Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-01-31
THE BOARD FENCE

critters p cried Dfr. Babcock, waving
his arms as he chased dozen sheep
and lambs through gap in the fence.
1t was 8 wooden fence, and when he
had succeeded in Striving the animals
to the other side OF it, he lifted it from
it's reclining position 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 sew
eral 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 negligence
In this particular instance?
The truth was that this fence formed
the boundary line between his estate
and that of Mr.. Small; and three gener-
ations of men who had owned these es-
tates had been unable to decide to whom
belonged to rebuild and keep it in re-
pair. If the owners had CHANGED to be
men of peaceful dispositions, they had
compromised the matter and avoided a
a quarrel; but if, on the contrary, they
belonged to that much larger class who
would sooner sacrifice their own comfort
and convenience than their so-called
rights, this fence had been source of
unending pickering and strife.
And of this class were the present
owners. Again and again they had con-
suited their respective lawyers on this
subject, and dragged from their hiding
I'll nI1
always with the same result.
"I say it belongs to you to keep it in
repair: that's as plain as a pike-staff, -
Mr.. Babcock would say.
"And I say it belongs to you; any
fool might see that" MIR. Small would
reply, and 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 damages from each others cattle.
had already amounted to a sum suf-
fcient to have built a fence around
their entire estates; but what was that
compared TO the satisfaction of having
their own way?
There were not wanting IN the neigh
borhood peacemakers who would gladly
have settled the affair by arbitration,
but to this neither Of the belligerents
would listen fer moment.
At last, one day, Miss Letitia Gill, a
woman much respected in the village,
and of some weight as land owner and
tax payer, sent for Mr.. Babcock to come
and see her on business; summons
which he made haste to obey, as how
could he do otherwise where lady was
concerned.
Miss Letitia sat ut her window sew
ing up a seam, but she dropped her
work and took Of her spectacles when
Mr.. Babcock made his appearance.
$50 you got my message. thank you
for coming, I'm sure, Sit down, do. I
suppose my man Isaac told you that I
wanted TO consult you on 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, and may be he wouldn't be inn
partial in his judgment about our af-
fairs
'sJes' So" said Mr.. Babcock.
Well, the state Of the case is this.
When Isaac came up from the long
meadow to day-and an uncommon
good yield there is-when he came up
to dinner, he found that certain stray
COWS had broken into the vegetable
garden"
HE did, hey ?"
You can fancy the riot they made.
/ declare, Ieaac was almost ready to use
profane language. I'm not certain that
ne didn't say deuce, and I'm certain
he cid say DARN and after all, I could
Mt reproach him very severely, for the
pains he had taken with that garden is
something amazing; working in it, Mr..
Babcock, early and late, wedding and
digging and watering, and now to see
it all torn and trampled, SO that you
wouldn't know which was beets and
which was cucumbers, it's enough to
rouse anybody's temper"
1T is SO" said Mr.. Ifabcock.
''And that isn't all, for by the looks
of things they must have been ram
paging full hour in the orchard and
clover field before they had got into the
garden. Just you come and see;;" and
putting On her sun bonnet, Miss Letitia
showed MIR. Babcock over the damaged
precinct.
"You don't happen to know whose
animals did the mischief?"
"Well, didn't observe them in par
ticular myself, bat Isaac said there was
one with a particular white mark; some
thing like cross on her haunch."
''Why, that's Small's old Brindle, -
cried Mr.. Babcock. ''T know the mark
as well as know the nose on my face.
She had balls on her horns, didn't she p
Yes, SO Isaac said
'sAnd kind of hump on her back p
ga perfect dromedary," said Miss
Letitia. 81 noticed that myself"
"They We're Small's COWS, no doubt
about it at ALL" said Mr.. Babcock, rub.
bling his hands. "No sheep with
them; heyi"
well, now I think of it, there were
sheep; they ran away as soon as they
saw Isaac; yes, certainly there were
> eep," said Miss Letitia.
81 knew it, they always go with his
nna vubof do Won wish 1f me-