The Republican., 1891-11-13
sRAuN,s STONE FENCE.
A Blizzard Tried to Lift 1t. But Gave 1t O
as a bad job.


A Blizzard Tried to Lift 1t. But Gave 1t Up
as a bad job.
"a few years ago an old Dutchman
named Braun bought quarter section
Just below mine. He came from Penn
sylvania and was a hard worker and a
thrifty chap, as most all Pennsylvania
Dutchmen are. My farm is fenced with
barb-wire. The Dutchman didn't like
wire fences. because they are not found
in Pennsylvania, so in the spring he
planted willow hedge around his
quarter section. Summer passed and
the hedge was growing like jimson
weed, when early in the fall a little
black cloud which had been hangin'
around over iii the northwest all the
afternoon suddenly swoopcd down our
way and went rippin' and tearin' across
Braun's place. 1t didn't leave a dozen
hedge plants standin'.
"rhen the old man concluded that a
fence which would stand agin a 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
handiworll and pronounce it good be-
fore a blizzard struck it and scattered
the rails over several neighb borin' town
ships.
Rather reluctantly Braun then de-
fn nj
his place with barb-wire. lie 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 life
time. 1t might have done so, perhaps,
but for an unfortunate occurrence.
One afternoon early in November an
other blizzard came saunterin' along,
pulled up every blamed fence posi-, care
fully wrapped few miles of wire
around them, and sailed off towards
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 a brown
study.
bright and early the next spring he
began another fence. 1t was somethin'
entirely new for our country, bat it was
a dandy and no mistake. The old man
set his hired hands to work picl1in' up
stones and haulin powders together,
and in few weeks he had collected
enough of EN- 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 |. That blamed thing is jest roll
in 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 coom.'
"Then, as there wasn't anythin' else
to do we sat down to watch it. 1t
came zippin' along, twiStin' off trees
close to the ground or pullin' EN- up by
the roots, cuttin' the prairie grass as
clean as mower could have done it
and sweepin' clean path. When it
reached that wall, it jest stopped mo-
ment as if to look it over, and l could
swear heard chucI1le. Then it stopped
and caught hold of the edge of the
masonry. 1t held together well but
up it came, slowly and steadily. Jest
when the wall had been turned half
over the blizzard suddenly gave a groan,
lost it's grip and lossened its hold. The
wall settled down upon its side and the
blizzard jumped over it and went howl
in out of sight
"'Vell" said Braun, jubilantly. 'Vot
l told you. Dot fence is dandy, don't
it? 1t is Won feet higher now as pefore
dot Wind COON along And he winlled
the other eye."-Chicago Mail.