"
There was nothing boastful or malicious in his manner or speech,
and nobody doubted that he would win, for there were few
marksmen in the mountains his equals, and he would have the
advantage of using his own gun.
"Look hyeh," said a long, thin mountaineer, coming up to the
group, "thar ain't but one turkey left, 'n' I'd like to know what we
air goin' to shoot at ef Sherd 'n' Easter gits a crack at him."
In the interest of the match no one had thought of that, and a
moment of debate followed, which Clayton ended by stepping
forward.
"I'll furnish a turkey for the rest of you," he said.
The girl turned when he spoke and gave him a quick glance, but
averted her eyes instantly.
Clayton's offer was accepted, and the preliminary trial to decide
who should shoot first at the turkey was begun. Every detail was
watched with increasing interest. A piece of white paper marked
with two concentric circles was placed sixty yards away, and
Raines won with a bullet in the inner circle. The girl had missed
both, and the mountaineer offered her two more shots to accustom
herself to the gun. She accepted, and smiled a little triumphantly
as she touched the outer circle with one bullet and placed the other
almost in the centre. It was plain that the two were evenly
matched, and several shouts of approval came from the crowd.
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