quiet disregard of other people's ideas
about bow-shooting and other people's opinions about himself, he
persevered in a style of shooting which appeared absolutely absurd to
any one who knew anything of the rules and methods of archery.

I used to like to look at him when his turn came around to shoot. He
was not such a pleasing object of vision as Miss Rosa, but his style
was so entirely novel to me that it was interesting. He held the bow
horizontally, instead of perpendicularly, like other archers, and he
held it well down--about opposite his waistband. He did not draw his
arrow back to his ear, but he drew it back to the lower button of his
vest. Instead of standing upright, with his left side to the target,
he faced it full, and leaned forward over his arrow, in an attitude
which reminded me of a Roman soldier about to fall upon his sword.
When he had seized the nock of his arrow between his finger and thumb,
he languidly glanced at the target, raised his bow a little, and let
fly. The provoking thing about it was that he nearly always hit. If
he had only known how to stand, and hold his bow, and draw back his
arrow, he would have been a very good archer. But, as it was, we could
not help laughing at him, although our president always discountenanced
anything of the kind.

Our champion was a tall man, very cool and steady, who went to work at
archery exactly as if he were paid a salary, and intended to earn his
money honestly. He did the best he could in every way. He generally
shot with one of the bows owned by the club, but if any one on the
ground had a better one, he would borrow it. He used to shoot
sometimes with Pepton's bow, which he declared to be a most capital
one. But as Pepton was always very nervous when he saw his bow in the
hands of another than himself, the champion soon ceased to borrow it.

There were two badges, one of green silk and gold for the ladies, and
one of green and red for the gentlemen, and these were shot for at each
weekly meeting. With the exception of a few times when the club was
first formed, the champion had always worn the gentlemen's badge. Many
of us tried hard to win it from him, but we never could succeed; he
shot too well.

On the morning of one of our meeting days, the champion told me, as I
was going to the city with him, that he would not be able to return at
his usual hour that afternoon. He would be very busy, and would have
to wait for the six-fif