Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-06-27

taught, OF nad taught himself, 10 OElCYe
had never belonged to the Parsonses.
EFF old Deak Parsons bad had right
70 the spring, why'n thunder didn't ne
make his right good when he had the
chance:' said George Buckley, And 50
the controversy had gone on during this
second generation, and was now con-
tinued IN the third, IN the persons of
handsome Eben Parsons. and the stout
hearted and strong listed Jason Buckley.
Arrived at the spring, Eben had
stopped and let down link Of the fence
to allow his horses to drink there, as he
always made point Of doing upon every
occasion when his enemy was not in
sight. To have done this in the presence
Of Jason would have been most unwise,
for the latter would have sued his neigh
Dor for trespass, and though he could not
probably have recovered more than zone
cent damages" Eben had a wholesome
distrust of the law, and was in no WISE
minded 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 a fine elm
tree OF truly remarkable size for its
age" as Eben said, with honest pride,
for he had planted the tree in his boy
hood, and he was not yet forty-fve.
Ebeu had allowed the horses to drink,
and had slaked his own thirst at the
spring which he ielt to be rightly his
own, and had mounted his horse again,
leaving the fence down, by way of
mute assertion of his rights, before he no.
ticed that around the beautiful elm tree
Just above its roots was a broad white
band, where an axe applied by a prac-
ti3ed hand had removed the bark, com
pletely girdling the tree. Hence tue
wrathful astonished question, addressed
apparently to the horses, for no other
animate thing was in sight, "Who's done
this?'
Not much need was there for inquiry.
Who could have done so mean thing
but Jason Buckley? And good humored
Eben, now as angry as any man well
could be, astonished his horses 10y the
whip and a 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
an axe in hand very near the spring,
which was still shaded by the magnificent
elm, so beautiful in its full green leaf
age, though doomed to last but this short
summer through; as we sometimes see
fair and stately woman, gracious and
lovely in the beauty which, her physi-
clans know, has but few months more
of life.
Hard enough had been the feelings be-
tween the two families before, but from
this July evening could be dated the
beginning of lawsuits, which, instituted
Or continued on one preteXt or another,
fattened the village pettifoggers for sew
cral years, and babe fair to endure as
long as the two families should be able,
by hard and incessant toll, to make
money enough to pay for the costly
luxury of legal fights.
SO trivial was the usual nature of these
lawsuits that the announcement that
''there's another O them Parsons Buck
ley temper suits It the Town Hall t'-day''
hardly sufficed to attract the loungers
from the group around the store or on the
postoftice steps, but the feeling that
these persistent lawsuits indicated and
cultivated had grown to be so bitter that
it would hardly have surprised any one
in the township to have heard of per-
sonal encounters and bloodshed.
The lawsuits had continued, and the
property of the two families had about
equally suffered, while their mutual
animosities had seemingly taken the
e %ho;
even going far to deface the manly
beauty of the once so comfy heads of the
two families.
Their children-all boys-went to the
same school; all attended the same sim
pie village entertainments; they were of
the same political party; and even were
to the great sorrow of the more devOut
Observation-Disclosures of the same church.
Yet were the two families never known
to exchange a greeting or a word Of any
kind, though it was surmised that Mrs.
Buckley and Mrs. Parsons would have
been glad to be ''neighborly" had they
followed their own desires. The men of
the two families could not bring them
selves to treat courteously those of whom
they believed so ill, and though their
old-fashioned training had force enough
to make them remember the courtesy due
to their teachers, or hosts, or to the
church they attended, hence their long
unbroken silence, full of undying ami
mostly.
Then came the Civil War, and Eben
Parsons, still handsome and strong,
though hair and beard were snowy white,
came with his three stalwart sons to join