The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-04-09


Burton was safe on the target range,
over behind the barracks. Miss Mivart
and Greville went in the other direc-
ton, by the back of the officers row,
over in the foothills across the creek.
Greville nailed the top of a big red
pasteboard box to the trunk of tree,
and Miss Mivart hit it once out of 16
times-when she was aiming at the
head of a prairie dog at least 20 feet
away to the right. The other IS shots
were scattered among the foothills.
Then her shoulder hurt her so that
she was ready to cry. Greville would
have liked to have her cry upon his
own shoulder, but, as she didn't. he did
some fancy shooting to distract her.
He found a mushroom-can, and threw
it into the air and filled it full of holes
She had seen Burton do the same thing
that morning with a tomato-can. In
fact, from where she sat now on a
lchen-eovered rock, she could see the
mutilated can g.itfering in the sun,
over beyond the arroyo. So she thirst
ed for fresher sensations.
"Ill tell you,' she said to Greville. as
he held up the mushroom-can for her
to inspect the eight holes he had made
with five shots, set me toss up your
hat, and you make hole through the
trade mark in the crown"
1t was nice, new straw hat. Gre
vile had sent east for it and it had come
by stage the day before 1t had cost
him, express paid, $475. This. too, at a
time when anything he had left after
settling his mess and suffers and tai
lor's bills, went into stick-pins and
candy and books and music and riding
whips for Miss Mivart. But he took off
the hat and gave it to her without even
lingering glance at that high-priced
trademark within. And he felt that it
was worth four times S475 when she
picked up the tattered remains, at last,
and asked that she might have them to
hang in her room.
Then she looked down at her grimy
hand and considered the first finger,
crooking ii open and shut II think it s
going to SWELL" she pouted. THAT is
perfectly awful trigger to pull"
The next morning it was Burton's
turn. Greville was over on the range
now, vainly trying to bring his record
up to where Burton's was. This time
Miss Mivart fired at white pasteboare-
box cover. and hit it three times out of
twenty. She was jubilant, and so was
Burton, because she was making such
progress under his tuition.
That's an easy carbine to shoot,
e-l,o ~ ,
home; sit isn't at all hard to pull the
trigger"
r Burton glanced at her, and she met
his eyes innocently. Its just like any
other trigger" he told her
p Yes, of course. And is that the very
q same carbine you use in the competi
+ tion-the one you shot with yester
/ day, and will use this afternoon wheI
. you finish up?p
He told her that it was.
!. WELL" she said, complacently, u.
$ think I'm doing very nicely, don't you
d / hit the target three times, and m,
$ first finger doesn't hurt bit-thi
q morning"
That afternoon the competition
n came to an end, with Burton a goo
: many points ahead of Greville. An
n that night there was the big hop. ]
i had been understood from the first tina
the man who won was to take Mis-
a Mivart to the hop. So she went owe
. with Burton, and gave him one-third c
! her dances. Greville had another thir,
! and the rest were open to the post Z
- large.
{ Greville did not look happy at all.
: was not the target record he mindei
"a He never thought about that. 1t wa
= having to go down the boardwalk I
- the hop-room behind Burton, and I
watch Miss Mivart leaning on his arr
and looking up into his face from und,
., the white mists of her lace hood L
~ was not consoled at all when she locke
III up into his own face even more sweet
40 at the beginning of the second dane
nc and whispered that she was 80 sorry
Now as the second dance had bee
~ Greville's, the third was Burton
- Thatwas the way it had been arrange
AS the band began the waltz, Mi
Mivart stood beside Greville in the ce
~ ter of quite group. The commandiI
officer was in the group, so was Blu
's' toms captain, and so was the adjutar
IN There were some others as well, al
ne also some women. Miss Mivart m;
X have chosen that position, or it nj
no simply have happened SO.
nu Anyway, just as the waltz starte
Burton, light-hearted and light-foote
all came slipping and sliding over t
as candle-waxed floor, and pushed his VI
ar into the midst. ours" he said, t
he umphantly.
TO But Miss Mivart did not heed him
ca once. She was telling them all how S
as had learned to shoot carbine as W
as as anyone. and they, the men, at a
ne rate, were hanging on her words
az "Mr. Greville taught me- she sa
land so did Mr.. Burton" (This was I
~ first either had known of the othe
On part in it, and they exchanged loo
B They taught me with their own Ct
-. bines, too. The very same ones tn
Il used themselves in the competiti,