d had it not been for his
evident embarrassment when none seemed reasonable. However, the young
pleasure-seeker attached no importance to what seemed like singular
behavior on the part of this newly-made acquaintance, and was about to
make another proposition for a fishing excursion, when Harnett suddenly
made his appearance.

"Hello, Bob!" he cried, "you've been making the acquaintance of my chum,
have you?"

"Yes, after a fashion. I fired at that knot in the barn you said I
couldn't hit from the pine tree, and came near putting a bullet through
his head. But I hit the knot, and what's more, I split it."

"And here is a hole in the brim of my hat, to prove that he did fire at
it," said Ralph, laughing, as he held up his perforated hat to display
the mark of the bullet.

Harnett looked with no small degree of alarm at the evidence of Bob's
shooting, and said, sternly:

"I think it is quite time that you became a trifle more careful with
your fire-arms, Bob. You have already had several narrow escapes, and
will end by killing some one, if you don't stop shooting at every
promising mark you see."

"I'm not half as careless as I might be," said Bob, earnestly. "This is
the first time that I have ever really come near hurting any one."

"What about the time when you came near hitting Farmer Kenniston, and
killed a lamb? Have you forgotten the untimely death of Mrs.
Kenniston's favorite duck, or your adventure with the red calf in the
pasture?"

"Oh, those don't count--at least none except the lamb scrape are worth
talking about, Harnett, so don't read me one of your long-winded
lectures; and, now that I have hit the knot in the barn, I promise not
to shoot at anything within half a mile of the place. I'm going down to
town for a while, and when I get through with what I have on hand, we'll
make some arrangement to show your friend the oil region."

As he spoke Bob went into the stables, and when the two friends were
alone again, George asked:

"Well, Ralph, how do you like what you have seen of the moonlighters?
Not very ferocious, eh?"

"What do you mean? I haven't seen any moonlighters yet."

"Indeed! You have been talking for the last ten minutes with the most
successful of them. Bob Hubbard enjoys the rather questionable
distinction of being the most noted one in this section of the country."

Ralph looked at his friend in speechless astonishment for several
minutes; this careless, good-natured boy was