The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1910-10-07
Not Even an Earthquake
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Literary Press

gradually pulled himself together
He crept toward the bull" The fifth
shot was in the black.
When half the twenty shots had
been fred, Tergott was heartily sick
of the contest He was still shooting
well. But Disbrow was better. The
gravity of the occasion sent abstrac-
ton flying and cleared his troubled
brain.
On the twelfth shot Tergott began
to slip. 1t was not In him to go
through to the end. On the four
teenth, he lost the lead. His twen-
tieth effort left him margin of three
points only against the last shot Of
Disbrow. A four would, beat him.
and Disbrow had been getting fves
steadily. Unless a miracle interviewed.
he was beaten.
A miracle did intervene. Disbrow
choked down his breathing and the
beating of his heart. His aim was
perfect. But just as his finger
squeezed the trigger. the sun-browned
hills began to blur. The ground crept
and trembled sickeningly. A baby
earthquake was upon them.
Disbrow tried instinctively to re-
lease his pressure on the trigger; but
his brain could not get the message to
his fingers quickly enough. Just pre-
viously it had signaled the muscles to
contract AS the quake joggled the
muzzle of his rife off the target, they
did contract. The shot went wild.
The trembling was over In few
seconds. The frightened markers re-
turned to the pit from which they had
fed In due time they signaled to
the pair lying pale and thoughtful on
the firing line. Disbrow had lost by
three points.
He knew, and Tergott knew, that
he had not lost fairly. The firing
regulations do not intend that the
riflemen shall buck earthquakes. But
Tergott, the adroit, said quickly:
TOO bad about that miss. The
wind veered just before you fired
But you beat the. earthquake"
Disbrow looked at him curiously,
with lonesome ache at his heart. A
man is likely to feel bereft when he
has lost faith in a friend.
Tergott took it for granted that
everything was settled. He began to
talk regretfully of Disbrow's early
departure from New Vista. Next day
he wrote to Spokane and got his rival
place with better pay. By subtle
suggestion he set Disbrow's departure
scant two weeks ahead.
Disbrow had lost a friend and q
sweetheart, and the one hurt almost
as much as the other. He tried to
ease the latter wound by telling him
self philosophically that Belle McNee
had never really been his sweetheart
They had been friends, and he had
taken her to the beach and the the
ater. But she was friendly with
Tergott, and went to places with
him, too. Disbrow had intended tell.
ing her, when he had $500 saved up.
that he loved her.
But that was all off now. He had
made a bargain with Tergott, and
was going through with 1t. That Ter
gott was not playing fairly did not
release him from responsibility.
The night before his going-away
day he went up to the little Mission
street house where Belle McNee lived
| with her invalid mother. The girl
was wholesomely, daintily sweet, and
she managed to make the tiny, spot
less home reflect her own character
isttcs, despite the fact that she worked
all day as bookkeeper in depart
ment store.
They sat on the porch and watched
the stars. Belle did not talk much
and when she did it was with a queer
flippancy that made Disbrow un.
comfortable. 1t wasn't ain occasion
for fiippancy.
It was II o'clock before he got up
to go. They shook hands, the girl
with few testing words that grieved
smile on her face, as he could see
by the rays of the electric light on
the corner. His throat choked up; he
could hardly get out the word Good.
by" But he did. somehow.
At the gate he jumped as II some
one had stuck a pin in him. For a
voice was speaking to him, a strange
broken, yearning little voice, half
tears-a voice that sent million
mad prickles along his skin.
Tommy, It said, 81 know. IL
made him tell me. Tommy, you silly
boy, you aren't going to let a little
old earthquake beat you?"
Tommy went back in three bounds
and gathered her to him hungrily.
while her arms went round his neck
He kissed her hair and her wet
cheeks and her lips as he said, over
and over: Sweetheart, sweetheart,
sweetheart! Not even an earthquake
not even an earthquake"