Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-07-21
CHAPTER III-contlnued.

Dan saw the door close behind him,
and he had an instant's glimpse Of the
long sweep Of moonlit ridge that
stretched beneath the window. Then,
I'll at once, seemingly without warn
ing, it simply blinked out. Not until
the next morning did he really know
why. Insomnia was an old acquaint-
ance of Dams, and he had expected to
have some trouble in getting to sleep.
His only real trouble was waking up
again when Lennox called him to
breakfast. He couldn't believe that
the light at his window shade was
really that of morning.
Good Heavens !" his host exploded.
"You sleep the sleep of the just"
Dan was about to tell him that on
the contrary he was a very nervous
sleeper, but he thought better Of it.
Something had surely happened to his
insomnia. The next instant he even
forgot to wonder about it in the reali-
cation that his tired body had been
wonderfully refreshed. He had no
dread now of the long tramp up the
ridge that his host had planned.
But first came target practice. In
Dams baggage he had a certain very
plain but serviceable sporting rifle of
about thirty-forty caliber-a gun that
the information department of the
large sporting-goods store in GitChe-
apOliS had recommended for his pur-
pose Except for the few moments in
the store, Dan had never held rifle
in his hands. The first shot he hit the
trunk of a fve-foot pine at thirty
PAGES.
"But I couldn't very well have
missed it'll" he replied to Lennox's
cheer. "You see, aimed at the mid
debut l just grazed the edge"
The second shot was not so good,
missing the tree altogether. And it
was a singular thing that he aimed
longer and tried harder on this shot
than on the first. The third time he
tried still harder, and made by far
the worst shot of all.
"Whats the matter?" he, demanded.
''Tm getting worse all the time"
Lennox didn't know for sure. But
he made a long guess. sit might be
beginners luck" he said, "but I'm in
clined to think you're trying too hard.
Take it easier-depend more on your
instincts"
Dams reply was to lift the rifle
lightly to his shoulder, glance quickly
along the trigger and fire. The bullet
struck within one inch of the center
of the pine.
For a long second LennOx gazed al
him m open-mouthed establishment
'My stars, boy" he cried at last
SWas 1 mistaken in thinking you were
a born tenderfoot-after all? Can Il
be that a little of your old GRANDPA
theirs skill has been passed down tt
you? But you can't do 1t again"
But Dan did do it again. If any
thing, the bullet was little nearel
the center And then he aimed at
more distant tree.
But the hammer snapped down In
effectively on the breech. He turned
with look of question.
'Your gun only holds five shots,
Lennox explained. Reloading, Dal
tried more difficult target-a trunl
almost one hundred yards distant. 0
course it would have been only child
play to an experienced hunter; bu
to a tenderfoot it was Difficult
mark indeed. Twice out of four shot
Dan hit the tree trunk, and one of hi
two hits was practically bulls-eyt
His two misses were the result of tn
Same mistake he had made before
attempting to hold his aim too long.
Dan and Lennox started togethe
up tho long slope Of the ridge. Da
alone armed. Lennox went with hiI
solely as guide. The deer season ha