New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-08
THE END OF A FEUD.

1t was certainly a Grst-rate, feud and source
Of much pride 10 the settlers in ana aoout
Hickey township, just as q haunted house or
a murder mystery q lOng-lived scandal might
have bcen-only the feud was much more satIs-
factory because il had been on for four years,
and hardly month had passed during all that
time that had not witnessed some new episode
in the affair, and each one seemed more startling
than its predecess1T Ana 50 1t was I La' ,h vii,
heads Just a little bit higher than their less iol-
tunate friends who reside in more peaceful por-
tons VI the country
1.-THE fcud-all started on account of year
ling calf-than which, permit me "a stock-ralser
Of limited but fruitful eXperidlceJ to lntT-
pOlate, there never was nor can there ever DC
creature more hOpclessy, unrcasonaDly ornerY'
and one moro productive Of sinful language AMI
display Of sultiy temper on the part of its keepers
IcarlIng calves have caused the recording anger
moro trouble, broken mp more old lricndshlps,
produced more family lars, anu In the form OF
veal bcgOttcn more Indigestion ana the insomnia
resultant therefrom than-eut this is not an essay
on the sinful, sportiyc Steerlct ana his shor'cou-
The Walkers and the Bcnedicts had been oil
neighbor5 for years back in loway. In fact,
the elder Walkers and the elder Benedicts hai
been married about the same time, at the Degll-
ming Of the war, and bad just settled on adjoining
lOmesteads when the first gun was fired on sum err
The men enlisted IN the same company, louehU
side by side, ate and slept and suffered together
and AZ home their young WIGS waited ahd "ept
together When the little Walkers anu the III
the I;encdicts grew large enough 20 run about
they were playmates and boon companions; the
children Of family felt as much at lberty IN
the home Of the other they did in their own
for twenty-cieht years the two families lived IN
peace and amity, and then that miserable calf
prccpitated an Irrcplrable row. 1t was TOO bad,
I'll the neighbors said. but IL is a noticeable TACT
that none of them attempted 70 patch mp a peace
life in Hickey Township and at Hickey Corners
would have been dull, indeed, bur for the leud
81 crcryiodv sat by and watched each new phase
of he affair with nervous, morbid interest ald
commented thereon, but not in Il manner likely 10
prove conducive u IL truce on the part OF the
f WIS this way: The Benedict and Walker
HOUSES had been buik on adjacent corners OF tine
homestead quarters and Were quite close together
in tact one well, sunk on lhc quarter section line
between tbc two homostcad-. had furnished water
for both families for the ir't four years altcF
coming 10 D1lota and il was only short dis
lance from either house.
Bat II came to pass on the Walker domain
there was born and grow and waXed fat and
sassy" % hrindle calf with a right smort chance
of white IN is eve and n plethora OF d'ep-dyed
mischief In rs soul-and h. for IT was young
gentleman critter' W, while Yet OF lender ago
but tough of record, cngendered the icld. lie
had wandered away the day before, and when he
returned a. night tho gate Of the calf pen was
shut against him; and in the morning, when
Papa RcneGict arose from post-breakia>t family
prayers, and followed by the younger male lene-
diets hicd him toward the stable he bched lls
eghbor's Incl pient steer nipping in the bud sun
dry young and tOO'hsomo cihhaccS, and kicking
out OF the earth, in his bovine abandon, all he
could not eat.
Then was Papa Benedict wroth, and thereupon
did he give way % naughty, profaue words. while
the Young Raneiicts surrounded he offending calf
and brought him mp for judgment.
Now Papa Benedict was man OF hasty temper
no easily Gained 50 when the calf WAS ten lered
him AZ the end Of d long pckct-rope his wrath
had decreased several degrees, and he wound the
rope around his hand and started 10 lead the
calf home.
!, was while lie wa4 bordering ora what to say
TO tl' calfs owner that tho calf suddenly re
sr,f rgD nj md sfN
IN some haste 20 keep it, heading directly across
the croquct-sround. Papa Benedict wished ~
20 low with moro dignity than the calf desired
md presently mis- feet were scraped from under
him by wicket, and. be- being handled III"
way ne vaqurrc- IN South America are supposed
10 make battcr-at the end OF lass0. lie did
rot look yciy neat wlicn few minutes later
lee reached the Walker residence and called hi,
ucislhor ont. He was holding The calf up short.
hut his temper nn3 slipped is t"ther and caused
Am 10 say Bad words, 10 which Pop Walker
rcpliol iG kiud-whercnt Pop Benedict seized
convenient nccll-yo&c and killed the cause of the
trouble.
OF course there was a fight and considerable
llch0>on language; then, ~ soon as possible,
Para Benedict .ued Papa Walker for the damage
80 hl- cahAaGes, and Papa Walker sued Papn
BENEDICT for he value Of the calf After that
they prosecuted each other for assault and bat
tory: the younger members of both houses
slss"d each other az every available oppor-
moro "ncighborn' -; AID Mort Benedict and
Nellie Walker busted mp with each other.
That Nellie DruNe WIN MOrt, WHo Tor MS
part had wholesome contempt for feuds ana
such nonsense, and would fan have ignored the
state Of Affairs, 50 far rs Nellie was concerned,
except for the opposition any oveTtures from
pocally from Nellie. So he had TO grin aId
bear II. leaving, however, all hostilitles TO tue
others and speaking pleasantly TO any of the
Walkers he CHANGED to meet.
Elt finally, through rash act OF his own, he
was forced into the icud. There was 4 husking-
bee OF the good old-fashoned sort at IhompSons
Rllff nl,r- ot he
houses attended. During the evening Mort found
% red ear in his pile and-he never knew what
imucllcd him 70 DO Il unless il TINT Nellie
looked so pretty and temptng-he took his former
sweetheart In his arms AMI kissed her. not once
but three times.
knowing it, Bud Walker and Harvey Free in
vitcd Mort and Pei liorrcr ont into the moonllt
pasture where Bud insisted on having 1t out.
rrqrct was forced to lick" to a standstil, not
only the man he hoped some day 10 call his
lrothcr-n-aw, but tie lattcr's second a. well,
Pei llorrcr being q cripple and unable To- a"-
commodate Young Free who was "pirin'' on
account Of his principals defeat
1hat settled it Thereafter even tender hearted
Mrs Walkcr-who like Mrs. Benedict, sincerely
but silently regretted the trouble that kept, her
apart from her old time friends these four long
wears, and who had always had. pleasant greet
ing for all tho family especially FOR Mort. who
was ~ great favoritc OF hcrs-cut him deal whom
she happened 70 meet him, and even the irlgi in
cinntion of the head with which Nellie had been
wont 10 recognize BIS pNo'h'" on ,ho~' rare
occasions on which they met was now tchled MN
An this cut Mort deeply, bur hr was made or
zoo tough fibre 10 show il So. till the end of the
fcud he tried 10 act rs though he did not care
Just ~ did Nelllc who however; was obliged 20
confess to herself, once in awhile, that she ii
caro- "lots.'
The spring Of 1855 is "A memorable one in
history of many portions Of the Dallotas. iAr
amount Of rain in the fall and the snowfall of
the winter preceding had been very slight, in
decd. and there were no spring rains TO en-
courage tic farmers. The crcckbcds and coules
were dry the lakcbods and sloughs We're in
noccnt Of water as powder magazines. and the
matted grasses and reeds standing in them were
rs ory as was the grass on the prairies. Every
thing Invited tho fire fcnd. whose work the
plains il 50 swift and thorough-and he accepted
the invitation.