The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-11-15

Burton was safe on the target range,
over behind the barracks. Miss Mi
vart and Greville went IN the other
direction. but the back Of the officers
row. over ia the foothills across the
creek. Greville nailed the top Of a big
red pasteboard box 20 the trunk Of a
tree. and Miss Mivart hit once out OF
sixteen times-when she was aiming
at the head Of a prairie dog at least
twenty feet away to the right The
other fifteen shots we're scattered
among the foothills.
Then her shoulder hurt her so that
she was ready to cry. Greyille would
have liked to have her cry upon his
own shoulder, but. as she didn't be
did some fancy shooting to distract
her. He found a mushroom can and
threw Il into the air and filed It full
Of holes. She had seen Burton do the
same thing that morning with a toma-
to tin. In fact. from where she sat
now, on a lichen-covered rock. she
could see the mutilated can glittering
In the sun over beyond the arroyo.
So she thirsted for fresher sensations.
I'm tell you" she said to Greville,
as he held up the mushroom can for
her to inspect the eight holes he had
made with ave shots, let me toss up
your hat. and you make a hole
through the trademark in the crown"
Il was a nice, new straw hat Gre
vile had sent East for Il and 1t had
come by stage the day before. It had
cost him, express paid, four dollars
and seventy-hve cents. This. too, at
time when anything he had left
after settling his mess and suffers
and taliors BILL went into stick pins
and candy and books and music and
riding whips for Miss Mivart But he
took of the hat and gave II to her
without even a lingering glance at
that high-priced trademark within.
And he felt that IL was worth four
times four dollars and seventy-five
cents when she picked up the tattered
remains at last and asked II she
might have them to hang In her room.
Then SHE looked down al her grimy
hand and considered the first finger,
crooklng Il open and shut
Il think it's going 10 swell" she
pouted. THAT is perfectly awful
trigger to pull"
Greville did what any man might
have been expected to do He caught
the hand and kissed 1t. Miss MiYart
looked absolutely unconscious Of t.
She might have been ten miles away
herself. Grevllle, therefore. thought
that she was angry, and his heart was
filled with contrition. Yet be was old
and wise enough to be a first lieuten-
ant. He walked beside her back to
the post in a state Of humble dejec-
ton she could not understand.
The next morning II was Burton's
turn. Greyille was over on the range
now, valnly trying to bring his record
up to where Burton's was. This time
Miss Mivart fired at a white paste
board box cover. and hit 1t three
times out Of twenty. She was iubi-
liant, and so was Burton, because she
was making such progress under his
tuition.
That's an easy carbine to shoot,
isn't IT." she asked as they wandered
home; 1T isn't at all hard to pull the
trigger"
Burton glanced at her, and she met
his eyes innocently.
TITS just like any other trigger" he
told her.
Yes, Of course. And is that the
very same carbine you use in the com
petition-the one you shot with yes
terday, and will use this afternoon
when you finish uc?"
He told her that it was
WELL" she said complacently, =
think I'm doing very nicely. don't you
/ hit the target three times. and my
nrst finger doesn't hurt a bit-this
morning"
That afternoon the competition
came to an end, with Burton a good
many points ahead Of Greville. And
that night there was the big hop. II
had been understood from the first
that the man who won was to take
Miss Mivart to the hop. So she went
over with Burton. and gave him one
third Of the dances. Greville had an
other third, and the rest were open tc
the post at large.
Greville did not look happy at all
Il was not the target record he mind.
ed. He never thought about that L
was having 10 60 down the board wall
to the hop room behind Burton. and
to watch Miss Mivart leaning on hl.
arm and looking up into his face from
under the white mists Of her lac,
hood. He was not consoled at all wheI
she looked up into his own face ever
more sweetly at the beginning Of th'
second dance. and whispered that shl
was so sorry"
Now as the second dance had beer
Greville's, the third wss BGrton's S
That was the way e had been ar
ranged. AS the band began the waltz
Miss Mivart stood beside Greville IL
the center Of quite a group. Thl
commanding officer was IN the group
SO was Burton's captain. and 80 wa.
-, .dtrfanf Thnra uvora corao 9th