Connecticut western news., 1881-01-19
THE BOARD FENCE.

"Shoo, shoo, get home, you plaguey critters! p cried MT. Babcock, waving his arms, as he chased 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 re- clining 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 sbut of several previous seasons. Yet MT. Babcock was neither slack nor thriftless in fact, he rather prided himself on the ordinary appearance of his farm, and not without reason.
 How then shall we account for his negligence in this particular instance 1? The truth was that this fence formed the boundary line between his estate and that of MT. Small, and three gen. erations of men who owned these es- tates had been unable to decide to whom it belonged to rebuild and keep it in repair. If the owners had chanced to be men of peaceful dispositions they would have compromised the matter and avoided 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 would have been a source of une nding picker ings 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 keepit in repair; that's as plain as pike-staff, J Mir. Babcock would say.
 'And I say it belongs to you-any fool might see that" MT. 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, hac already amounted to a sum sufficient te have built fence around their entire estates, but what was that compared with the satisfaction of having their ow1 way?
 At last, one day, Miss Letitia Gill, , woman much respected in the village and of some weight as landowner anC taxpayer, sent for MT. Babcock tt come and see her on business sum mons which he made haste to obey, a how could it be otherwise where lady was concerned?
 Miss Letitia sat at her window sewing seam, but she dropped her work ant took off her spectacles when MT. Bab cock made his appearance.
 "So you got my message thank yo1 for coming, Pm sure. Sit down, do. suppose my man Isaac told you wanted to consult you on business-a matter o equity, may say. It can't be expectet that we women folks should be the bes judges about such things, you know there's Isaac, to be sure, but then h. lives on the place maybe he wouldn' be exactly impartial in his iudgmen about our affairs.''
 "Jes' so, said MT. Babcock.
 "Well, the state of the case is this When Isaac came up from the lon, meadow to dinner-they're moving tn meadow to-day, and an uncommonl good yield there is--when he came u to dinner, he found that stray COWS Ina broken into the vegetable garden"
 "He did. hey?"
 "You can fancy the riot made. I de clare, Isaac was almost ready to us profane language. I am not sure ths he didn't; and, after all, I couldn't fet to reproaeh him very severely, for tn pains he has taken with that garden something amazing; working in it, M Babcock, early and late, wedding, an