The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-12-12

put water In 1t. Anyway we was on
hand prompt, fer we meant business.
didn't we, Mllt?"
"Ruther. l reckon" responded Mr..
Burgess to Mr.. Hostetter's appeal. "And
We wasn't no towards neither"
"Much ooleeged, Milt," said Mr.. Hos
letter gratefully. "As l was sayln',
we was there prompt, and the general
superintendent ranged us up about
twenty feet apart and give orders that
we was not to shoot till we got the
word Fire! after he had counted three
and drapped hat"
''There wasn't no foolishness about
1t neither" put in Mr. Burgess, "fer
me and Hi seen to 1t that they didn't
put up no job on us by not lOadn' the
guns right, fer when they handed them
to us, sayin' they was all right, we
poured handful of duck shot I'm each
bar'l, SOS there wouldn't be any mis-
takes"
"Much obleeged, Milt," said Mr.. Hos
letter. "As l was sayin', we was to
shoot at the word, and we stood lOokin'
at each other, with murder stickin' out
all over us till you could "a scraped 1t
off with chip. When man Is bad
I'm love, he's the wust, l reckon. Any
way, we never said a word; no hand
shakin', no nothin'; just cold KILN
was what we was there fer, and we
was goin' to have 1t. Our seconds
kinder dallied around as If they was
waitin' fer somethin', but we stood
there waitin' fer the word to shoot"
lit gives me goosefiesh to think about
it even this fur Off" commented Mr..
Burgess, with shiver.
much obleeged. Milt," nodded Mr..
Hostetter in full sympathy with his
late antagonist. Gas l was sayin', we
stood there waitin' with our guns
cooked and drawed tight to our Shout
ders, and the general superintendent
begun to count one, two, three, and we
tuck sight with intent to kill. The
superintendent stopped at three, hold
in the hat ready to drap and say
Fire" when all to once there was a
rustic in the bresh, and Mirandy come
bouncin' through and landed smack be-
tween the muzzles OF the guns"
"Dern If l didn't think it was an
angel drapped out Of the sky" ex-
claimed Mr.. Burgess feelingly.
"Much obleeged, Milt." responded Mr..
Hostetter. "As I was sayin', Mirandy
landed right betwixt us and throwed
up one hand.
"'What air you plumb lifts goin' to
do? says she. lookin' first at one of us
and then at t'other.
"'GOin' to shoot each other said the
superintendent, bowin' low.
"'What ferY says she, lookin' at us.
"'Fer YOU says l.
"'Fer YOU says Milt
"Then she laughed so loud and kind
er raw that it shuck the bark off a
hickory tree standin' jist by the edge
of the clearin'.
"'Well, gentlemen says she, startin'
reg'ler book langwidge and as perlite
as basket of chips, don't let me in
terfere with the festivities, but before
actual hostilities begin think l owe
1t to each Of you to say that you had
better go over to Pleasant Ridge first
and Shoot John Henshaw, for am 60
In to marry him next Tuesday week,
Providence permittin'. Firer
"Mirandy stood lookin' at us, the SUI
perintendent snorted, the seconds laid
down in the weeds and rolled over and
me ard Milt shuck hands and walked
off the field, not sayin' a dern word to
nobody, and we didn't 60 to the we'd
din neither"
Its a affydavit fact, gents" corrob-
grated Mr.. Burgess.
"Much obleeged, Milt." said Mr.. Hos
letter. It.shore is."