The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-08-04
TIE COUNTY SURvEyop


that a good many of them can1 will
with little difficulty, recall the awe in
which the magicians of the olden time
were held by their fellow mortals This
awe and veneration has parallel IN
modern life in the general respect and
consideration with which the county
surveyor is treated on the occasion of a
professional visit to one of the hemlats
in his territory.
Enoch Jimson and Scion Mc(iill oot
into a wrangle over a new line fance
that must be built, each WANTING IN
shove it over toward his neighbor q
little. Although the land in DISPUTE
amounted to but little, they could reach
no settlement of the difficulty without
the lines being ''run." So the county
surveyor is called in, and it is then that
his Importance is manifested and his
vanity gets a wholesale tickling.
Augustus Bings Is not man Won
would pick ont in crowd as being one
to whom the world at large would look
up with any remarkable degree of ven
Grafton; nor does be seem to expect it.
as he walks among his fellow men in
the populous county seat. But sAs2,
he reaches the little town or, - y
vile his dignity and Importance haze
grown to enormous proportions Ps-
sibly it is the ozone of the country ar
that has so remarkable an effect.
On this trip he is accompanied By a
youth who carries the chain and holds
the rod with intention Of ultimately
learning the mysteries OF the profess
sion, and at last shining firth himself.
This youth is the cynosure of all eyes,
as far as the juvenile potion of the
village is concerned, and i envied as
being the happy possessor If enormous
brain qualifications, thus toenable him
to act in the important capacity in
which he does. All the slang phrases
which he drops are eagerly snapped
up by his young admirers, and the
chestnuts that he incidentally relates
pass current as the latest and best wit
for many day.
1t is only the assistant thai jests,
however. The surveyor himself is
self-contained, and scorns such irivol
tiles, as being unseemly in nan SO
far advanced in science as he is. His
utterances are brief and sententious,
and confined mostly to sundry anddark
hints as to the capacity of the indi
vidual who run the lines before.
Deliberation and lack of hurry are
marked characteristics of our surveyor
on these trips, and it being so near
noon he does not undertake his work
until he has refreshed himself with
dinner. The smiling and gracious
landlord escorts his guests to theh
seats; the cook holds the kitchen dool
open a crack and inserts a tousled heae
to steal glance at the great man; TIT
young lady that waits on the table al
justs her bangs and looks please(easf-
the assistant; the regular boarders
file in and seat themselves and turn
their conversation to as important sub
jects as possible so as not to be consid.
cred too ostentatiously fippant.
Dinner over, our surveyor and his
assistant are rejoined by the contend
ing parties and an augmented audi
ence. They proceed to the seat ofwar;
the assistant spreads the three sticks
so they will stand alone; the surveyor
motions the boy who carried the box
to come forward. He steps forth with
his precious burden with the proud
step of a soldier called from the ranks
to receive a decoration for bravery.
The eyes of the public are turned
toward the box, each eager to catch
the first glimpse of its contents. The
surveyor takes key from his pocket,
stoops down and deliberately opens the
cover. A stiffness falls upon the group,
as he lifts from its resting place the
transit and puts it in position on the
tripod. Each move he makes locating,
leveling and all the various maneuver-
ings are watched carefully, and no mo-
ton escapes notice. His assistant
walks away from the instrument, bear
ing the figured rod and pulling the
wire chain. He pauses at a certain
distance; holds up the rod; the sur
veyor places his eye to the instrument
and waves his hand to the right; the
assistant moves the rod to the
right; he waves his arm again; the
assistant moves again; he gazes long
and earnestly, then stands erect and
the surveyor produces little red book
in which he makes few figures. He
stops to talk with Jimson and tim
with McGill. The postmaster sidles Ep,
holds one eye shut with his finger,
squints into the instrument with the
other and sees-nothing. The cobbler.
the next best politician, who is also
deacon in the church and school COM
mitteemau, follows the postmaster with
the same success. One or two more of
the more influential and important in
habitants do the same, while the new
doctor, who once carried chain during
vacation to earn money to pursue his
studies, asks the surveyor ''if his ,ay~
nier reads to the fractions of seconns -
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