The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-06-27
THE BOARD FENCE.
BY RUTH CHESTERFIELD.

THE BOARD FENCE.
BY RUTH CHEsTERFIELD
''SIoo, shoe, get home, you plaguy crit
ters" cried Mr.. BabcOck, waving his
arms as he chased dozen sheep and
lambs through gap in the fence.
I. 1t was wooden fence, and when he
had succeeded in driving the animals
the other side of it, he lifted it
from it's reclining position and propped
it up with stakes. This was an operation
he had found himself obliged to repeat
many times in the course of the season,
and not only of that season, but of sew
cral previous seasons.
+ Yet Mr. Babcock was neither slack nor
thriftless; in fact he rather prided him
self on the orderly appearance of his
farm, and mot without reason. How then
shall we account for his negligence in
this particular instance?
The truth was that this fence formed
the boundary line between his estate and
that of Mr. Small; and three generations
of men who owned these estates had been
unable to decide to whom it belonged to
rebuild and keep it in repair. If the
owners had CHANGED to be men of peace
able dispositions, they had compromised
the matter and avoided quarrel; but if,
on the contrary, they belonged to that
much larger class who would sooner
sacrifice their own comfort and conven-
ience than their so-called rights this fence
had been source of uncnding chickering's
and strife.
And of this class were the present
owners. Again and again they had con.
suited their respective lawyers on the
subject and dragged from their hiding
places musty old deeds and records, but
always with the same result.
II say it belongs to you to keep it in
repair; that's as plain as pike staff,
Mr. Babcock would say.
"And l say it belongs to yot-any fool
might see that" Mr.. Small would reply,
and then high words would follow, and
they would part in anger, more deter
lawyers fees and the loss by damages
from each others cattle had already
amounted to sum sufficient to have
built fence round their entire estates,
but what was that compared to the satis-
faction of having their own way?
There were not wanting in the neigh
borhood peace makers who would gladly
have settled the affair by arbitration; but
to this neither of the belligerents would
listen for moment.
At last, one day, Miss Letitia Gill, a
woman much respected in the village,
and of some weight as a landowner and
TAXPAYER, sent for Mr.. Babcock to come
and see her on business; summons
which he made haste to obey, as how
could he do otherwise where a lady was
concerned?
Miss Letitia sat at her window sewing
up seam, but she dropped her work and
took off her spectacles when Mr.. Bah
cock made his appearance.
$50 you got my message; thank you
for coming, I'm sure. Sit down, do.
suppose my man Isaac told you wanted
to consult you on matter OF business
matter of equity, may say. It can't be
expected that we women folks should be
the best Judges about such things, you
know; there's Isaac, to be sure, but then
he lives on the place, and maybe he
wouldn't be exactly impartial in his
Judgment about our affairs"
"Jcs' So" said Mr.. Babcock.
"Well, the state of the case is this
When Isaac came up from the long
meadow to dinncr-they'rc moving the
meadow to-day, and an uncommonly
GOOD Weld there is-when he came up to
dinner, he found that certain stray cows
had broken into the vegetable garden"
"He did, hey?"
"You can fancy the riot they made.
declare, Isaac was almost ready to use
profane language. I'm not sure that he
didn't say Deuce and I'm certain he did
say darn and, after all, couldn't feel
to reproach him very severely, for the
pains he has taken with that garden is some.
thing amazing; working in it, Mr. Babcock,
early and late, wedding and digging and
watering; and now to see it all torn and
trampled so that you wouldn't know
which was beets and which was cucun,.
bers, it's enough to rouse anybody's tenn.
per-"
1T is so," said Mr.. Babcock.
"And that isn't all, for by the looks OF
things they must have been rampaging 4
full hour in the orchard and elover-fielt
before they got into the garden. Jus
you come and see;" and putting on hel
sun bonnet Miss Letitia showed Mr.
Babcock over the damaged precinct.
"You don't happen to know whose an
imals did the mischief" said Mr.. Bah
cock.
"Well, I didn't observe them in partic
ular myself, but Isaac said there was ont
with a peculiar white mark, something
like cross, on her haunch."
"Why, that's Small's old Brindle:
cried Mr.. Babcock. II know the mari
as we'll as know fhe nose on my face
She had balls ON her horns, didn't she 2
Eyes, so Isaac said"
"And kind of hump on her back?"
IA perfect dromedary," said Mis-
Letitia. Il noticed that myself"
"They were Small's cows-no doub
about it at ALL" said Mr.. Babcock, rub
bing his hands. No sheep with them
hey?"
"Well, now think of it, there aoe'
sheep-they ran away as soon as the
saw Isaac Yes, certainly there wer
Sheep" said Miss Letitia.
"1knew it-they always go with th
cows; and what you wish of me-
us TO Ak the damages" said Mi