Show o c i j r- r 11 50 f THE YOUNG IDEA By BARRINGTON Copyright bt I Oh its it's simply preposterous I expostulated ex postulated Blake And on the first too I regard the tho first as as a day sacred sacred sacred sa sa- cred to serious shooting shooting- shooting not an outIng out out- outIng outing Ing for babies He sent a glance full of Irritation at the young who with their backs to the hedge stood waiting Inthe in inthe inthe the next field Its too bad of Hedley agreed Coulson This is one of his practical jokes I suppose Why the girls girl's only 13 and the boy not much more Children with guns guns I I never heard of at anything so Idiotic I 9 Toys I call caU th them them m. m They'll frighten everything f for r miles I Blake fidgeted with his safety bolt What the deuce can I do he reflected re re- dolefully Presently he went through the gate and approached the boy be be- bevery very careful won wons won's you George ho he said in a troubled voice Oh yes said the boy cheerfully And you Kathleen you Kathleen you dont don't think It will tire you to carry a gun Oh no Mr Blake not at all aU Blake shrugged his shoulders shoulders- shoulders help helplessly help lessly He felt he could do no more and he left them muttering unkind things about their Inconsiderate father What charge are you using Kit asked the boy when Blake was out of hearing heaning 1 Twenty six grains of S- S s 5 Sand and three three- quarters of ot an ounce of No 7 chilled ed vias via's the tho girls girl's matter fact was a answer as 4 tb vp They Flushed a Single Single Partridge Str Straight Ahead of Them she slipped sUpped a couple of cartridges Into her 28 bore Field loading nice and tight she added Bet you m my bag beats yours So it ought with ought with a 20 bore Give you five birds then Make It six s1 and nd Im I'm on All AU right right for for a box of candy agreed the boy Come al along mg called Blake and the youngsters with their guns tucked well under their shoulders and rand eyes alert went up the stubble a good two paces ahead of their elders I Half way across the field a single brace of old birds buds got up with a whirr My My bird sang out the boy and girl In a breath Bang Dang went their suns guns uns and the birds fell clean shot to their right barrels Coulson next to the girl saw them drop while he was getting his gun to his shoulder and before he ho had ex explained x- x his slowness to himself Kit had stopped a hare bare ten yards in front of him He turned and stared at her She Sheh h had d already reloaded and was carrying ying a spare spate cartridge between her teeth You wont won't do that my young friend he be g glared ar d but to himself time Mark time I cautioned George as the ke keeper keepe ph wheeled h The girls girl's brown I legs responded Then as they went wenton on again a Do big covey rose Coulson who was not going to be bo cau caught ht napping nap nap- napping ping pins this time got the got the l leader a er but because because be be- cause of at his hurry burry missed another strong bird with pith his bis left for I similar reasons wasted waited wasted two cart cartridges on oner on-oner one onEt bird birdS But the e children childred waited until the young ones rose nose and then each got In a a deadly right and left Blake gave Coulson a look of sf astonishment aston aston Coulson's look in response said sald Dont understand It as plainly as looks can speak The boy and girl with a box of candy in the balance kept their eyes fixed right ahead In Ia the next field a a small coVey going fast down the wind crossed the line from Blakes Blake's end Both Doth he be and Coulson Coulson Cowson Coul Cow son shot behind the same bird Kit knocked some feathers out of it and George brought it down at 40 yards The rest flew wide Wiped our eyes by gad gadi exclaimed exclaimed ex ex- ex claimed Blake Coulson couldn't say anything he be was st staring rIng open open- mouthed 5 Through gaps gapa in a they they- passed Into George Georg and KI KIas Kite Kit as usual a bit ahead got al all four barrels barrels barrels bar bar- into some birds before the men bad had time to swing on Mj M bird I ono ona or th the other th r would yell out each time any anything thIns got up and the constant repetition of at the tha words had the effect of flurrying the themen men The two small guns seemed at times times' to be keeping up a fusillade It was not that game was more plentiful than usual but because nothing escaped the youngsters' youngsters keen eyes They got on on at lightning speed Even when a bird rose right under the muzzle of Blakes Blake's own gun one of them would rob him of his shot before ho he could pull trig trig- ger ser Nineteen George een for me nodded to his sister as they paused to let the dogs work a patch Seventeen Seventeen only only tw two behind returned returned returned re re- turned the tho girl evenly as she bowled over the first rabbit that bolted Mind l the dog she admonished Blake I Iwho who seeing a movement In the patch had raised his gun Awfully sorry he stammered hardly knowing what he was saying Never saw anything like it In my life Ute admitted Coulson in an awestruck awestruck awe awe- struck tone to his host when a little later on Kit took a snapshot across a reed bed at a woodcock and bagged it it And to think I asked them to be careful confessed Blake in dismay As th the morning thorning wore on the two men became completely demoralized They shot disgracefully missing birds and holding yards behind rabbits They Ther began to be glad of the stray shots that the youngsters had perforce perforce per per- force occasionally to leave them And all the while the boys boy's 20 bore kept going as tho though gh it had but a single trigger and the crack of the girls girl's 28 almost emulated it But George was five birds ahead of his sister when they turned Into the thelast thelast thelast last field and Kit as they walked It up felt her candy slipping away Inthe Inthe In Inthe the further angle they flushed a single partridge right ahead of them Bang Dang went the small bores and as the bird fell Kit for the first time ran in My Iy bird sh she screamed Bosh I simply smothered him objected George Prove it was the challenge ballenge Down the youngsters plumped with the bird between them while Blake make and Coulson came and and stood over them In wonder Kit extracted the pin that held her Tam Tarn o o. and began began began be be- gan probing the bird with it George with a penknife became similarly y en en- There you are he cried presently present present- ly exhibiting a a. black speck No G 6 knew Id I'd got him I But his exultation was short The next moment the girl held up gory fingers with a pellet between them No my 7 my 7 my bird she exclaimed in triumph A double hit bit by Jove cried Blake make I say say say-do do you you looking from one to the other other- other do do you shoot shoot- much Oh yes piped Kit father tell you We perform in public Were We're The Two Little Sure Didn't you know |