P.J. Shaffer, age 14, of Asbury Park, N.J., for his question:

WAS THERE A REAL ANNIE OAKLEY?

Annie Oakley was the professional name of a real American markswoman and entertainer who toured with Wild West shows during the late 18008. leer real name was Phoebe Anne Oakley Mosee and she came from a log cabin 1n Drake County in Ohio.

Oakley had an almost uncanny accuracy with a rifle, which she started shooting at the age of 6 to help provide food for her family. She became one of the country's best known professional game hunters when she was still a young lady.

From 1885 to 1902 she was the star in both America and Europe of the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show. With her rifle, she could shoot and hit a playing card a dozen times before it hit the ground after it was tossed into the air.

A fictionalized version of her life's story was told in a Broadway show and a motion picture.