The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-05-08

ard was smoking a cigar and his ex-'
ire me nonchalance was the most no.
ticeable thing about him. I'll
Good afternoon, gentlemen" he
called courteously to those already on
the field Is II 4 !.
/ Col Dingle and Capt. Blue nodded
distantly and Col. Keever shrugged his
fat shoulders, chuckleds cynically and
| got down from the buggy. Cropping
around under the seat he succeeded in
finding and in drawing into sight a
large revolver. Facing about, he
pressed spring, pulled down the bar
rel and gave q businesslike glance at
the cartridges in the cylinder. This
done, he snapped the revolver together.
knocked the ashes from his cigar with
the muzzle and staggered over in the.
direction of his opponent.
"Wen,' said Dingle, sharply, eff YOU
are ready, pace off the distance and
let us get this affair over with"
well first flip a quarter for choice
of POSITIONS" returned Keever, .giv-
ing a side glance at the sun. "The
last time I figured in an affaip of this
kind--was it the last, now, or next to
the last?-well, anyway, I fought with
the sun in my eyes and only pinked
my man. Still"
Your "reminiscences are very inter-
esting," but I think we can dispense
with them," cut in%Col. Blue, taking
a quarter out of his pocket. Once
for all, Col. Keever, what is it?"
The coin twirled in the air. =
"Heads!" cried Keever, and won the
toss.
Taking up his position with his back
to the west, he motioned to Sampson.
The printer came at once, leaving the
horse unhitched. Although the horse
was known to be gentle, it was fool
ish thing for Sampson to leave it in
this way.
sampson, pace off 20 steps with
Capt. Blue" commanded Keever. "If
you'd rather make it ten, Dingle, I'm
agreeable"
"Five!" cried the little Colonel.
"Would you like to have me tie a
| handkerchief over one of my eyes?''
asked Col. Keever, with exasperating
condescension. II dislike to take any
advantage of you.'
"Don't you be disturbed" fared
Dingle, holly. "When it comes to pis-
toll practice, my one eye is as good as
your two eyes any day."
"Calm yourself, Dingle, or your aim
will be bad. Sampson, see that get
five PAGES, or less.''
Five very short PAGES were stumped
off by the Captain, who punctuated the
distance by driving his wooden leg into
the sand a. both positions.
"All right, Colonel sung out Samp-
son, and the principals were soon back
to back, weapons in hand, awaiting the
fall of Capt. Blues cap, which was to be
the signal to turn and fire.
From their places of concealment in
the brush Guy and Pettibone were lis
tening to the conversation and watch
ing the sanguinary preparations with
intense interest. Was it to be trag-
edy, after all, instead of farce? Guy
was beginning to grow nervous.
'We'd better go out and stop this be-
fore it's too late" he said, excitedly to
Pettibone. "They'll kill each other.'
Don't you believe it, returned the
sheriff, confidently. "Hear that! This
is where Bilkins and Glimmer take a
hand, and I'll warra mt Keever put the m
up to it,
Bilkins and Glimmer had suddenly
leaped from the other patch of timber
and Guy and the sheriff saw them
bound over the intervening space and
hurl themselves upon Col. Keever.
Sampson had also seized his employer
and the three were struggling with him
in great desperation.
| Capt. Blue took pipe from one peck
ct, a handful of tobacco from another,
and filled his pipe bowl calmly and
methodically while watching Keever's
apparently desperate attempt to free
himself.
"Stand Off" shouted Dingle. "Break
away from that scoundrel or I'll open
fire on you all.'
No attention was paid to him.
$50 for the whole lot, Dingle," d.
vised the captain, applying a match
to his pipe and putting out little clouds
of white vapor.
"Crack!" came shot from the little
Coloneps revolver.
The bullet pumped into the ground
at the feet of the struggling quartet,
throwing a squirt of sand into the air.
At this ominous sound the four Con-
cordians separated and began to run.
The report also frightened the horse
attached to the Colonel's buggy and the
animal took to wild gallop and van
ished over the swell in a twinkling.
Crack! crack! crack!" volleyed the
little Colonel's revolver, and faster,
faster fed the pursued, the gallant
Keever, despite his avoirdupois. keep
ing well in the lead. .L
Dingle gave chase and continued to-
follow until his weapon was empty and
his foes out of sight, then he returned,
shook hands with Capt. Blue, and they
unhitched their horse, climbed int the