Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1913-10-21

Who"
You"
"Me?"
"Yes, mel mean you!"
Obi" At last she understood
where are we all three going to
live? You know, Mr.. Bonny-"
A horrible fear smote me. Great
heavens!" l cried, lis he going TO
marry you, too?"
That's what he said," averred
Madge.
He never shall!" / swore. I'll
kill him like would "a buffalo"
l think Madge laughs too much
sometimes.
THE idea of you killing buff
f-a-l-o! I'll tell you what I'll DIDO.
I'll marry the first one of you that
d-does k-kill a bufhehehalo!"
/ would rather Madge had accepted
me in a more conventional manner,
but suppressing ali selfish considera-
ton, cried: "Done!" and was off to
challenge Bonny. He accepted read
lily.
A week later found US camped in
the th-l sparsely buffalo-settled re-
gion OF Colorado. The first day we
spent trying to get suggestions rela-
tive to buffalo hunting. These sugges-
tions we're discussed over our coffee
that evening.
"Ccyboys (all men west of the Mis-.
sissi~~i we're cowboys to him) are
cowa Is" said Bonny. 81 asked one
OF r. I'm If you were l where would
you 20 to hunt buffaloes? Where l
wou,d be least likely to find them he
replied. My good man. said l, kind
ly tell me how you do bring down a
buffalo He took another chew Of to-
bacco and squirting one eye, re-
piled: 4 shoot them in their tracks.
That is the best place for you to
shoot a buffalo, young man, right in
its tracks, and the older the tracks
are, the better"
Ny own information had been more
practical. / had been told to lasso my
buffalo and tie it to the nearest tree,
where l could shoot it without danger,
CT ltelbl W luC buudlOs my lulOIlu
ant added absent mindedly.
Unfortunately, forgot my lasso the
next morning and had to depend en-
tirely upon my gun.
While we lunched Bonny was ap-
parently seized with an attack of deli
rum tremens.
Buffalo, buffalo!" he shrieked, and
danced about.
"A cluster of them?" asked.
only a solitaire" he shouted, but
it's mine" and mounting his horse
he backed rapidly away, presumably
to keep the buffalo in sight while he
circled it. Rival as he was, had to
admit that it was the tactic of brave
man.
AS for me, l bodily started toward
the buffalo. l had gone but a short
distance when l came to an old dug
out which had partly filed, leaving
enough ingress for a man nearly half
my size to crawl through. The ami
NAL, scenting danger, approached me.
Fearing lest frighten 1t away, got
as far as | could into the dugout. The
buffalo came on, its head lowered, its
tail furiously lashing at the flies-on
until it was within twenty feet of me
/ slipped the rest of the way into
the dugout, and though my heart beat
IaSe a sledge hammer, / coolly put
my gun to my shoulder, braced my
self hEmly against the farthest wall
and with bated breath watched the
majestic creature move slowly by and
out of range of my gun. / painted
to pursue, but found that it would re-
auire an hours work with my knife
to enlarge the egress sufficiently for
me 10 get out. When l did get out,
the buffalo had escaped, and in the
dsstance / beheld Bonny spurring his
horse TO full speed. | was disgusted
with Bonny. Why should he sit calmly
on his horse within a mile Of the buffa
10, let 1t escape him, and then exhibit
such trepidation because 1t had done
SO?
On the return / found a couple OF
men skinning buffaloes. l bought q
hide, went on and was first to reach
camp. Pretty soon Bonny arrived.
"Well?" said he.
well" said l.
What do you think Of this3" and he
unrolled a fresh hide.
Il think you are about as smart al
] am" / evasively answered. "Wher'
did you shoot your buffalo?"
Right in it's tracks!" said Bonny.
While we glared at each other a
"collect" telegram was brought US. Il
read:
Don't shay buffalo. have married
Madge.-R. Meels."