, and had 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
Squire Higgins, and the gals name was
Mary. Mary's purity name, and Mary
was purity gal. Nothin' on the Fork
was patchin' to that gal, and l wanted
her bad enough TO go up thar sparkin'
about twict week durin' of n mighty
hard winter, when IL was cold enough
To freeze the knobs off bureau. Mary
kinder liked me, too. Liked me better
in any of the other young fellers that
was hangin' round, exceptin' Ben
wilkins, and IL was neck and neck be-
twixt me and Ben. Ben was her neigh
Dor, and the same Teller had the shoot
in match with. never could see how
she stuck TO Ben, he was so doggoned
freckled-faced and sun-burnt and sandy
headed and ignorant-like and fooler
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 l was
never goin' TO git the gal, and II was
most nigh as certain that ef somethin'
didn't happen to me, Ben wasn't goin'
to git her neither. II was close runnin',
mister, and the gal scttin' on the fence,
aggin' us on. That's another weakness
woman has; mean these young women
that has her choice, like Mary Higgins.
Want no danger of her film maid
ems grave, even Of me and Ben both got
put out Of the way.
zone mornin' when was on the road
leadin' up the Fork, towards Squire
Higgins farm, met Ben comm down
with load Of hay, and I'd been goin'
to see Mary then for mighty nigh a
year.
"'Howdy, Benz said l, friendly
enough.
"'Howdy', Dan'l,' said he to me.
"'Fair to middlin',' says /,
"'Goin' up to the squires, I reclson2'
says he, questionin'.
"'That's what says I, spealsin' as II
I had the rights TO.
"'Mary amt home says he.
"'Who said anything about Mary?'
says l, gittin' red round the years
"The way you're go'in',' says he,
with grin.
"What's that to you?' says I, not
over polite, reckon.
"'Nothin',' says he; but eff you want
TO see her, you'd better go down to
mothers. She's down thar 10 a quilt
I'M
ben grinned again and got purity
mad, but not enough to hurt anybody,
and says 1 to him:
"'Ben Wilkins says I, have you got
agunr
",'You don't want TO fight, do you?
says he, backin' off kinder, fer
thought he was sheert, and mebbe he
was.
"'No,' says Il but l want Mary Hig'
gins
so do L. says he.
"Then 1t cleared up bit, and we both
looked at each other sorter 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 1t settled on short
notice who's 10 git II, and ef You ali
agreeable we'll settle it to the satisfac
ton of all parties Mt intrust, as the
lawyers say
"'How2' says he.
"'We can't both have her, kin we2
says !.
Not accordin' TO law says he
'Ner no way says |.
"'I reckon not says he.
Then s'posin' we have a shootin
match fer her. says l.
"T amt agreeable TO that says he
Fer whyT says l.
You air handler than me with {
gum says he.
Some mebbe, says |, tumble
enough, but I'll give you twenty-fv,
yards advantage, and that'll abou
make II even.
"Well, after tallSin' fer half an hou,
err more, we fixed up a shootin' match
fer next day, on Ben's farm, fer he wa
skeert 10 90 Rnywheres else, and rio
back home, and next forenoon was OIL
hand feelin' us slick as o whistle, fer
was gamblin' on gittin' Mary, Nobody
was TO know anything about our settle
mint, and when seed Ben, he was set
tim on the fence, about quarter of I
mile FROM his house, with his guI
acrost his lap, loohin' lonesomer than |
cat In q rainstorm. Thar was an OLE
frame barn standin' by itself in Oh,
field, and we went over TO II TO have
quiet place for the closin' arrange
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