The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-05-01
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} When Breah1tt'S Best Shot Failed. {

BY SNOWDEN KING

that he never even carries a poke
knife. It's the man in him that goe
quietly where others have to shoe
their way through
The good and the bad-the two ele
nents that were forever waging wa
in Daw Simp1eton's heart suddenl,
fought to finish.
Ken, are you quite sure you ar
going to marry him? / may not b.
much of fortune teller, but I predic
that instead Of marrying him you will
kill him Before the sun goes down.
The girl laughed low, happy laugh
''Why not say the mountains will b.
leve1ed into valleys in the same length
of time, while you are about it?, On,
is quite as likely to happen as tn
other.''
"Well, it all depends on how muc1
Of the mountain spirit you've got. L
has been Ben Garrettson's boast TO-
years that his daughter is the bes
shot in the country, and that she stoo(
as ready as a son to defend hinl-t(
kill the man who injured her father"
She nodded her head. ''It's true
When my mother died, daddy quit thu
feuds, destroyed his stills, and has triec
to live right ever since. He is ole
now, and not able to defend himself
but his daughter is both able and will
ling, and the man who raises his hanc
against him must answer to her for it.
No one, looking into the earnes
young face, could have doubted tn,
genuine grit that backed her assertion
''He doesn't like Hearst?'
mo; that is my one sorrow. I have
the jeering things daddy sometime!
says to him, but he has promised mi
he will never quarrel with my father.
Daw Simp1eton's supreme hour hat
come.
"Your idol can break his promis,
the same as other men, for he sho
Ben Garrettson dead not more thar
twenty minutes ago"
A sharp pain made it's way through
the depths of the mans degradation
as he saw the small brown hands gras1
the gate to keep her from falling, an(
snowy whiteness steal over the pretty
face
Charlie Garrettson, a delicate blue
eyed boy who had crept into the EN-
brace of his sisters arm, looked III
into her face with quick apprehension
He petted the hands on the gate for
moment with his own wee ones, the1
went back to the house with a hop
skip and a jump that spells boy tn,
world over.
Kentucky's voice was quite stead,
when she added: 'Where, and wha
for?'
It was characteristic OF the man tina
she no more doubted his word than s1at
world have doubted the evidence of he
own eyes. His faults were many, bu
1T had always been said OF Daw Sim
pletOn that nothing would induce hin
to lie.
AT Gontier's saw-mil1- he called
Hearst a coward.''
"Good-by, Daw. You must go now
I've got man to kill, and my fathe
to bury quite enough work for on,
small woman in one day, is it not?
All the soft gentleness seemed to hav
fallen from her Her step was firm
and her head thrown proudly erect a.
she walked back to the house.
Charlie watched her with anxious
eyes as she picked UP a pistol 1yinl
on the table and examined it.
"Why. Charlie, my pistol is no
loaded. I didn't think you ever fai1e,
to keep it in trim.''
Must I load it now, sis?" Their
was a note of agony in the boys voice
mo, my winchester will do as wei
maybe better-it's sure
Charlie took as tender care of hi
sisters guns as many people do Q
their children. Doctor Hearst ofte
took him for a hunt. b11t cO111d M