New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-16
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR JULY 10, 1911

When they turned laughing girl stood in front Of him
They recognized her. Corcll little gal her white SKIRT
trailing tatterS, her roses wrecked, er hdlr STREAMING
her cheeks atire.
"'Oh feel just as happy as a big sunhower.
That mods and bends in the breezeS-
She was singing and dancing like an elf child but sus-
picous peered into the dark alsles OF the woods
SURPRISED you didn't l.? she laughed loud and nler-
ry I've all this way alone; had one OF my queer
spells, you know When they come on I'm Just obliged
to get out Of doors and be a wild girl
Its where have you been, Billy Boy: Billy Boy?
It's where have you been, charming Billy:
"'Comc alone, you say? Two or three slipped into
the outlying darkness to reconnoier and two or three
came skulkng toward her
"'Al alone she laughed Just and,my little old rifle.
Daddy'd rave if he knew was here
"'She can make cherry pie,
Quick as a cat wink her eye;
She's a young thing and cannot leave her mother
She held her rags and danced wildly to the refrain
"Astonshment held them, and she sang on, whole
program OF happy childish songs her clear voice holding
francaly to the notes that carried tar.
THAT gals gone distracted, said one fellow.
"'Plumb crazy
"'You reckon she amt a wch?
"She would not let them recover from their amaze
ent and posing her rifle, she emptied its magazine
with one swift secrcular sweep above their heads six
shots reverberant and flashing one streak OF tire
Curiosity tempered their aStonShment as aStonShment
had dued the edge of the fury into which Logue mad
dashed them by a ranting harangue. Some OF them ran
toward her. She laughed aloud but her fingers twin
ked and she had reloaded her weapon and snapped shut
its hinge.
"Isn; it beauty? letting the torchlight play upon
its engraved receiver and carved stock Daddy gave
it to me for my Christmas
"They looked at it closely, for a repeating rifle
new to them and its rapid fire mystery; but Logue
plunged forward, curSing me as he came.
SHE stepped carelessly between us. 'Deary mel! she
~ laughed You needn't be so 'fraid of me- | have
these queer spells right often; but I'm not bit dan
gerous. Why, YOU scared than any Of them,
didn't your He had tarrcd them to this work by calling
them towards and now there rumbed low laugh at his
eH2 2s2o; ,on,b he ,roul,a THAT ere It'll, ,r, o.
yourn amt nothin' but gals plaything
'IIa ha! she shouted ccstatically. Let's have a
shooting match Jim JOINER hang up your hat against
that blackjack She called the name at venturc,-it
was one she had heard fora use-but Jim was there.
and attered by the familiar recognition lcapcd TO do
her bidding. She made fcnt Of careful but awkward
sighting. Two shots whzzcd close together; but both
went wide Of the mark
"Loguc favored her with a contemptuous lccr. I've
heerd you a shot, he said; but YOU can't shoot
morc'n monkey; YOU don't take no aim He fired
both barrels and drilled the hat with buckshot
ION, something went wrong; she loaded two car
trdgcs i forgot to allow for gravity or wndagc or
some drift or other. Give a better mark, something
that will shinc,-rclcct the freight, you know-aud
I'll put ball in a threench diameter at seyenty-tivc
yards
"Shc spoke so rapidly that their stupid scnsbilitics
could hardly keep the pace; but Logue roarcd:
"fll let you shoot at anything own I'll let YOU fire
at my head at scvcnty-hvc yards
But, deary me- she looked him critically in the face
considering the proposition (anyhng to multiply
words and kill tmc), your head wouldn't make good
target at al-not by freight, it wouldn't,-its too
dull, and in the laugh that followed she actually took
his powder flask out Of his hand Che was about reload
ing, held it up and let the torchlight strike it, on
who keeps this polished up SO bright for you? This
would make a shiny mark in the freight but YOU
wouldn't dare TO risk my making dent in it,
with the laugh still running he could refuse the
challenge. 'Taint no risk he muttcrcd.
Take II, Jim she cried, and fix it by its charging