The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-08-20
THE BOARD FENCE.

"Shoo, shoe, get home, you plaguey
critter ?" cried Mr.. Babcook, waving
his arms, rs he chased dozen sheep
and lambs through gap in the fence
1t was Il wooden fence, and when he
had succeeded in driving the animals to
the other side of it, ho lifted it from the
reclining position and propped it up
with stakes. This was an operation he
found himself obliged to repeat many
times in the course of the season, and
not only of that season, but of several
previous seasons.
Yet Mr.. Babcoc1 was neither slack
nor thriftless in fact, he rather prided
himself Oh the ordinary appearance of
his farm, and not without reason.
How then, shall we account for his
negligence in this particular instance?
The truth WIS that this fence formed
the boundary line between his estate
and that of Mr.. Small, and three gene
rations of men who owned these estates
had been unable to decide to whom it
belonged to rebuild and keep it in re-
pair. Ii the owners had CHANGED to be
men of peaceful dispositions they would
have compromised the matter and avoid
ed quarrel ; but if, on tho contrary,
they belonged to that much larger class
who would sooner sacrifice their own
comfort and convenience that their So
called rights, this fence would have been
source of unending chickering's and
strife.
And of this class were the present
owners. Again and again had they con-
suited their respective lawyers on the
subject, and dragged from their hiding
places musty old deeds and records, but
always with the same result.
''I say it belongs to you to keep it in
repair; that's rs plain as piltc-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, more
determined and obstinate than ever.
The lawyers fees and the loss by
damages from each others cattle, had
already amounted to sum sufficient to
have built fence around their entire
estates, but what was TINT compared
with the satisfaction of having their own
way? -. "
At last, one dny, Miss IIetitia Gill;
woman much respected in the village,
and of some weight Us a landowner and
taxpayer, sent for Mr.. Babcock to come
and see her on business summons
which he made haste to obey, as how
could it be otherwise whore q lady was
concerned
Miss Lititia sat ut her window sewing
nseam, but she dropped her work and
took off her. spectacles when Mr.. 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 l wanted
to consult you on business-a matter of
equity, may say. 1t 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 ht
lives OH the place maybe he wouldn't
be exactly impartial in his Judgment
about our affairs"
"Jes' SO, said Mr.. Babcock.
"Well, tho state of the case is this ::
When Isaac came up from the long
meadow to dinncr-they'rc moving the
meadow to-day, and an uncommonly
good yield there 'is-when he came up
to dinner, ho found that stray COWS had
broken into the vegetable garden"
"He did, hey?"
"You cnn fancy the riot made I de-
clare, Isaac was almost ready to use
profane language. [ am not sure that
he didn't; and, after all, I couldn't feel
to reproach him very severely, for the
pains he has taken with that garden is
something amazing ; working in it, Mr.,
Baboock, early and late, wedding, and
digging, and watering, and now to see
1t oil torn and trampled so that you
wouldn't know which was beets and
which was cucumbers. It's enough to
raise anybody's tonper." affsH sG
,"It is So" said Mr.. Babcoek. 4. ~
"And that isn't all, for by tho looks
of things they must have been ram
paging In the orchard and clover.felds
before they got into the garden. Just
you come and see;" and putting on her
sunbonnet, Miss Letitia showed Mr..
Babcock over the damaged precincts.
"You don't happen to know whose
animals did the mischief2" said Mr..
Babcock. @ .g..
"Well, I didn't observe them in par
r
ticuiar myself, but Isaac said there was