Crabtree, going on a freight train
cab, Tom drove a wagon, for there was no local freight train running
that day down to the ranch.

The fact is, only through freights ran over the road at that section,
hence none of the cars were unlocked at the ranch. Of course, Terry had
his faithful revolver with him, and when Tom arrived, the sporting men
got around him and challenged him to show his money.

"All right, sir. Mr. Olcott has agreed to shoot, and I am ready to cover
any amount you want to put up, unless you have put up more than I
have."'

The original bettor offered to put up three hundred dollars.

"All right," said Tom. "I'll cover that."

Then several others put up one and two hundred each.

Terry had given Tom a check for one thousand dollars, and Tom hurried
off to the bank with it, cashed it, and covered all the bets.

The depot agent acted as stakeholder.

Then they went about a quarter of a mile up the road into a piece of
timber, where thirty paces were stepped off, and a piece of white paper,
about an inch square, was fastened, against the tree.

One man carried a sharp axe with him, saying that he was not going to
let any trick be played on him.

"It's easy enough," said he, "for one shot to be fired in the tree and
the other shots just to be blank cartridges."

Terry then fired the first shot, and every man in the party went to the
tree to look at the bullet hole.

Then Terry fired the other live shots with cool deliberation and
caution.

When the whole six bullets had been fired no one could tell, from the
appearance of the bullet hole, that any other bullet had hit the tree.

The man with the axe proceeded to cut into the tree in quest of the
bullets, and the whole six bullets were found, one on top of the other.

When they came back the report was that six bullets were shot into the
first bullet hole and were found when the chips were cut out.

On that the men paid the thousand dollars to Tom, whose enthusiasm was
so great that he was ready to risk the whole amount by offering to bet
two to one that Olcott could shoot an apple from his head with that
revolver at a distance of one hundred yards.

But the party of bettors had had enough. They didn't care to risk any
more money and some of them couldn't afford to lose a hundred dollars;
but firmly believing that they would win, they had borrowed a little to
make up that amount.

Evelyn and her two visiting friends agreed to go up to