The Press., 1910-03-09

| eeEIy against him. ! told her that wanted her and if she wanted me I was willing to settle the matter be- tween Barker and myself. Her reply was all I could have asked for, but she positively forbade my coming into collision with my rival told her frankly that believed he would kill me if I married her and that the mat ter had better be settled before the wedding. Being a woman, she wished to get round the-matter by subterfuge and for the time being would consent to nothing definite.
 Daisy was very fond of an old ranch CT called Jake Huchins. To her he was Uncle Jake" A day or two after Barker's shooting as was riding over the country on horseback Huchins came up behind me and ambled along side of me.
 "I hearn about the shootin' O your pipe onten yer mouth," he said. "Lit- tie Daisy was telling me about 1t"
 "Oh, it was Miss Nolan who told you, was it?''
 ''Yes. And, what's more, she asked me to suggest some way O settlin' the matter without blood spillin'."
 ''That's impossible, ,' said I.
 ''SO thort at fust, but arter awhile thort of a plan. Barker's mighty proud O his shootin', and he's pretty much made up his mind that he's lost Daisy. reckon he'd agree to settle the matter by a trial O skill between him and you. He'd consider it his only chance"
 "I'm no shot. Such a contest would give Miss Daisy 10 him. and she doesn't want him.''
 Mot so fast. You don't need to be much O shot. Could you hit a hens egg at twenty feet?"
 "I might in two or three shots."
 ''WeI, I give Daisy my plan, and she's decided to try 1t. Here's note for you, and here's a note for Barker Whichever hits a hens egg with q forty-two the most outen i've shots she'll marry"
 He handed me note to that effect from Daisy and showed me another he was commissioned to deliver to Barker.
 "Do you consent?'' he added, draw ing rein.
 "Yes," said: ''I consent to anything Daisy desires.'
 Without waiting for more he turned about and rode back in the direction from whence he came.
 The next day Uncle Jake informed me that Barker had gladly agreed to the terms.
 On the appointed day I made my appearance at the barn, wondering what was to be the upshot of this sin gular contest. I found an egg sus- pended over a basket by fine thread. I won the toss and with it the right to fire five consecutive shots at the egg. I missed the first and the fourth, but put a hole in the egg on the second, third and the fifth. For my life could not see why had not lost. It would be nothing for Barker to hit the egg every time.
 A new egg was attached to the thread for him to shoot at, and, whip ping out his revolver, he fired with ap- parent carelessness. He was surprised to see the egg oscillate violently, but the shell was not broken. The next time he fired he took careful aim, but with no better success. He was thun- derstruck Since l had hit the egg three times he could now only tie me.
 "You must hit it in the center" said Uncle Jake. "If you don't you'll glance"
 Barker aimed long and carefully at the center and sent the egg bobbing, but still the shell was unbroken. floor, he strode away.
 knew that Barker had been tricked, but could not conceive how. It ap- peared to me that nothing could be more fair than the trial. l asked l Uncle Jake how he had managed to let me, a poor shot, beat the best shot l in the territory. He would not tell 1 me. Barker was never seen there 1 again. Daisy had induced him to sign l a promise that if I beat him he would leave the field clear for me.
 married Daisy and took her east ! with me. She said she had had enough 1 of the wild west and had no further | use for cowboys, not considering them l tue EOuduGAc CEcuLu1cS SAS AnU lAOu@Ak l them when she first went to the cOun- 1 try. She learned the secret of the | shooting match from Uncle Jake the | day we were married and told it to me l on our wedding journey. The meat l had been taken from the sgg Barker l shot at, and the featherweight shell | had been moved aside each time by | the wind of the ball. To hit 1t was impossible.
 Uncle Jake had learned the trick from a prestidigitator who had passed | through the locality with a circus.