Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-07-22
The Board Fence.
An OLD TROUBLE sKllruLlr SETTLED.

Shoe, shoe, get home, you plaguy crit
ters !" cried Mr.. Babcock, waving his arms
as he chased a dozen sheep and lambs
through a gap in the fence.
1t was a wooden fence, and when he had
succeeded in driving the animals the other
side of it, he lifted it from its reclining po-
sition, 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 several previous seasons.
Yet Mr.. Babcock was neither slack nor
thriftless; in fact he rather prided himself
on the orderly appearance Of his farm, and
not without reason. How then shall we &C.
count for his negligence in this particular
instance2
The truth was that this fence formed the
boundary line between his estate and that
of Mr.. Small; and three generations oi
men who owned these estates had been una
bic to decide to whom it belonged to rebuild
and keep it in repair. If the owners had
CHANGED to be men Of peaceable dispositions
they had compromised the matter and
avoided a quarrel but if, on the contrary
they belonged to that much larger class who
would sooner sacrifice their own comfort
aud convenience than their so-called rights
this fence had been source Of unendine
chickering's and strife.
And Of this class were the present own
ers. Again and again they had consulted
their respective lawyers on the subject, and
dragged from their hiding places musty old
deeds and records, but always with the same
result.
81 say it belongs to you to keep it in re-
pair; that's as plain as pike.staff," Mr.
Babcock would say.
"And | say it belongs to you,--any foo
might see that" Mr.. Small would reply
aud then high words would follow, and they
would part in anger, more determined and
obstinate than before. The lawyers fee,
and the loss by damages from each others
cattle, had already amounted to q sum suf
icient to have built fence round theil
entire estates, but what was that compared
to the satisfaction Of having their own way
There was not wanting in the neighbor
hood peace.makers who would gladly havt
settled the affair by arbitration; but to thi
neither of the belligcrents would listen fo
a moment.
At last, one day, Miss Lotita Gill, I
woman much respected in the village, and o
some weight as a landowner and taxpayer
sent for Mr.. Babcock to come and see her OF
business summons which he made hastt
to obey, as how could he do otherwise wher'
a lady was concerned.
Miss Letitia sat at her window sewing ~
a seam, but she dropped her work and tool
of her spectacles when Mr.. Babcock mad'
his appearance.
$50 you got my message; thank you fol
coming, I'm sure. Sit down, do sup
pose my man Isaac told you | wanted t.
consult you on a matter of business
matter Of equity, may say? 1t can't b,
expected that we women folks should be th,
best judges about such things, you know
there's Isaac, to be sure, but then ho live
on the place, and maybe he wouldn't b,
exactly impartial in his judgment abou
our affairs"
Jes' So" said Mr.. Babcock.
Well, the state of the case is this
When Isaac came up from the long meadow
to dinner.-they're moving the meadow
to-day, and an uncommonIy good yield ther,
is,-when he came up to dinner, he founC
that certain stray cows had broken into th'
vegetable garden"
lie did, hey 7"
You can fancy the riot they made
declare, Isaac was almost ready to use pro
fame language. I'm not sure that he didn'
say deuce, and I'm not certain he did say
darn : and after all, couldn't feel to re
proach him very severely, for the pains he
has taken with that garden is something
amazing working in it, Mr.. Babcock, early
and late, wedding and digging, and water
ing, aud now to see 1t all torn and tramplet
so that you wouldn't know which was beet
and which was cucumbers, it's enough Il
rouse anybody's temper"
at is so, said Mr.. Babcock.
"And that isn't all, for by the looks O.
things they must have been rampaging ful
hour in the orchard and clover-deld before
they had got into the garden. Just yo'
come and see - and, putting on her sun.bon
net, Miss Lotitia showed Mr.. Babcock owe
the damaged precinct.
"You don't happen to know whose ami
mails did the mischief2" said Mr.. Babcock