Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1876-04-20
Misfell q
Marshall's Barn.

Silyerton l. quiet. old iashione New
England town, lying in as charming a bit
OF country a. one would wish TO see. soon
after leaving the village. the road towards
the south passes an old stone house, which
has been standing there stree Revolution
AIRY times. and still look. strong enough
and ample enough 10 be the future home
OF generations yet unborn.
About and beyond 1t lie broad fields of
grain. growing yellow under the August
sunshine. and acres Of corn, rustling in the
summer breeze.
And all this ls the property st one fort
unaie man. Standing upon the broad bal
cony OF the old stone house. he can look
toward the east. and toward the west, and
call il his own almost as far as he can see.
But some years ago, the farm had two
owners, and Richard Dean. who lived In
the stone house. and John Marshall. who
owned the lard opposite 10 II on the other
side of the road, were no friends. There
had been some ancient quarrel about land
marks, and. like true Cspuets and Mon
tagues, the families had nursed their en-
NIFTY, and transmitted it from father 10
son, along with the family acres.
There had been Deans and Marshalls in
Silyerton almost from the time when the
town first had a name j; but they were from
widely different walks in life. The lrst OF
the Deans was an English gentleman OF
fortune, who, In. travelling through the
the country, was charmed with the natural
beauty OF the place, bought large tract
OF land there. and built the stone house OF
this story The first OF the Marshalls came
into Silverton with all his worldly goods
in the bundle which he carried under his
arm, and the bundle was not heavy. He
! came as hired man" TO one Of the farm
ers In the neighbortood. After years
service he married the farmers daughter.
who, being an only child, in process OF
| time dutfully inherited her fathers acres,
and handed them over to her lucky lord
Since those days there had been great
| changes. None of the Deans had ever
| added TO their original inheritance, and
| one of the race had 20 crippled his re-
: sources by eXtravagant living that II be-
J came necessary for him Ia sell 4 portion oil
| his estate The Marshalls from father to
son, had ever beeh frugal set; and the
grandfather Of John Marshall was, by this
time. able to buy the land his fast-living
neighbor was forced to part with. 1t was
| from a dispute as to land marks. arising
from this sale, that the quarrel which we
have mentioned sprung. The case was
carried to law the Deans came off victori-
| GUS and the Marshalls never forgaye II.
Richard Dean. of this story, married the
| beautiful daughter OF the old Silverton
clergyman, Ii touched John Marshall very
| nearly; so that, between the old wound TO
the pocket and the new wound 10 the affec-
tions, the family quarrel seemed In no way
| likely to die out.
| 1t reached its climax when the two farm
ers, who belonged to opposite parties in
politics. became rival candidates tor cleo
ton to the State Legislature. John Mar
shall was beaten, and choosing to consider
his defeat as a direct personal injury, in
fiicted BY his neighbor, vowed that he
would be even with him. And Richard
Dean, when he came home at the close OF
the session, found that this had been no
idle threat.
Across the road directly in front OF his
house. loomed up before him the frame OF
a huge barn. Workmen were busy plying
their noisy hammers loose timoers were
scattered about, great heaps OF boards lay
piled up here and there ready for use. and
all the dirt and rubbish OF building defaced
the once beautiful meadow.
Mr.. Dean stood aghast, and could scarce
| ly believe his eyes. His pretty daughter
tripped out upon the balcony to meet him
but almost before the kiss with which she
greeted him was of from her pOuting lips
|
shame? Could you have believed that any
man would be SO mean: Is there nothing
to be done? Must We have that horric
barn always before our eyes!"
Yes: the barn was there, and stayed
Mr.. Dean found himself pOwerless. A mar
has a right to build where he will on hi:
own land. and the law cannot preyent hiu
from putting himself to any amount o
trouble, expense and Inconvenience fol
the very laudable object of executing his
spite on his neigbbor. In the eye OF th'
law the barn could not be made to appea
a nuisance. whatever it might be to th'
dwellers in tine stone house. So there wa
nothing to be done but to pocket thel
wrath, and, If possible, to possess thei
souls In patience, while the monster grew
day by day, until, at last 1t stood complete
in its ugliness, cutting Oh the view OF tn
beautiful western hills and the pretty pom
which nestled at their feet. hiding the bii
knoll, where a group OF gigantic PIN
trees kept watch and ward over the mead
ows below them, and shutting out even tn
sunset.
| The acme of ugliness was reached, an'