Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1874-07-23
TIE BOARD FENCE.

ashco, shoe, get home, yo, plaguy
crittersl cried Mr.. Babcock, waving
his arms MS he / chased q dozen sheep
and lambs through gap in the fence.
1t was wooden fence, and when he
other side of it, lie lifted it from its re-
clining position, and propped it up with
stakes. This was nm operation he had
found himself obliged to repeat many
times in tho course of the season, and
not only of TINT season, but of several
previous seasons.
Yet MIR. 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 account for his negli-
gence in this particular instance?
The truth was that this fence formed
the boundary limo between his estate aud
that of MIR. Small; and three genera
tions of mon who owned these estates
had been unable to decide to whom it
belonged to rebuild aud keep it in re-
pair. If the owners had CHANGED to be
men of peaceable dispositions, they had
compromised the matter aud avoided n
quarrel but if, on the contrary, they
belonged to that much larger class who
fort and convenience than their so-called
rights. this fence had been source of
unending chickering's and strife.
Aud of this class were the present
owners. Again and again they had
coApsulted their respective lawyers on
th& subject, and dragged from their
hiplng- places musty old deeds and re-
CORDS, but always with the same result.
81 say it belongs to you to keep it in
grepair that's as plain as pike staff"
A-hfr-- -Rahaack would .g,ss -
And says it belong to you,-any
fool might see that" Mr.. Small would
reply, ani then high words would fol
low, and they would part in anger, more
determined and obstinate than before.
The lawyers fees and the loss by dam
ages from each others cattle had al
ready amounted to n sum sufficient to
have built fence round their entire
estates, but what was that compared to
the satisfaction of having their own
way?
There was 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 land -owner and
taxpayer, sent for Mr.. Babcock to come
and see her on business n summons
which he made haste to obey, as how
could he do otherwise where n lady was
concerned.
Miss Letitia sat nt her window sow.
ing up seam, but she dropped her
work and took Off her spectacles whom
lr Babcock made his appearance.
SO you got my messnge thank Won
for coming, I'm sure. Sit down, do. I
suppose my man Isaac, told YOU I
wanted to consult you on n 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.''
.Jes' SO, said Mr.. Babcock.
Well, the state of the case ia tbia .
When Isaac camo nm from '4 Tho 20 'Ills 1n,s. .
ea rneaaoW TO dinner they're moving the
good yield there is.-when he came m
to dinner. he found that certain atrop
COWS had bloken into the veoatohia
garden" 'etso'''oie
"He did, hey?"
4on can fancy the riot thew mado
declare, Isaac was almost ready 70 II nso
profane language. I'm not snro tbat be
didn't say deuce, and I'm not certain
he did say .darn;' and after al r
couldn't feel to reproach him WI yerv
severely, for tho pains he has taken
with that garden is something amazing
working in it, Mr.. Babcock. early md
!ate' wedding and digging, and water.
ing, and now to sec it all torn md
trampled 20 that you wouldn't know
which was beets and which was cucnm.
hers, it's enough to ronse apybody's
~ is So" said Mr.. Babcock
and that isn't all, for by The looks
of things they must have bean n w =, ,nOn' ~, NJ
ing IN III hour in tho orchard and clio clo.
verified before they had got into , III" tho
garden. Just you come and 500 >, ond Un1
putting on her sun-bonpet. Misa T I,ot;t;o
showed Mr.. Babcock over tba JorSnns .o.l.is
precinct. ''-o '''n"eea
"You don't happen to know .bos.
ANIMALS did the mischief ?" said Mr.
Babcock. '"'o hir'
well. 7 didn't observe thom in nor.
tlcuiar, but Isaac said there was ono
with particular white mark some.
thin% like cross on her hannch."
Why, that's Small'a old Brindle."
cfied MIR. Babcock. 81 know the mark