“Land sakes!” exclaimed Mrs. Bimby, “there are two right in plain sight. Now Bert, if you’re any kind of a shot, maybe we’ll have rabbit stew for supper. Here, take the gun, but be careful!”
Bert knew a little about firearms, and he was not at all afraid as Mrs. Bimby put the shotgun into his hands. Then she opened the door for him, very carefully, so as not to frighten the rabbits.
“They’re still there, right on top of the snow!” called Nan, as she peered from the window on her side of the cabin. “I’m not going to watch you shoot them, Bert, though I am terribly hungry. And I’m going to hold my hands over my ears so I won’t hear the gun.”
Bert was quite excited, and did not pay much attention to what his sister was saying, but he was not so excited that he could not hold the gun fairly steady.
“Hold it close against your shoulder, then it won’t kick so hard,” Mrs. Bimby whispered in his ear, as she helped him get the shotgun in place, and pointed it for him out of the open door.
The rabbits were in plain sight now, two wild, gray bunnies, fat and plump. Bert took sight over the little point on the end of the gun. He held this sight as steadily as he could in line with one of the rabbits.
“Better shoot quick!” whispered Mrs. Bimby. “I think they see us and they’ll scoot away in a minute!”
Bert gave a steady pull on the trigger, not a sudden pull, which is not the right way to shoot. A sudden pull spoils your aim.
“Bang!” went the shotgun.
“Oh!” screamed Nan, who, in spite of having held her hands over her ears, heard the report.