The Tiffin tribune. [volume] (Tiffin, Ohio) 1848-1859, 1857-04-10

would ma 10 Impossible 90 avoid 70 now
They told Him his next ueIghbor was de
terminod to quarrel with people, whelh.
or they would or not; that he was like
John Liburne, Of HON Judge jenkins
said, "If the world was smptied of eve.
ry person but himself, Liburne would
still quarrel with John, aud John with
Liburne"
"Is that his charactet2" said Simeon,
in his smiling way. "If he exercises il
upon me, viii soon kill him"
I In every neighborhood there are indi.
lviduals who like to fomeut disputes, not
from any definite intention of malice or
mischief, but merely because it makes a
little ripple Of excitement in the dull
stream Of life, like contest between dogs
or game cocks. Such people were not
slow in repeating Simeon Green's remark
about his wrangIng neighbor. "Kill mel
will he2" exclaimed Reuben. He said no
more; but his tightly compressed mouth
had such significant expression, that
his dog lodged him, as he would the
track Of tiger. That very night. Reu-
ben turned his horse into the highway, in
hopes he would commit some depreda
tons on neighbor Green's premises. But
Joe Smith, seeing the animal at large, lot
down the bars of Reuben's own ocrn-6eld.
and the poor beast walked in, and feast
ed as he had not done for many year.
IL would have been a great satisfaction
to Reuben if he could have brought a
lawsuit against his horse; but as it was.
he was obliged TO content himself with
beating him, His next exploit was to
shoot Mary Green's handsome chanticleer,
because he stood on the stone wall aud
crowed, in ,he ignorant joy of his heart,
two inches beyond the frontier line that
bounded the contiguous farms. Simeon
said he was very sorry for the poor bird,
and sorry because his wife aud children
liked the pretty creature, but otherwise
il was no great matter. He had been in
tending TO build a poultry yard, with
good high fence, that his hens might not
annoy his neighbors; and now he was ad-
to make haste and do il. He
would build them a snug warm house to
roost in; they should have plenty Of
gravel and oats, and room to promenade
back and forth, and crow and eackle to
their hearts content; thero they should
enjoy themselves, and be out Of harms
way
But Reuben Black had degree Of in
genuity and perseverance, which might
have produced great results for mankind,
had those qualities been devoted TO some
more noble purpose than provoking quar-
res A pear tree in his garden very i'm
stretched over a friendly arm
Simeon Green premises. Whether the
sunny state Of things there had cheer
ing effect on the tree | know not; but it
happened that this oyerhanging bough
bore more abundant fruit. aud glowed
with richer hue, than the other boughs.
One day, little George Green. as he
went whistling along, picked up a pear
that had fallen into his fathers garden -
The instant he touched il, he fclt, some
thing on the back Of his neck like the
sting Of wasp. II was Reuben Blacks
whip, followed by such storm Of angry
words, that the poor child rushed into the
house in an agony of terror. But this
experiment failed also The boy was
soothed bp his mother, and told not TO go
near the pear tree again; and there the
matter ended
This imperturable good nature vexed
Reuben more than allthe tricks and tau nts
he met from others Evil efforts he
could understand, and repay with COM
pound interest; but he did not know
what to make of this perpetual forbesr-
ance. IL seemed TO him there must be
something contemptuous in it. He dis
liked Simeon Green more than all the rest
ofthe town put together, because lie
made him feel so uucomfortably in the
wrong, aud did not afford him the slight
eat pretext for complaint. 1t was annoy
ing to see everything in his neighbours
domains looking 80 happy, aud present.
ing such a bright contrast TO the forlorn-
ness of his. own. When their wagons
passed each other on the road, it seemed
as ifSimeon's horse tossed his head high
er, and flung his name, as il he knew he
was going by Reuben Blacks old nag
He often said he supposed Green covered
his house with roses and honeysuckles on
purpose to shame his bare walls. But he
didn' tcare--not he He wasn't going to
be fool enough to rot his boards with such
stuff But no one resented his disparag-
ing remarks, or sought TO provoke him in
any way. The roses smiled, the horse
neighed, and the calf capered but none
of them had the least idea that they were
Reuben Black. Even the dog
had no malice in his heart, though he
did one night chase home his geese, and
bark at them through the bars. Reuben
told his master, the next day: he sWore
he would bring an action against him, if
he didn't keep that dog at home; and ST.
neon answered him very quietly that he
would try to take better care Of him.
For several days a strict watch was kept,
in hopes Tower would worry the geese
again; but they paced home undisturbed,
and not a boW-wow furnished excuse for
a lawsuit.
The new neighbors not only declined
quarrelhng, but they occasionally made
positive advances towards q friendly re-
lation. Simeon's wife sent Mrs. Black a
large basket full of very fne cherries