THE RIFLE ON MOVING GAME. 285 



romantic history, and telling how he could kill more 

 birds on the wing with a bullet than most sportsmen 

 could with shot, and then winding up with the affecting 

 tale of how he "accidentally discovered" his wondrous 

 God-given power in trying to bag a bluejay's tail for 

 the pretty daughter of an Indian chief, an obscure in- 

 dividual in the mountains of San Diego County, Cali- 

 fornia, who had never seen a glass ball, had the 

 audacity to think that the crowd was a little too en- 

 thusiastic. 



In the columns of the Chicago Field he then took 

 the ground that Carver's shooting was neither marvel- 

 ous nor extraordinary, but simply new, and hazarded 

 the prediction that if there were any profit in it there 

 would in a very few months be plenty of successful 

 imitators. Carver honored the rural impertinence 

 with his most crushing challenge, to which the rustic 

 succumbed at once. His prediction was, however, 

 quickly verified. Imitators by the score arose, most 

 of whom have excelled the best records made by 

 Carver during his first six months of glory. And 

 before long we began to hear of wonderful boys and 

 even wonderful girls that hit glass balls and pennies 

 in the air with a rifle. These prodigies are on the in- 

 crease. The other day I read of two new cases in one 

 paper, neither over ten years of age. 



During all this time it seems not to have occurred to 

 the editorial or " scissoring" world that these wonder- 

 ful boys and girls may prove two things instead of 

 only one thing. According to them the hitting of 

 glass balls in air by a child of ten years old proves 

 only that the child is a wonderful performer. Is it 

 not just possible that it may also prove that the per- 

 formance is child's play? 



