Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-08-08

! ! ! ! ! |
l NEEDLES with
those thing 6
NNkTHy N which do not
concern her sex.
AVW3 Obviously. car
AZ q bines were none
~ j Of Miss Mivart's
NN $ concern. II she
" :: felt that she had
@N TO play with FIRE
arms she should
Xl| ~\ have kept to Flo
"T bert rides. Moth
ing would do, however, but that she
must learn to shoot . carbine. and the
result was that the whole post rose up
and cut Burton, 70 q man; so that there
was no peace for him any longer In
hat regiment and he had to seek trans
fer to another. There were other re-
suits, also, but they come further on.
Some thought that what Miss Mivart
lid was done on purpose. and some
thought that 1t was q piece Of idiotic
,illiness. The latter based their argu-
nent upon the general frivolousness Of
aer ways. and upon the innocency OF
Ter round. blue eyes. The former held
% the belief that Miss Mivart was one
" those women favorites Of Fortune
who look greater fools than they are.
They said, with a certain show of rea-
ION, that Georgia Mivart was a child
" the service and not an importation
rom civil life. She had been born In
garrison and had played with rows
II empty, y,green-rimmed cartrdge-shells
It an age when most little girls play
with paper dolls. She had hummed
matches Of the bugle-calls before she
sould talk, and the person she had ad-
nired the most and obeyed the best
.or the first dozen years Of her life
lad been Kreutzer, Captain Mivart's
;wo- headed striker. A few years of
,oarding-school back East could not
aave obliterated all that.
Besides, the veriest civilian, who has
never come nearer to q carbine than to
watch q Fourth Of July parade. might
,easonably be expected to know by IN
uition that in target-practice compe-
ition every trigger has got to pull just
70 hard, whatever the regulation num-
Der or fractiep Of pounds may be. 9th
.rwise. It Is plain that the nearer You
some to q hair-trigger the better your
aim will be.
However, whether Miss Mivart was
FULLY aware Of what she was doing.
nobody ever knew, unless perhaps it
nd hA 10
lever told. But Burton had bad time
II 1t, and all his beautiful score went
.or worse than nothing at all.
That. though, was the end. And the
seginning ought to come first. The be-
bnning was when Miss Mivart under
look to learn to shoot a carbine.
There was target-practice competi-
ion going on at the post; not one which
was Of any interest to the service, or
even to the department at large: just
l little social affair, devised to keep up
the esprit de corps of the troops and to
tighten the monotony of life. There
we're three contests, one for troops and
companies. as such; one for individual
,rivates, and one for the officers. This
asst was to finish 81. and then there
was to be a big hop.
Every one knew from the first, when
Burton and Greville shot with their
roops, that the officers competition
would lie between them. This made 1t
interesting In more ways than one, be-
.ause the rivalry was not confined to
he target range, but extended to the
winning of Miss Mivart's hand and
aeart, and every one believed that this
would settle a matter she did not up
scar to be able to settle for herself.
Not that she was to blame for that.
Any one, even n person much more ce--
ain of her own mind than Miss Mivart
vas, would have been put to 1t to
:hoose.
They were both first lieutenants. and
10th cavalrymen. and both good to
ook upon. Burton was fair and Gre
rille was dark, but she had no fixed
,rejudices regarding that. She h:d
,ften said SO. Also. both were as much
q love with her as even she could have
wished. and were more than willing
hat all the world should see it-than
which nothing Is more pleasant and
oothing to n right-mlnded woman.
The rifle contest lasted ten days. dur
ng which time the air bunmed with
he ping and sing Of bullets over on the
.ange, and with the calls Of the mark
,rs in the rifle-p'ts. Only scores and
records and bets were thought AMI
nlked about
Miss Mivart herself had bet, with NIL
dc daring wickedness of kitten teas
ng n beetle. She even went so far as
% bet on both Burton and Greville at
,nce. The adjutant undertook to ex-
,la IN to her that that was called "hcdg-
ny," and was not looked upon as alto
rether sporty. Miss AUvart was hurt.
Was 1t really dishonest. she wanted to
Know. The adjutant felt that he had
,een unkind lie hastened to assure
aer that II was not-not dishonest In
ne least; only that II took away from
he excitement Of the thing to . Ger
ain extent. Miss luvart smiled and
hook her head. No. she didn't think
{ did. because, Of course. she knew
herself which one she wanted TO have
win. The adjutant admitted that that
night possibly be just as interesting
!or herself and the fortunate man. And
which was he, II he might ask. Miss
Mivart shook her hend and smiled
again. No. she didn't think he might
.sk As the man himself didn't know.
Ghs could hardly tell any one else just
yet, could she? She had her own ideas
about fair play.
II can shoot a carbine, myself" she
told the adjutant with her cleft chin
prpudly raised; land my shoulder ID
u black and blue. Mr.. Burton is teach.
Ing me-"
"Ohr' said the adjutant, land what
does Greville think about thatT' The
adjutant was married, 20 he was OUT
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