The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-06-25

sheep, SAID Miss Letitia.
II knew it--they always go with th
cows; and what OF mePn
=" lt's to fix damages" said Miss LIE
titia. "As. said before, women folk
are no judges about such matters"
Mr.. Babcock meditated moment, ant
then said:
"Well, | wouldn't take cent les,
than seventy-ive dollars, if were YOU
not cent"
Seventy five dollarsi Isn't that .
good deal, Mr.. BabcockP You know
don't wish to.b hard on the poor man
all l want is n fair compensation for the
mischief done"
"Seventy-iivo dollars is fair, ma'am
i'm fact, l might say it's low.
wouldn't have had herd of cattle and
sheep trampling through my premises
in that way for a hundred"
"There's one thing forgot 10 state
the orchard gate was open or they
couldn't have got in; that may make a
difference"
mot bit-not bit. You d /, right
to have your gate open, but Small's
cows had no right to run loose. ]
hope Isaac drove them to the pound,
didn't hep"
g 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 for the damagesl
should have to go TO law about it."
"Hc won't refuse; if he does, keep
The critters till he will pay. As to
law, l guess he's had about enough of
that"
I'm sure ! thank you for your adj
vice." said Miss Lctita, and l mean
to act upon it TO the very letter."
Scarcely was he out of her sight
when Miss Letitia sent 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 Linn the injured property,
and asked him to fix the damages. 1t
was remarkable before he did this that
he should ask the same question Mr..
Babcock had asked, namely, whether
she had any suspicion to whom the ami
mails belonged.
"Well, one of them observed had a
terribly crooked horn"
Prccisely-it's Babcock's heifer; |
should know her among a thousand.
She was black and white, wasn't shep"
swell, 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 fair estimate. I
supposcP"
Certainly"
"Wcll, l should say ninety dollars
was rs low as he ought to be allowed to
get of with"
"Oh, but fear that will seem rs if
meant to take advantage. Suppose we
call it-say scventy-fve."
"Just as you please, of course; but
hanged if I'd let him of for cent less
than hundred, il il were my case"
And if he refuses to payf"
"Why, keep the animals until he
comes around, that's ALL"
But there's ore thing neglected to
mention-our gate was standing open;
that may alter the case"
Not at all there's no law against
keeping your gate open; there is against
stray animals"
VERY well; thank you for your ad-
vice." said Miss Letitia; and MIR. Small
departed with as smiling counten-
ance as Mr.. Babcock had worn.
But at milking time that night he
made a strange discovery-old brindle
was missing! At about the same hour
Mr.. Babcock made similar discovery;
the black and white heifer was no.
where to be found. A horrible sus-
piciOn seized them both-a suspicion
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 10
look ct the animals which had COM
mitted the trespass. He would have
done it without asking leave, only that
thirty Miss Letitia always shuts her
barn doors at night.
While he stood looking over into the
rens where the cows were confined, and
trying to negotiate with Miss Letitia
for the release of his brindle along
coma Mr. Small II, ouoot of h;a L-;xlio
The two men stared at each other in
blank dismay, then hung their heads in
confusion.
1t was useless to assert that the dam
ages were too high, for had they not
fixed them themselvesp 1t was useles
TO plead that Miss Letitia was in n man.
ner responsible for what had happened,
on account OF the open gate, for had
they not assured her that that ciranm-
stance did not alter the caseP 1t was
us ,less to say she had no right to keep
the cows in custody, for had they not
,counseled her to do sol As to going to
law about it, would they not become
the sport of the whole town.
@AS 'h"s NiSSebh pio, hc hiulScl
shall fall into it," said Miss Letitia, ho
read what was passing in their minds as
well rs if they had spoken, for the light
of lsaac's lantern fell full ON their faces.
However, on one condition / will free
the cows, and forgive the debt"
"What Is thatP" Both thought the
question, but did not ask it.
THE condition is that you promise to
put good new fence in place of the old
one that separates your estates, dividing
the cost between you, and that hence
forth you will live together peacefully,
so Ear as in you lies. Do yeu promisef"
YES" muttered both in q voice
scarcely audible.
'Shake hands upon it. thenf" said
Miss I.etitia.
They did so
Now let the cows out, Isaac; its