The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1900-11-15
ON THE TRIGGERS PULL
How n Prize Was
Won and Lost.
BY GWENDoLEN OVERTON.

There Is always trouble of one sort or
another when n woman NEEDLES with
those things which do not concern her
sex.
Obviously, carbines were none Of Miss
Mivart's concern. If she felt that she
had TO play with firearms, she should
have kept to Fobert rifles. Nothing
would do, however. but that she must
learn to shoot carbine, and the re-
suit was that tie whole post rose up
and cut Burton to a man, so that there
was no peace for him any longer in that
regiment, and he had to seek transfer TO
another. There were other results also,
but they come further on.
Some thought that what Miss Mivart
did was done on purpose. and some
thought that it was piece OF idiotie silli-
ness. The latter based their argument
upon the general friyolousness of her
ways and upon the innoceney Of her
round, blue eyes. The former held to
the belief that Miss Mivart was one Of
those women favorites of fortune who
look greater fools than they are. They
said with certain show OF reason, that
Georgia Miyart was child of the service
anu NOT uu lillbitullbh NUN NiNii NV
She had been born in n garrison and had
played with rows of empty, green rim
med cartridge shells at an age when most
little girls play with paper dolls She
had hHmmed snatches Of the bugle calls
before she could talk, and tie person she
had admired the most and obeyed the
best for the first dozen years of her life
had leen Krcrtzer, ca.taln Miyarts
towbeaded striker \ few years OF
boarding school back east could not have
obliterated all that.
Besides. the veriest civilian. who has
never come nearer TO a carhine than 10
watch n Fourth of july militia parade,
might reasonably be expected To know by
intuition that in a target practice compe-
tition every trigger has got 10 pull just
so hard, whatever the regulation number
or fraction OF pounds may BE-. Other
wise it is plain that the nearer you come
to a hair trigger the better your aim
will be.
However, whether Miss Miyart was
fully aware Of what she was doing no
body ever knew unless perhaps II was
Greyille, and he, like Zuleika. never told.
But Burton had bad time of il, and all
his beautiful score went for worse than
nothing at all.
That, though, was the end. And the
beginning ought to come first. The be
ginning was when Miss Mivart under
took to learn TO shoot a earbine.
There was target practice COMPETE
ton going on ut the post-nOt one which
was of any interest to the service or even
to the department at large: just a little
local affair, devised TO keep up the esprit
de corps OF the troops and to tighten the
monotony of life. There were three con-
tests-one for troops and companies as
such, one for individual privates and one
for the officers. This last was to finish
IF, and then there was to be a big hop.
Every one knew at once, when Burton
and Greyille shot with their troops, that
the officers competition would lie be
tween them. This made II interesting in
more ways than one. because the rivalry
was not confined to the target range, but
extended to the winning OF Miss Miyart's
hand and heart and every one believed
that this would settle a matter she did
not appear TO be able to settle for her
self. Not that she was to blame Tor
that. ANY enc, even person mlrh
more certain of her own mind than Miss
Mivart was, would have been put to II to
choose
They were both first leutenants and
both cayalrympn and both good to look
anon. Burton was fair. and Greyille was
dark, but she had no fixed prejudiccs re-
garding that. She had often said so;
also both were as much in love with her
as oven she could have wished and were
more than willing that all the world
shouId see il. than which nothing is more
pleasant and soothing to right minded
woman.
The rifle contest lasted ten days, dur
ing which time the air hummed with the
ping and sing of bullets over on the
range and with the calls OF the markers
in the rifle pits. Only scores aud records
and bets were thought and talked about.
Miss Miyart herself had bet with all
The daring wickCdness Of n kitten teasing
a beetle She even went so far as 10 bet
On both Burton and Greville at once.
The adjutant undertook TO explain TO her
that that was called hedging" and was
not looked upon rs altogether sporty.
Miss Mivart was hurt Was il really
dishonest? she wanted to know The al.
jutant felt that he had been unkind
He FASTENED - assure her that il was
not-not dishonest in the least; only that
It took away from the excitement Of the
thing to certain extent. Miss Miyart
smiled and shook her head No, she
didn't think that ii did, because, Of
course, she knew herself which one she
wanted to have win. The adjutant ad-
mitted that that might possibly be Just
MS interesting for herself and the fortu-
nate man. And which was he? il he
might ask. Miss Miyart shook her head
aud smiled again. No, she didn't think lie
might ask. As the man himself didn't
know, she could hardly tell any one else
Just yet, could she? She had her own
ideas about fair play.
Il can shoot a carbine myself" she
told the adjutant, with her cleft chin
proudly raised; "and my shoulder Is all
black and blue. Mr.. Burton is teaching
me-"
"Oh." said the adjutant. "And what
does Grevillc think about itf' The adj
jutant was married, so he was out of the
running.
"AIr. Greville Is teaching me, too" said
Georgia; land here he comes for me
now"
burton was safe on tho target range.
over behind the barracks. Miss Mivart
aaI Creville went In the other direction.
nv the back OF the officers row. over In
the foothills across the creek. Graylie
nailed the top of big red pasteboard
box to the trunk of a tree. and Miss
Mivaft hit 1t once oat Of Ii times-when
she was aiming at the head Of a prairie
dog at least 20 feet away to the right.
The other 10 shots were scattered among
the foothills.
Then her shoulder hurt her so that
she was ready TO cry. Grevile would
have liked to have her cry upon his own
shoulder, but as she didn't he did some