The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-12-02
Rraun.s stone Fence.

A few vears aeo and old Dutehman
named Braun bought a quarter section
Just below mine. he came from Penn
svlvania. and vas hard worker and
thrifty chap. as most all Pennsylvania
Dutchmen are. Ny farm IS fenced with
barbed wire. The Dufehman didn't Ike
wire fences, so in the spring he planted
willow hedge around his qusrter section.
Sumner passed, and tie hedge Was grow
ing ike a iimsen weed, when early IN
the fall q little black cloud which had
been hanging around over in the NORTH
west all the afternoon suddenly swoePed
down our way and went rippin and tear
in across Brzun's pla4e. It didn't leave
dozen hedge plants standin-
Then the old man concluded that
fence which would stand agin bard
wind would be the cheapest in the long
run. and by the middle Of0ctober he had
built = stout rail fence to replace the
hedge. 1t Was g beAuty-seven rails
high, with locked corners and heavy
Hrider" on every length But We had
hardly time to look over the old mans
handiwork and pronounce 1t good be-
fore q blizzard struck it and scattered the
rails over several neighboring townships.
Rather reluctantly Biaun then decided
to follow nav example and fence his place
with barb sire. He put in place Of the
rail fence that was wire fence which
could scarcely be beaten. 1t had large,
saved posts and five heavy wires, and
should have lasted lifetime. 1t might
have done so, perhaps, bat for an unfoT-
tunate occurrence. One afternoon early
in November another blizzard came saun-
tering along, pulled up every blamed
fence post, carefully wrapped few miles
of wire around them and sailed of tow
ard Chicago With the whole outfit.
When the hedge was destroyed the old
Dutchman merely sighed when the rail
fonce went he said something halfunder
his breadth when the wire fence fol-
lowed II he swoue. Then he sat down,
lighted his pipe and fell into a brown
study.
Bright and early the next morning be
began another fence. 1t was somothin
entirely new for our country, but il was
a dandy and no mistake The old man
set his hired hands to work pickin Up
stones and haulin powders together and
in q few weeks he had collected enough
Of 'em 70 build stone wall. It was as
strong a. stone and cement could make II
and was four feet vide and three feet
high. One afternoon just after It was
completed, Braun wss pointin Quito me
the fine points of his new wall, when we
noticed black cloud over agin the west
ern horizon.
There's trouble over thar, old man, y
said l. That blamed thing IS jest rollin
up its sleeves and spittin on its hands and
gettin ready for business. tn be along
here. too, in about two minutes"
"Vell, let it COON"
Then as there Wasa't anythin else 70
do, We sa. down to watch 1t. Il came
zippin along, twistin of trees close to the
ground or pullin EN- by the roots, cuttin
the prairie grass as clean as a mower
could have done it and sEeepin a clean
path. When it reached that wall il just
stopped a moment as if 10 look il over
and l could swear heard a chuckle
Then it stopped and caught hold of the
edge Of the masonry. It held together
well but up it came, slowly and steadily
jest when the wall had been turned bal
over the blizzard suddenly gave a groan
lost its grip and loosened its hold. The
wall settled down upon Its side and the
blizzard jumped over il and went howl
in out Of sight.
"Nell :" said Braun jubilantly. "Eot
told you. Dot fence is a dandy, don't
it? It is Won feet higher now as pefore
dot Wind COON along And be winked
the other eye.-Chicag0 Ners.