The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-07-16

didn't say deuce, and I'm not 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 something amazing;
working in it, Mr.. Babcock, early and
late, wedding and digging, and water
ing, and now to see it all torn and
trampled so that you wouldn't know
which was beets and which was cucum-
bers, it's enough to rouse anybody's
temper.
"It is So" said Mr.. Babcock.
"And that isn't all, for by the looks
of things they must have been rampage
clover-feld before they had got into the
putting on her sun bonnet, Miss Letitia
showed Mr.. Babcock over the damaged
precinct.
"You don't happen to know those
animals did the mischief ?" said Mr..
Babcock.
Well, I didn't observe them in par
ticular, myself, but Isaac said there was
one with a particular white mark
something like a cross, on her haunch."
"Why, that's Small's old Brindle,"
cried Mr.. Babcock. "I know the mark
as well as 1 know the rose on my face.
She had balls on her horns, didn't she?"
eyes, so Isaac said."
"And kind of hump on her back ?"
ga perfect dromedary," said Miss
Letitia. I" I noticed that myself"
"They were Small's COWS, no doubt
about it at ALL" said Mr.. Babcock, rub
bing his hands. "No sheep with them !;
hey ?"
"Well, now think of it, there Dere
sheep,-they ran away as soon as they
saw Isaac. Yes, Certainly there were
Sheep" said Miss Letitia.
"I knew t,-they always go with the
COWS and what you wish of me"
els to fix the damages" said Miss
Letitia, GAS 1 said before, women
folks are no judges about such mat
ters."
Mr.. Babcock melitated a moment,
and then said,-
"Well, I wouldn't take cent less
than seventy-fve dollars, if I were you,
not q cent"
Seventy-fve dollars ! Isn't that
good deal, Mr.. Babcock? You know 1
don't wish to be hard on the poor man,
all I want is fair compensation for the
mischief DONE.
Seventy-fve dollars is fair, ma'am,
in fact, may say it's low; 1 wouldn't
have herd of cattle and she ,p tramp
ing through my premises in that way
for hundred"
"There's one thing forgot to state,
the orchard gate was open or they
couldn't have got in; that may make a
difference"
"Not a bit,-not bit. You'd a
right to have your gate open, but
Small's COWS had no right to run loose.
I hope Isaac drove 'em all to the pound,
didn't he ?"
81 heard him say he'd shut 'em 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? I should hate to
go to law about it,"
"He won't refuse if he does, keep
the critters till he aOiU pay. AS to law,
l guess he's had about enough of that"
"I'm sure ] thank you for your ad-
vice." said Miss Letitia, "and 1 mean
to act upon it to the very letter"
And Mr.. Babcock took his leave with
very happy expression of counte-
nance.
Scarcely was he out of sight when
Miss Letitia sent a. summons for Mr..
Small, which he obeyed as promptly as
his neighbor had done.
She made to him precisely the same
statement she had made to Mr.. Bab-
cock, 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
MI. 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. L
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 so clear black and
white on cow"
"To be sure, they're Babcock's ami
mails fast enough. Well, let me see
what you want is just about fair esti-
mate, I suppose?'
" Certainly"
"Well, 7 should say ninety dollars
was as low as he ought to be allowed to
get off with.
80, but I fear that will seem as if l
meant to take advantage. Suppose we
call it-say seventy-fve ?"
"Just as you please, of course but
hanged if ia let him off for less than q
hundred, if twas my case"
And if he refuses TO pay ?"
"Why, keep his animals till he comes
round, that's all.
"But there's one thing J. 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 we'll thank you for your ad-
vice." said Miss Letitia and Mr.. Small
departed with as smiling a countenance
as Mr.. Babcock had worn.
But at milking time that night he
made strange discovery-old Brindle
was missing
At about the same hour Mr.. Babcock
made a similar discovery-the black
and white heifer was nowhere to be
found
A horrible suspicion seized them
both,- 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 commit
ted the trespass. He would have done
IL without asking 1eava onlv that