The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-03-03
2 2

~ another when woman NEEDLES
with tnose things which do not con-
cern her sex.
Obviously, carbines were none of
Miss Mivart's concern. If she felt
khat she had to play with firearms,
she should have kept to Flobert rifles.
Nothing would do, however, but that
she must learn to shoot carbine,
and the result was that the whole
man: so that there was no peace for
him any longer in that regiment, and
he had to seek transfer to another.
There were other results, also, but
ahey come further on.
Some thought that what Miss
Mivart did was done on purpose, and
some thought that it was piece of
adiotic Stiffness. The latter based
their argument upon the general
6rivolousness of her ways, and upon
the innocency of her round. blue eyes.
The former held to the belief that
Miss Mivart was one of those women
favorites of Fortune who look greater
fools than they are. They said, with
. certain show of reason, that Geor-
gia Mivart was a child of the service
and not an importation from civil
life. She had been born in a garrison
and had played with rows of empty,
Yreen-rimmed cartridge shells at an
age when most little girls play with
paper dolls. She had hummed
snatches of the bugle calls before she
could talk, and the person she had
admired the most and obeyed the best
Tor the first dozen years of her life
had been Kreutzer, Captain Mivart's
tow-headed striker. A few years of
boarding school back East could not
have obliterated all that.
Besides, the veriest civilian, who
has never come nearer to a carbine
than to watch Fourth of July militia
parade, might reasonably be expected
10 know by intuition that in target
practice competition every trigger has
got to pull just so hard, whatever the
regulation number or fraction of
pounds may be. Otherwise 1t is plain
that the nearer you come to a hair
trigger the better your aim will be.
However, whether Miss Mivart was
Huliy aware of what she was doing,
nobody ever knew. unless perhaps it
was Greville-and he, like Zuleika,
never told. But Burton had a bad
time of 1t, and all his beautiful score
went for worse than nothing at all.
That, though, was the. end. And
the beginning ought to come first.
The beginning was when Miss Mivart
undertook to learn to shoot carbine.
There was a target practice compe-
tition going on at the post; not one
which Is OF any interest to the service,
or even to the department at large
Just a little local affair, devised to
keep up the spirits of the troops and
TO tighten the monotony of life.
There were three contests, one for
troops and companies, as such: one
Tor individual privates, and one for
the officers. This last was to finish
on, and then there was to be a big
hop.
Every one knew from the first
when Burton and Greville shot with
their troops, that the officers com.
petition would lie between them. This
made it interesting in more ways than
one, because the rivalry was not con.
nned TO the target range, but extend.
ed to the winning of Miss Mivart's
hand and heart, and every one be.
heved that this would settle matter
she did not appear to be able to settle
Tor herself Not that she was tc
blame for that. Any one, even a per.
son much more certain of her own
mind than Miss Miyart was, would
have been put to 1t to choose.
They were both first lieutenants
and both cavalrymen, and both good
TO look upon. Burton was fair and
Greyille was dark, but she had nc
nxed prejudices regarding that. She
mad often said SO. Also, both were a,
much in love with her as even shs
could have wished. and were more
than willing that all the world should
see it--than which nothing is NOR.
pleasant and soothing to a right
minded woman.
The rifle contest lasted ten days
during which time the air hummet
with the ping and sing of bullets owe,
on the range, and with the calls o.
the markers In the rifie-pits. Oni,
scores and records and bets wer,
thought and talked about.
Miss Mivart herself had bet, will
AL the daring wickedness OF kitter
teasing a beetle. She even went 81
far as to bet on both Burton and Gre
vile at once. The adjutant under
took to explain to her that that wal
called hedging" and was not looked
upon as altogether sporty. Mis-
Miyart was hurt. Was 1t really dis
honest, she wanted to know. Tn,
adjutant felt that he had been unkind
ne hastened to assure her that It wa
not-not dishonest in the least: onl,
mat II took away from the excitement
OF the thing to certain extent. Mis-
Mivart smiled and shook her head
NO. she didn't think that It did, be
cause, OF course. abe knew which on'
me wanted 70 have win. The adju