Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-04-17
STAR.
WRITTEN FOR THE STAR.
AN ARKANSAS STORY.

Some time ago 1 thought L would like to
live on Red River, Arkansas l picked out
| and purchased what would now be called a
nice little "forty' of good bottom land in a
bend of the river, with the best if not the onIy
landing in the vicinity. l made my clearing
and put up several improvements.
Several years after, L was visited on fine
| morning by a company Of grave individuals,
the foremost of whom, Mr.. Brown, thus ad-
| dressed me:
"Look- a here, stranger, we've been buyin'
land all round you, and your land sorter in
| terferes with our'n. We want to cut a road
| to the river and have steamboat landing,
and you've got the only piece of bluff on the
river that'll do for one. Well want the en-
tire clearing for warehouses and things, the
whole up country stands in need of it, and /
can't say as think much o. that Indian title
o. yourn.''
Now the road did not object to 1t would
| improve my property. But my property /
| decidedly objected to giving up.
"Well," said i, s'Mr Brown, the road
| ought to be cut, L suppose; can't allow my
| individual wishes to stand against the wants
OF the whole community. Still L can't help
| feeling sort of right to my Iand-Ive put
| up Improvements, and L hate, besides, to be
driven out so unceremoniously.
| Well, stranger, you've got some show,
sure enough Id feel just that way myself
Our boys muster pretty strong, but we aint tie
sort to jump on any man because he small
sized, particularly just after coming out Of a
bar fgh., such as heerd you had down in
| alligator bend, you and another man"
| g Yes, said l, we had to go inside the bears
den, and both got considerably scratched"
oh, know you Amt the kind its healthy
to fight with. But you've got sense enough to
| see you can't stay here. Our hsgs would rur
| all over your place, and our boys would al
ways be tumbliDg down your fences, hunting
for stock, and doing good deal of mischief
generally, without meaning it,"
| Well" said L, " Mr. Brown, it's useless
for US, the interested parties, to be arguing
our rights. I'll enter into a contract by
which you can get your road, and we IL leave
the rights to be settled by the lawyers"
L selected a pretty shrewd lawyer.
Puzzlewig, said l, "Brown thinks he
must have my land-that the road can't be
made without it. Besides, he is inclined to
dispute my Indian title. Now, my right by
possession and settlement L value more than
any other kind of right; and L want to know
| If you can fix the business so that they can
have their road, and L keep my place
| So Puzzlewig drew up a deed, very inge-
niOusly leaving ont the word forever" in
that part which related to making over my
property to Brown, "his heirs, and assigns,
| forever
whats the use of that ?'' said l.
| "Why, let 'em 60 on and build the road /;
and if they proceed any further lay an in
junction. The deed Is informal"
| But that informality don't amount to any
thing. They just laugh at it when they
find it out, as Browns lawyer is sure to do .
Brown lawyer aint likely to notice it.
They amt particular about small matters.
And they may laugh at it, but old Squire
| Rope won't. He'd just a. soon consider an
| instrument legal with one word out as he'd
consider you a man without your head"
| But this is a mere trick. l won't consent
toit"
| "Why not? Who's hurt? You need mt
| take money, and if they choose to 60 ON and
build the road on a defective deed, let 'em do
| it; it their own lookout. They get the road,
which is all they really want, and you keep
your land
"Well, Pulzlewig, leave the casuistry to
you. If you get me into any scrape shall
| expect you to get me out again"
Browns lawyer was pretty sharp, too They
| glanced over the deed but having only a
| general business interest in the affair, sup
posed all was right. They offered the money,
| which L suffered for the time to remain on
| their hands.
Soon after the completion of the road diff
fculty arose. They wanted my house. L re-
ferred them to my lawyer, and the case was
| brought up before Mr.. Uriah Pope, justice of
| the peace. AS usual, in such matters, there
was an immense deal of discussion of Indian
| titles, old Spanish grants, and other irrele-
| vancies. In the midst Of my lawyers speech,
as he was drawing vivid picture of the bones
of sundry Indian ancestors whitening on a
foreign soil, Brown jumped up
Gail that amt got thing to do with it.
| I'm told thar's something the matter with the
deed, and should just like to know what, "
| "Why," said Puzzlewig, blsndly, "the
deed gives you the land, but it does not give
| it to you to keep We do not consider it By
any means prosyect,re in its operation" ="
| Look a. here, Mr. Puzzlewig, do you mean
| to tell me that when l sell man land don't
| sell il to him to keep"
| "The law, my dear SIR said Puzzlewig,
pompously, "can take no notice of your in
| tentions The object of legal instruments is
| that there shall be no mistake in bargains.
If you made 4 mistake, you are just where
you were before you appealed to law"
"Do you mean to tell me, sir, . shouted
| Brown, Z" that when Smith sells me land, he
| don't sell it,"
"My dear SIR" replied Puzzlewig, chad
Smith intended to sell you the land foreUe,,
| there is no doubt but that, in conformity with
| what believe to be the universal rule in re
| gard to instruments of this nature, the deed
| would have contained in specific terms, a re-
| nunciation to that effect"
Look-a -a.here, Squire Rope, you don't call
| that law, do you ?"
But old Rope was asleep.
Brown then turned to me. Well, stranger,
| l spoee [ can't blame you any way; we'll
have to let the lawyers fight it out between
| them. Ii | thought We wouldn't get tho
| land any how. I'd be mad as thunder. 1
| don't think you ought to encourage these law
tricks, but you did mt make 'om, and only
| follow the fashion in using 'em. So como,
let's 60 take drink"
WINDS IN THE NORTHERN HEMgPHERE-|
Professor Coffin, of Lafayette College, Penn
| sylvania, in an elaborate scientific paper,
says that there exist in the northern hemis-
phere three great zones of wind, extending
| entirely around the earth, modified, and, in
some cases, partially interrupted by the con-
| fguration and character Of the surface. The
| first of these is the trade wind, near the equa-
| tor, blowing when uninterrunted from north