The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1890-05-31


sued his neighbor for trespass, and
though he could not probably have re
covered more than zone cent damages, "
Eben had a wholesome distrus, of the
law, and was in no wise reminded to
give his substance into the hands of
lawyers.
Close by the spring, but just within
the boundary of the Parsons land, in an
elbow OF the rail fence, stood fine
elm-tree of truly Remarkable size for
its age," as Eben said, with honest
pride, for he had planted the tree IN
his boyhood, and he was not yet forty
five.
Eben had allowed the horses to
drink, and had slaked his own thirst at
the spring which he felt to be rightly
his own, and had mounted his horse
again, leaving the fence down, by way
of mute ASSERT IN of his rights, before
he noticed that around the beautiful
elm.tree just above its roots was broad
white band, where an axe applied by a
practised hand had removed the bark,
completely girdling the tree. Hence
the wrathful astonished question, ad-
dressed apparently to the horses, for no
other animate thing was in sight, "Who's
done tsis7"
Not lSnch need was there for inquiry.
Who couaI have done so mean thing
but Jason Buckley And good-humor
ed Eben, now as angry as any man well
could be, astonished his horses by the
whip and style of language they had
never heard from him before.
1t was not discovered precisely who
had done the cowardly deed, but Jason
Buckley's oldest son had been seen
with axe in hand very near the spring
which was still shaded by the magnii
cent elm, so beautiful in its full greer
LEAKAGE, though doomed to last but this
short summer through; as we some
times see fair and stately woman. gra
cious and lovely in the beauty which
her physicians know, has but a few
months more of life.
Hard enough had been the feelings
between the two families before, bu
from this July evening could be datec
the beginning OF lawsuits, which, insti
tuted or continued on one pretext O
another, fattened the village pettifogger
for several years, and bade fair to en-
dure as long as the two families Shoul(
be able, by hard and incessant toll, t'
make money enough to pay for th'
costly luxury of legal fights.
| So trivial was the usual nature of thes
lawsuits that the announcement tina
"there's another o. them Parsons Buck
lev temper suits t the Town hall t day
hardly suficed to attract the lounger
from the group around the store stow
or on the post office steps, but the feel
ing that these persistent lawsuits indi
Gated and cultivated mad grown 10 b
so bitter that it would hardly have sur
prised any one in the township to hav
heard of personal encounters and blood
shed.
But both families were of old NeN
England stock, with an inborn rever
ence for the laws OF the commonweait
and so took their spites and revenges i
legal ways, which may be just as hate
full and wicked, but are manifestiy les
brutal than the sort of malice whicl
wreaks itself IN murderous blows.
So the lawsuits had continued, an
the property of the two families ha
about equally suffered, while their mu
tual animosities had seemingly take
the natural lovableness out of their ma
7 lures, even going far to deface tn
manly beauty of the once SO comel
heads of the two families.
Their children-all boys-went t
$ the same school; all attended the sam
simple village entertainments the
: were of the same political party; an
, even were-to the great sorrow of tn
6 more devout brethren-members {
y the same church. Yet were the tw
| families never known to exchange
n greeting or a word of any kind, thoug
/ it was surmised that Mrs. Buckley an
D Mrs. Parsons would have been glad
, be "neighborly" had they followed the
+ own desires. The men of the tw
o families could not bring themselves I
a treat courteously those of whom the
e believed so ill, and though their ole
0 fashioned training had force enough
make them remember the courtesy du
e to their teachers, or hosts, or to tt
S church they attended, hence their Ion
Y unbroken silence, full OF undying an
mostly.
=, Then came the time when all ov,
p the Northern States flowed the gran
tidal wave of national feeling, whic
o carried all hearts with one mighty in
v pulse of lofty patriotism.
Eben Parsons, still handsome an
strong, though hair and beard wei
:, snowy white, came with his three sta
S wart young sons to join the ranks
n the three months men. Jason Bucl
S ley, still sturdy and fine locking in h
: grim old age, came with his thrt
It broad shouldered boys. In the san
+ regiment, even in the same compan