The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-12-05
BRAuN,s STONE FENCE.
A Howling blizzard Attempted to Raise
1t, but Abandoned the Job.


A HowIing blizzard Attempted to Raise
1t, but Abandoned the Job.
A few years ago an old Dutchman
named Braun bought a quarter section
just below mine. He came from Penn
sylvania, and was hard worker and a
thrifty chap, as most all Pennsylvania
Dutchmen are. My farm is fenced with
barbed wire. The Dutchman didn't like
wire fences, so in the spring he planted
willow hedge around his quarter sec
sion. Summer passed, and the hedge
was growing like a jimsen weed, when
early in the fall little black cloud
(which had been hangin around over in
the northwest all the afternoon suddenly
swooped down our way and went rippin
and tearin across Braun's place. 1t
didn't leave a dozen hedge plants
standin.
Then the old man concluded that q
fence which would stand agin hard
wind would be cheapest in the long run,
and by the middle of October he had
built a stout rail fence to replace the
hedge. 1t was "a beauty-seven rails
high, with locked corners and a. heavy
''rider" on every length. But we had
hardly time to look over the old mans
handiwork and pronounce it good before
a blizzard struck it and scattered the
rails over several neighboring townships
Rather reluctantly Braun then decided
to follow my example and fence his
place with barb wire. He put in place
of the rail fence that was wire fence
which could scarcely be beaten. 1t had
large, sawed posts and five heavy wires,
and should have lasted lifetime. It
might have done so, perhaps, but for an
unfortunate occurrence. One afternoon
early in November another blizzard
came sauntering along, pulled up every
blamed fence post, carefully wrapped a
few miles of wire around them and sailed
off toward Chicago with the whole outfit.
When the hedge was destroyed the
old Dutchman merely sighed; when the
rail fence went he said something half
under his breath; when the wire fence
followed it he swore. Then he sat down,
lighted his pipe and fell into brown
study.
Bright and early the next spring he
began another fence. It was somethin
entirely new for our country, but it was
a dandy and no mistake. The old mar
set his hired hands to work pickin uI
stones and haulin bowlders together
and in few weeks he had collected
enough of 'em to build stone wall. 1t
was as strong as stone and cement could
make it, and was four feet wide and
three feet high. One afternoon, just
after it was completed, Braun was
pointin out to me the fine points of his
new wall, when we noticed black
cloud over agin the western horizon.
"There's trouble over thar, old man,
said 1. 'sThat blamed thing is jest rolliI
up its sleeves and spittin on its hands
and gettin ready for business. It'll be
along here, too, in about two minutes"
''Vell, let it COON"
Then, as there wasn't anythin else tx
do, we sat down to watch it. It came
zippin along, twistin off trees close tc
the ground or pullin 'em by the roots
mower could have done it and sweepin g
clean path. When it reached that wal
1 it just stopped moment as if to look il
over, and could swear heard chuckle
Then it stopped and caught hold of the
edge of the masonry. 1t held togethei
well, but up it came, slowly and steadily
Jest when the wall had been turned hal,
over the blizzard suddenly gave groan
lost its grip and loosened its hold. Tht
wall settled down upon its side and thu
blizzard jumped over it and went howl
in out of sight. ar
"Velli'' said Braun jubilantly. '.Vo
told you. Dot fence is a dandy, dom
it? 1t is Won feet higher now as pefor,
dot Wind COON along" And he winket
the other eye.-South Dakota Cor. Chi
cago News.