Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1881-08-25
THE BOARD FENCE.

|
critter o. cried Mr.. Babcock, waving
his arms, as he chased dozen sheep
and lambs through gap i'll the fence.
1t was a wooden fence, and when he
had succeeded in driving the animals to
the other side of it, he lifted it from the
reclining position and propped 1t 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.. Babcock was neither slack
nor thriftless in fact, he rather prlded
himself on the ordinary appearance of
his farm, and not without reason.
How then, shall we account for his
negligence i'll this particular instance?
The truth was 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 1t
belonged to rebuild and keep it in re-
pair. If the owners had chanced to be
men of peaceful dispositions they would
have compromised the matter and avoid
ed quarrel but if, on the 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.
81 say it belongs to you to keep it in
repair that's as plain as pike-staff, "
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 i'll 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 that compared
with the satisfaction of having their own
way?
At last, one day, Miss Letitia Gill, a
woman much respected in the village,
and of some weight as landowner and
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 lady was
concerned +?
Miss Lititia sat at her window sewing
a seam, but she dropped her work and
took off her spectacles when Mr.. Bah
cock made his appearance.
$50 you got my message thank you
for coming, I'm sure. Sit down, do. /
suppose my man Isaac told you l wanted
to consult you on business 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 he
lives on the place maybe he wouldn't
be exactly impartial in his judgment
about our affairs.
'Jes' So" said Mr.. Babcock.
"Wen, the state of the case is this ::
When Isaac came up from the long
meadow to dinner-they 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 can 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, [ couldn't feel
to reproach him very severely, for the
pains he has 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
raise anybody's temper"
''It is so, said Mr. Babcock.
''And that isn't all, for by the 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 hel
sunbonnet, Miss Letitia showed Mr.
Babcock over the damaged precincts.
"You don't happen to know whose
animals did the mischief?" said Mr.
Babcock.
"WeI, I didn't observe them in par
ticular myself, but Isaac said there was