d taken an
unloaded piece!

There was no strut left in him as he rose to his feet, rather slowly,
and faced his laughing audience; but he rallied after a moment and
good-naturedly joined in the laugh against himself.

However, discipline was over for that lesson. Without regard to any
rules the youngsters rushed to the stack and took whatever gun was
fancied. Then began an indiscriminate firing till Mrs. Ford grew
frightened and implored them to stop. They did so, all but Alfaretta and
Molly, who had both been fascinated by the sport and felt sure that
they could hit the bull's-eye--which nobody else had done.

"Come on, Alfy! Let's get down on our tummy, same's all marksmen do,
let's!"

Down they flung themselves and now, as eager for their success as they
were, old Lem handed each a fresh rifle and sang out:

"Let her go! A silver dollar to the gal that wins!"

They fired--and the unexpected happened. Alfaretta's untaught hands
succeeded where greater skill had failed. Her bullet went straight into
the bull's-eye, into its very centre.

"By the Great Horned Spoon! What an eye you've got, child of mortality!
Why I couldn't ha' done better myself! Glory be!" shouted the excited
ranchman, fairly dancing in his pride and glee. Then he helped Alfy up
from the ground, where she still lay, wondering at the excitement about
her, and peered critically into her blue orbs.

"However could you see it? That fur away?"

"Why--why, I didn't see it at all. I got scared and shut my eyes when I
pulled that thing on it!"

Captain Lem staggered as if he had been hit instead of the target and
softly marvelled:

"Such--dum--luck! She done it--with her eyes--shut!
She--done--it--with--her--eyes--shut! Somebody take me out and lay me
down. I'm beat."

His ludicrous manner amused the others but frightened the too successful
Alfaretta. Also, her attention was claimed by Molly's expression. That
ambitious young person was looking very white about the lips, and was
clasping and unclasping her hands in evident distress.

"Molly, what's the matter?" cried Alfy, shaking her partner in the
affair.

Molly lifted one shaking finger and pointed into the distance:

"I--I hit something, too!"

Other eyes than Alfy's followed the pointing finger and a groan of
horror burst from more than one throat.

Indeed, and all too surely, Molly had "hit something, too!"

CHAPTER VIII

A CONCERT IN THE MOONLIGHT

Night fell on San