The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1881-01-13

keep the critters till he viii nay. AZ.
to law, I guess he's had about enough,
Of that. . 1' I. .S.e Pm =: d. &. =,,##=
m sure I thank you for your adj
vice, said Miss Letitia, '.and mean
to act on it to the very letter. - :sS=$ RI
Scarcely was he out OF 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 that she had made to Mr..
Babc0ck, showed him the injured pro.
perty, and asked him to fix the dam.
ages. :: T. :" !.
It was remarkable before he did this
that he should ask the same question
that Mr.. Babcock had asked; namely,
whether she had any idea to whom the
animals belonged. =:
"Well one Of them believe I OBJ
served, had a terribly crooked horn.''
"Precisely-it's Babcock's heifer.
! should know her among a thousand.
She was black and white, WASH she!'
"Well, now 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 suppose .,
| 'Certainly.'
| swell, I should say ninety dollars
was as low as he ought to get off
WITH 49,.
'Oh, but l fear that it will seem as
if I meant to take advantage. Sup
pose we call it-say seventy-fve!'
| "Just rs you please, of course; but
hanged if I'd let him off for cent less
than a hundred, if it were my case.''
"And if he refuses to G.y!'
"Why, keep the animals until he
come around, that's all.''
| "But there's one thing I 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 we'll; thank you for your adj
vice." said Miss Letitia; and MI.
Small departed with as smiling con.
tenance as Mr.. Babcock had worn.
But at milking time that night he
made q strange discovery-one brindle
was missing!
At about the same hour Mr.. Bah
cock made similar discovery: the
black-and-white heifer was nowhere to
be found!
A horrible suspicion 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 around to Miss
Letitia's and meekly asked leave to
look at the animals who had commit
ted the trespass. He would have done
it without asking leave, only that
thrifty Miss Letitia always shut her
barn doors at night.
While he stood looking over into the
pens where the cows were confined,
and, and trying to negotiate with Miss
Letitia for the release of the heifer,
along came MI. Small in quest of his
brindle.
The two men stared at each other in
blank dismay, then hung their heads
in confusion.
It was useless to assert that the
damages were too high, for had they
not fixed them themselves? It was
useless to plead that Miss Letitia was
i'll manner responsible for what had
happened, OH account of the open gate,
for they had not assured her that that
circumstance did not alter the case!
1t was useless to say she had no right
to keep the cows in custody, for had
they not cOunseled her to do 50! AS
to going to law about it, would they
not become the sport of the whole
town?
''He that diggeth Il pit. he himself
shall fall into it, said Miss Letitia,
who read what was passing in their
minds, as we'll as if they had spoken,
for the light from Isaac's lantern fell
full on their faces. ''However, on one
condition will free the COWS and for
give the debt
"What is that!' Both thought the
question, but did not ask it..
''The condition is, that YOU put a
good fence in place of the old one that
separates your estates, dividing the
cost between you, and that henceforth
you will live together peacefully, SO
far as in you lies. Do you promise!''
EYES," muttered both III 4 voice
scarcely audible.
''Slake hands upon it, them said
Miss Letitia.
They did 50.
''Now, let the cows out, Isaac; it's
time they were milked," said she.
| And the two men walked away (lriv.
ing their cows before them, and with
a shameful air, greatly in contrast to
the triumph with which they had be-
fore quilted her presence.
| The fence was built, and the strife
ceased when the cause was removed;
but it was long before Miss Letitia's
part in the affair came to the public
ear; for she herself maintained strict
silence concerning it, and she enjoined
the same upon her man-servant, Isaac
Something Good In the Fellow
l n -