The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-12-16

Just print In your paper that Deacon Van Bike,
Who resides in his mansion on Nickleby's pike,
And bis wife-let me zee how she told me
Well cay ,y that myself and my popular wife
Are the parents Of twinsi Glory! Hold mel"
Tue BOARD FENCE.
"Shoo, shoe, get home you plaguey
critters !" cried Mr.. Babcock, waving his
arms as he chased a dozen sheep and
lambs through gap in the fence.
It was wooden fence, and when he
had succeeded in driving the animals to
the other side of it he lifted it from the
fallen position and propped it up with
stakes. This was an operation he found
he had to repeat many times in the
course Of the season, and not only of
that season, but of several previous sea-
sons.
The truth was that this fence formed
the boundary line between his estate and
that of Mr.. Small, and three generations
Of men who owned these estates had
been unable to decide to whom it be-
longed to rebuild and keep it in repair.
Again and again had they consulted
their respective lawyers on the subject,
and dragged from their hiding places
musty old deeds and records, but always
with the same result.
II say it belongs to you to keep it in
repair; that's as plain as a pike-statf,
Mr.. Babcock would say.
'And I say it belongs to you-any
fool might see that" Mr.. Small would
reply; and then high words would fol-
low, and they would part in anger,
ever.
The lawyers fees and the loss by
''amage from each others cattle had al
ready amounted to a sum sufficient to
have built fence around their entire
estates. But what was that compared
to the satisfaction of having their own
way?
At last, one day, Miss Letitia Gill, q
woman much respected in the village,
and of some weight as landowner aud
taxpayer, sent for Mr.. Babcock to come
and see her on business-a summons
which he made haste to obey, as how
could it be otherwise where q lady was
concerned?
Miss Letit;a sat at her window sewing
I. seam, but she dropped her work and
took off her spectacles when MI. Bab-
cock 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 I wanted
to consult you on business-a matter Of
equity, I 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 maybe he wouldn't
be exactly impartial in his Judgment
about our affairs"
"Jes' So" said Mr.. Babcock.
swell, the state of the case is this
When Isaac came up from the long
meadow to dinner-they're moving the
meadow to-day, and an uncommonly
good yield there is-when he came up to
dinner he found that stray cows had
broken into the vegetable garden"
"He did, hey?"
"You fancy the riot made. Ideclare.
Isaac was almost ready to use profane
language. I am not sure he didn't, and,
after all, I couldn't feel to reproach him
very severely, for the pains he has taken
"AoA CAA1AO $3<tANOAA ID oOAACC11AuR u1udZ1uk
working 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 raise anybody's temper"
ut is so" said Mr.. Babcock.
"And that ISM all, for, by the looks of
things, theymusthave beenrampaging in
the orchard and clover field before they
got into the garden. Just you come and
see," and, putting on her sun-bonnet,
Miss Letitia showed Mr.. Babcock over
the damaged precincts.
"You don't happen to know whose
animals did the mischief?" said Mr..
Babcock.
swell, I didn't observe them in par
ticular myself, but Isaac said there was
one with peculiar white mark, some
thing like cross, on its haunch."
"Why, that's Small's old Brindle."
cried Mr.. Babcock. II know the mark
as we'll as I know the nose on my face.
She had balls on her horns. did she %
eyes, so Isaac said.'
"And kind of hump on her back ?"
"A perfect dromedary," said Miss
Letitia. II noticed that myself"
They were Small's COWS, no doubt of
it at ALL" said Mr.. Babcock, rubbing
his hands. "No sheep with them,
hey2
"Well, now I think of it, there were
sheep-they ran away as soon as they
saw Isaac. Yes, certainly there were
Sheep" said Miss Letitia.
II knew it-they always 90 with the
cows and what do you want of me?'
cts to fix damages" said Miss Lett
tia. GAS I said before, women folks are
no Judges about such matters"
Mr.. Babcock meditated q moment,
and then said:
swell. I wouldn't take o cent less
than $75 if I were you-not cent"
"Seventy-five dollars! Isn't that a
good deal, Mr.. Babcock? You know I
don't wish to be hard on the poor man ;
all want is fair compensation for the
mischief DONE"
"Seventy-ive dollars is fair, ma am
ID fact, I might say, it's low. I
wouldn't have had herd of cattle and
sheep tramplng through my premises
in that way for a hundred"
"There's one thing forgot to state !:
the orchard gate was open, or they
couldn't have got in; that may make
difference"
"Not bit-not q bit. You'd right
to have your gate open, but Small's
COWS had no right to run loose. I hope
Isaac drove them to the pound"
II 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 damage? Ishould hate to
go to law about j"
"He won't refuse and, if he does.
keep the critters till he will pay. As to
law, I guess he's had about enough Of
that"
II am sure I thank you for your ad-
vice." said Miss Letitia, "and I mean
to act upon it to the very letter."