The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1888-09-28
THAT MEADOW FENCE.


friends now, boy and man, going on sixty
two years, were never going to speak to
each other again. 1t all came of a division
fence between their farms.
Uncle Dan'rs grandboy Sam, the one
that is sparkling Lizzie North, the orphan
girl down at Tim Bottoms new house-Sam
had been for some time coaxing his grand
pa to spruce up the old place, and among
didn't build a new fence between the Good
speed and the Bibbs meadows, why, he
would do it himself. OF course Sam could
not build a fence. He will W the whole
farm some day, but just now he could not
raise money enough to pay for digging the
postholes; and you may be sure he would
not dig them himself, for he has hardly
done a lick of work since he got to training
with the North girl. But the way he
talked and talked about that old meadow
fence, saying it was a shame and a dis
grace, running right up to the base-line
road as it did, and within sight, too, of the
new fence lately built by Jabez Watson,
whose boy is sort of purring around Lizzie
North, trying to cut Sam out-all this
talk Of Sans set Uncle Dan'l to thinking
that may be he ought to build the new
fence. So last Saturday he wen over to
Deacon Bibb's house and said
TON, you amt got no objection to my
putin up a new fence along atween our
medders, have you"
The deacon sort of smiled like and said:
"Waal, Daril, what IN earth put that no.
ton in your head?"
'Oh, nothin' petickiler," said Uncle
Dan'l, ''only the old fence is about past
patchin' up, and thought, bein's how
I've got my hay and barley in, I'd jest
"Waal, amt this kind O sudden? You
amt never said nothin' about it before ?"
No" Uncle Dan'l admitted, but I've
been %a-thinking about it for some time
The two old men walked along together
down to take a look at the fence and talk
the matter all over. On the way the dea-
con laid his hand on Uncle Dan'l's arm
and, stopping him, said: "Danil, look at
that there tree right from here. What
does it mind you off,"
"Nothin' p~etickiler, Tom"
"Don't you mind that old tree down by
the crick back o your pas orchud-the
one that
"Guess do" said Uncle Dan'l; sfthe
one where we had the fight that time"
eyes, an Aunt Tidy come down an
pulled me off'n you"
"An' spanked you, too"
eyes, so she did. was gettin' a leetle
the best of you when she come, I guess,
Dan'l.''
81 dunno" said Uncle Dan'l; 81 guess
if I'd a-had my boots on when I kicked
you in the stomick that time I'd a-winded
you"
But l was atop when Aunt Tidy come,
you know"
Chats so; but there amt no tellin'
What d a-happened if she hadn't a-come.
l was a pretty husky boy, Tom"
$50 you was, Dan'l, but | had you
down"
"Yes, but I want a-whimperin' about
it, was II"
"No, you want. I don't guess either
of us was much O. the whimperin' sort"
"Waal, not very much that folks knowed
Of" said Uncle Danl, proudly.
When they reached the meadow fence
Deacon Bibbs said:
'That's so; it is gittin' Pretty rickety.
But, Dan'l," he added after awhile, ''it's
a-goin' to cost something to build a new
one. I should think"
81 know 1t; but I've calkelated on all
that. Sammy, he's gittin' along now, you
know, an it sort o makes him ashamed,
bcin's he's goin' to have the farm bime-
by, anyhow. jest thought if you didn't
have no objections I'd run up a new one
"Waal, I'll tell you, Danil; I'm a leetle
pinched for money jest now, but
''What O that?" said Uncle Dan'l;
'Taiu't goin' to cost you nothin'. I'm a.
goin' to build it myself"
"No, you amt no such thing. Do you
s'pose I'd let you build a fence along my
medder 'ithour payin' my share for it,"
"Naal, there amt no share about it. l
want a new fence an you don't want no
new one. That's all there is to it; an I'm
a-goin' to pay for ev'ry stick of it, cause
I'm the one as wants it,"
"No, you amt goin' to pay for it, nuth-
err said the deacon. 'If that ere fence
goes up I pay for half of it,"
"What's the use % talkin' that way,
I've got the money to do it with
an You amt; so what's the use O. talkin'
about who's goln' to pay for it?"
"Waal, I'm goin' TO pay half or there
amt a-goin' to be no new fence. I'm sot
on that, Dan'l, an you know when I'm sot
I'm sot."
$50 IN I sot on that there's goin' to be-
new fence an that you amt a-goin' to pay
a single, solitary red cent for it; an when
I'm sot Tn jest as sot as you be-"
''Waal, we'll see" said the deacon.
"Waal, we will sec," replied Uncle
DAHL.
They walked along down the line of the