The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-06-27

| llleu SAlu:
"Well, I wouldn't take cent less thar
scventy-tive dollars, if were you-not
cent"
"Seventy-fve dollars! Isn't that .
good deal, Mr.. Babcock? You know ]
don't wish to be hard on the poor man
all | want is fair compensation for the
mischief DONE"
"Seventy five dollars is fair, ma'am-
in fact, l may say it's low; I wouldn'
have herd of cattle and sheep trampine
through my premises in that way for 8
hundred'
"There's one thing forgot to state
the orchard gate was open or they
couldn't have got in; that may make q
difference"
mot Dit-not Bit You'd a right
to have your gate open, but Small's COWS
had no right to run loose hope Isaac
drove 'em all to pound, didn't he?"
heard him say he'd shut 'cm up
somewhere, and didn't mean to let 'em
out till the owner calls for 'em. But, Mr.
Babcock, what if he should refuse to pay
the damages? l should hate to go to law
about it,"
He won't refuse; if he does, keep the
critters till he eoiW pay. AS to law, l
guess he's had about enough of that"
"I'm sure thank you for your adj
vice." said Miss Letitia, land mean to
| act upon it to the very letter."
And Mr.. Babcock took his leave with
very happy expression of countenance.
| Scarcely was he out of sight when
| Miss Letitia sent summons for MIR.
Small, which he obeyed as promptly as
his neighbor had done
She made to him precisely the same
statement she had made to Mr.. Babcock,
showed him the injured property, and
asked him to fix damages.
1t was remarkable that before he did
this he should ask the same question Mr..
Babcock had asked, namely, whether she
had any suspicion to whom the animals
belonged.
"Well, one of them I observed had a
terribly crooked horn"
"Precisely-it's Babcock's heifer. I
should know her among a thousand. She
! was black and white, wasn't she?"
"Well, now l think Of it, she was; one
seldom sees 50 clear black and white
on cow"
ITO be sure they're Babcocks animals
fast enough. Well, let me see-what you
pose?"
"Certalnly."
"Well, should say ninety dollars was
as low as he ought to be allowed to get
off with.'
"Oh, but I fear that will seem as if I
meant to take advantage. Suppose we
call it-say seventy.five?"
"Just as you please, of course; but
hanged if I'd let him off for less than a
hundred, if twas n,y case.'
"And if he refuses to pay?"
"Why, keep his animals till he comes
round, that's all"
But there's one thing I neglected to
mention-our gate was standing open ;
that may alter the case"
"Not at all-there's no law against
your keeping your gate open; there is
against stray animals"
"Very well-thank you for your ad-
vice." said Miss Letitia; and Mr.. Small
departed with as smiling cOuntenance
as Mr. Babcock had worn.
But at milking time that night he made
strange discovery; old Brindle was MISS
ing!
At about the same hour Mr.. Babcock
made similar discovery; the black and
| white heifer was nowhere to be found!
A horrible suspicion seized them both
"A suspicion which they would not have
made known to each other for the world.
They waited till it was dark, and then
Mr.. Babcock stole round to Miss Letitia's,
and meekly asked leave to look at the
animals which had committed the tres
pass He would have done it without
asking leave only that thrifty Miss Le-
titia always locked her barn doors at night
While he stood looking over into the
pen where the COWS were confined, and
trying to negotiate with Miss Letitia for
the release of the hcifer, along came Mr.
Small, in quest of Brindle. The two men
stared at each other for an instant in blank
dismay, then hung their heads in confu.
sion.
1t was useless to assert that the dam.
ages were too high, for had they not fixed
them themselves? It was useless to plead
that Miss Letitia was in manner re-
sponsible for what had happened, on &C
count of the open gate, for had they not
assured her that circumstance did not af'
feet the case? It was useless to say that
she had no right to keep the COWS in
custody, for had they not counseled hel
to do so? AS to going to law about it.
would they not thus become the sport OF
the whole town?
"'He that diggcth pit, he himself
shall fall into it," said Miss Letitia, who
read what was passing in their minds a:
we'll as if they had spoken, for the ligh,
Of Isaac's lantern fell full on their faces
However, don't wish to be hard upor
you, and on one condition will free the
cows and forgive you the debt"
"What is that?" Both looked the ques
ton, but did not ask it.
"The condition is that you promise tt
put good new fence in place of the ole
one that separates your estates, dividing
the cost between you, and that hence
forth you will live peaceably together a
far as in you lies. Doyou promise?"
scarcely audible.
"Shakc hands upon it, then," said Mis-
Letitia.
They did so.
"Now let the COWS out, Isaac; it's tim
they were milked," said she. And TIN
before them, with a shame-faCed al
greatly in contrast to the look of triumph
with which they had last quilted he
presence.
The fence was built, and the strff
; ceased when the cause was removed, bu
81 it was long before Miss Letitia's part i
the affair came to the public ear; for sh
herself maintained q strict silence cor
; cerning it, and enjoined the same upo
her man-servant Isaac.-1outh's Com
paaion.
FOR the fiscal year ending June II
1879, there were brewed and sold in tn
States and Territories 0,OO9, ,969 gallons c
fermented liquors, and during the follow
q n 60 0Y0A