The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-11-02
rHE COUNTY SURVEYOR.
4 Being af Remarkahls Impurtance ana
Royal self-Poaaession.

read Eand l suppose, without doubt,
that a good many of them canl will,
with little difficulty, recall the awe In
which the magicians of the olden time
wereheld by their fellow mortals. This
awe and veneration has parallel In
modern life in the general respect and
consideration with which tho county
surveyor Is treated on the occasion OF a
professional visit to one OF the hemlats
In his territory.
Enoch Jimson and Solon Mctsill got
into wrangle over n new line fence
that must be built. each wanting to
shove it over toward his neighbor IA
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 1t Is then that
his Importance IL manifested and his
vanity gets u wholesale tickling.
Augustus BinSs Is not man you
would pick out in n crowd as being one
To whom the world at large would look
up with any remarkable degree of ven
eration; nor does he seem to expect 1t,
as he walks among his fellow men In
the popalous county seat. But when
he reaches the little town of panlxin-
vile his dignity and Importance have
grown 10 enormous proportions. Pos
slbly it is the ozone Of the country ar
that has so remarkable an effect.
On this trip he is accompanied by
youth who carries the chain and holds
the rod with intention of ultimately
learning the mysteries of the profess
sion, and at last shining forth himself.
This youth is the cynosure of all eyes,
rs far as the Juvenile portion of tho
village is concerned, and is envied as
being the happy possessor of enormous
brain qualifications, thus TO enable 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 n day.
It Is only the assistant that jests.
however. The surveyor himself Is
self-contained, and scorns such frivol-
tiles, as being unseemly In a man so
FAR advanced In science as he Is. His
atterances are brief and sententious,
and confined mostly TO sundry and dark
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 70 their
seats; the cook holds the kitchen door
open crack and inserts tousled head
10 steal glance at the great man; the
young lady that waits on the table ad-
iusts her bangs and looks pleasant at
the assistant; the regular boarders
iile in and scat themselves and turn
their conversation to as important sub
jects as possible so as not 10 be consid-
cred too ostentatiously flippant.
Dinner over, our surveyor and his
assistant are rejoined by the contend
ing parties and an augmented audi
ence. They proceed TO the seat of war;
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 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 q key from his pocket.
stoops down and deliberately opens tho
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 a little red book
| in which he makes few figures. He
/ stops to talk with Jimson and then
with McGill. The postmaster sidles up
| holds one eye shut with his finger
| souints into the instrument with the
5ther and sees-nothing. The cobbler
the next best politician, who is alsC
deacon in the church and school com
mitteeman, follows the postmaster with
| the same success. One or two more o
| the moro influential and important in
| habitants do the same, while the new
doctor, who once carried chain during
| vacation to earn money to pursue hi:
studies, asks the surveyor ''if his yer
nier reads to the fractions of seconds,
which so booms his reputation fo
| learning, that old Doctor Bolus lose
| three patients during the next week
who transfer their support to the nev
doctor .swho is up to the times"
Il At length the survey is made, anC
the matter decided in favor OF neither
FOR the old fence was in the right place
and the two contestants become friendl,
once more. The surveyor and his as
5istant leave on the evening train, ant
The village settles back into its accus
toned tranquility, but for some tim
to come, the record of an event is base,
N the number of days or weeks that
happened before or after THAT ther