Chapter 17

As I had expected, we progressed from two-hand to one-hand shooting in one week. Mary preferred to shoot with two hands because of the improved accuracy, but the boys were trapped by their hormones into one-hand shooting because of the more macho style. I wasn't worried—I figured that they would all be shooting with one hand by the time the class was over, but I was willing to bet that Mary would still be the more accurate shot with that position.

The children were all shocked by how much their accuracy decreased when they used only one hand to hold the gun, but they all improved quickly enough to get over the shock. We went through the one bullet routine again with the change in stance until I was confident that it was safe to let them fully load their guns. It took some work on my part to convince the boys that accuracy was more important than speed, and I finally got them to realize that their accuracy went way up with only a little drop off in the frantic speed that they had been trying to use.

I could see that the boys would never be as accurate or as fast as me, but they would certainly be more accurate and faster than the vast majority of the population. On the other hand, Mary was very accurate and very fast. I saw that she could match my shooting if she continued to practice. I encouraged her as much as possible without slighting the boys, since I did not want to dampen their enthusiasm or their confidence. Ha, as if I needed to worry about a boy's confidence!

I had them continue to practice for several more weeks, then I introduced them to the quick draw. I had them practice for hours with an empty gun to make sure that they had the feel of the task before I trusted them with bullets. As before, it was done at first with only one bullet in the gun, and I had the rest of us stand behind the shooter to make sure to prevent accidents. Again, I was amused to see that Mary progressed faster than the boys with this style of shooting, but they all got to be more than adequate with the skill.

After six weeks, I called for a demonstration show for their parents. The servants were also invited, and I had some chairs arranged into a kind of grandstand. Mrs. Hawkins had already seen much of what the children could do, but she joined the audience with as much anticipation as all the other spectators.

Each of the children went through a shooting demonstration that far exceeded the expectations of the audience. I was sure that none of the adults thought that it was possible for children to shoot so well. Except in the fast draw demonstration at the 20-foot range, all three children hit the bull's eye every time, but even then, they were close enough to have scored a disabling hit. However, the real fun for the kids was the fast shooting of all three guns at the same time; even .22 caliber cartridges can roar when that many are shot off at the same time and so fast. The three shooters received a standing ovation, and it was deserved!

Mr. Hawkins asked after the show if I could teach adults as well as I could teach children. I assured him that I could, so he asked that I teach him to shoot like that. A few minutes later, Mrs. Hawkins surprised me by asking if she could take my class. I agreed to teach her, but I warned her that it might take her longer to learn, since kids often learn faster than adults.

I wanted to make sure that no one had to stand around waiting for an opportunity to shoot, so the kids and I enlarged the range to five stations. I figured that to be the limit of the number of students that I could supervise at one time.

On Monday, we went back to the gunsmith to look for new guns for the kids. Mary and Jim graduated to a .32, but Jack's hand was large enough to manage a .38 Colt Navy conversion. We bought the guns with some ammunition for both and went next door to see the leather worker.

Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins were measured for shoulder holster rigs, and the kids left there new guns there for new holsters. The leather worker said that he still had the patterns he had made the last time, so he did not need the .22s for measurement.

A few days later, all of the holsters and rigs were ready for us to pick up, so we when back to the shop for the final fitting. Mrs. Hawkins was somewhat buxom, so it took longer to get her rig adjusted so that she didn't snag herself when she drew. Mr. Hawkins and the kids were fitted on the first try. On the way home, I discretely suggested to Mr. Hawkins that he ask his wife to wear a protective pad next to her skin on the left side so that she could not be accidentally injured by the gun hammer tang. He grinned and said that he would tell her.

The next day, all five family members showed up for lessons. I started the kids practicing with their new guns and then went through the whole classroom routine with the adults. I could tell that Mr. Hawkins thought that he did not need the gun safety lecture, but I asked him to bear with me, since that was part of the routine I used in teaching my class. He conceded my argument and actually paid attention during the lecture.

Mrs. Hawkins had to go back in the house and change her dress to one which gave her more freedom of movement before she could hold the gun in both hands. Mr. Hawkins had to remove his suit coat for the same reason. They were using the kids' former weapons, so the children were free with advice until I shut them up. I told them that they would be restricted from the range if they did not stop bothering my other students. That worked!

We went through the whole class routine with the adults, but it did take longer than it had with the children, as I had predicted. The parents were chagrined until I got through to them that this was always the story, they were not incompetent, just adult.

Mr. Hawkins turned out to be a star pupil by the time he completed the class. I was amused to see him strut a little when I told him this. By the time he had finished the class, he was as good as Mary with the .22. Mrs. Hawkins was not that good, but she was nearly as good as the boys. We had another demonstration of shooting prowess for Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins before the children and the servants, and the results were another deserved standing ovation. Before anybody left, I had the children demonstrate their skill with their new weapons, and they were happy to show off.

Mr. Hawkins was so pleased with his training that he asked me to train his two tellers. I agreed, so they were worked into the schedule. Apparently, the word got around that they had taken my course because there was never another attempt to rob the Hawkins bank.

I had been working for the Hawkins for nearly a year when Mrs. Hawkins called me to one side and asked, "Jeremiah, what are your intentions toward Mary?"

I was flabbergasted by the question. I stammered for a few moments and said, "Mrs. Hawkins, I don't have any intentions toward your daughter beyond being a friend and a bodyguard. Why do you ask?"

"I asked because it is obvious to me that she is head over heels in love with you. I see that you had not noticed, and I suppose that is in your favor. I have never seen you be anything other than a gentleman, and my husband and I appreciate that. We also want you to know that, should you desire to marry our daughter, we would look upon the match favorably."

"Mrs. Hawkins, I do like Mary very much, but I have never considered marrying her. I just assumed that she was too young."

"She is 15, and that is old enough to be married. Furthermore, Mr. Hawkins is 12 years older than I, and that has never been a problem for us. We have grown to love each other very much, so we are not worried for Mary and you if you two should marry."

"I'm flattered beyond words by your statements, Mrs. Hawkins. I think you should know that I was married previously for nearly four years. My wife and child died in childbirth, and I have never considered marriage since then. I just don't know what I want to do, right now."