River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1900-08-30
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On the Triggers Pull
BY GwendoIen Overton.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

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 Flobert rifles.
Nothing would do, however, but that
she mus. learn to shoot a carbine,
and the result was that the 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 later on.
Some thought that what Miss Mivart
did was done on purpose, and some
thought that it was piece of idiotic
Stiffness. The latter based their ar
gument upon the general frivolous
ness of her ways, ard upon the inno-
cency of her round, blue eyes. The
former held to the belief that Miss
Mivart was one of those women favor
ties of Fortune who look greater fools
than they are. They said, with a Ger
tain show of reason, that Georgia
Mivart was a child of the service and
not an importation from civil life.
She had been born in a garrison, and
had played with rows of empty green
trimmed cartridge shells at an age
when most little girls play with paper
dolls She had hummed snatches of
the bugle calls before she could talk,
and the person she had admired the
most and obeyed the best for the first
dozen years of her life had been
Kreutzer, Capt. Mivart's tow-headed
striker. A few years of boarding
school back east could not have OBJ
liberated all that.
Besides, the veriest civilian, who has
never come nearer to a carbine than
to watch a Fourth of July militia pa
rade, might reasonably be expected
to know by intuition that in target
practice competition every trigger has
got to pull just so hard, whatever the
regulation number or fraction of
pounds may be. Otherwise, it is plain
that the nearer you come to a hair
trigger the better your aim will be.
However, whether Miss NIivart was
fully aware of what she was doing, no
body ever knew, unless perhaps it was
Greville-and he, like Zuleika, never
told. But Burton had bad time of it,
and all his beautiful score went for
worse than nothing at all.
That. though, was the end. The be-
ginning ought to come first. The be-
ginning was when Miss Mivart under
took to learn to shoot a carbine.
There was a target practice compe-
tition going on at the post; not one
which was of any interest to the
service, or even to the department at
large; just little local affair, devised
to keep up the esprit de corps of the
troops and TO tighten the monotony
of life. There were three contests,
one for troops and companies, as
such; one for individual privates and
one for the officers. This last was
TO finish off, and then there was to be
a big hop.
Everyone knew from the first, when
Burton and Greville shot with their
troops, that the officers competition
would lie between them. This made
it interesting in more ways than one,
because the rivalry was not confined
to the target range, but extended to
the winning of Miss Mivart's hand and
heart, and everyone believed that this
would settle a matter she did not
appear to be able to settle for herself.
Not that she was to blame for that.
Anyone, even person much more
certain of her own mind than Miss
4 -
to choose.
They were both first lieutenants,
and both cavalrymen, and both good
TO look upon. Burton was fair and
Greville was dark, but she had no
fixed prejudices regarding that. She
had often said so. Also, both were
as much in love with her as even
she could have wished, and were more
than willing that all the world should
see it-than which nothing is more
pleasant and soothing to right-mind-
ed woman.
The rifle contest lasted ten days,
during which time the air hummed with
the ping and slug of bullets over on the
range, and with the call of the mark
ers in the rife-pits. Only scores and
records and bets were thought and
talked about.
Miss Mivart herself had bet. with all
the daring wickedness of a kitten teas
ing a beetle. She even went so far
as to 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 a
altogether sporty. Miss Mivart was
hurt. Was it really dishonest. she
wanted 10 know. The adiutant felt
that he had been unkind. He fastened
TO assure her that it was not-not
dishonest in the least; only that il took
away from the excitement of the thing
TO n certain extent. Miss Mivart smiled
and shook her head. No, she didn't
think that il did because. of course
she knew herself which one she wanted
10 have win. The adiutant admitted
that that might possibly be just as
interesting for herself and the fortu-
nate man. And which was he. if he
might ask. Miss Mivart shook her
head and smiled again. No she didn't
think he might ask. As the man him
sell Qluu huoNs sue GOulO ndTUfA ten
anyone else just yet, could she? She
had her own ideas about fair play.
Il can shoot carbine myself" she
told the adjutant. with her left chin
proudly raised; land my shoulder is
all black and blue. Mr.. Burton is teach
ing me"
.oh!" said the adjutant, "and what
does Greville think about that?'' The
adiutant was married, so he was out of
the running.
"Mr. Greyille is teaching me, too"
said Georgia; "and here he comes for
me now
Burton was safe on the target range,
over behind the barracks. Miss Mivart
and Greville went in the other diree-
tion. by the back of the officers row.
over in the foothills across the creek.
Greville nailed the top Of q big red