The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-07-09

Will. he who questioned why the flower foil
Caught hold Of dod and saved, his soul from
hell --hudyard Kipling.
THE END OF A FEUD.
II was certainly n frst rate fsud and .
source of mach pride to the settlers In and
around Hickey township. just as . haunted
house or a murder mystery or = long-lived
scandal might havo boen, only the fsud WIS
much more satisfactory. because u lind
been on for four years. and hardly : month
had passed during al that time that had
not witnessed some new episode IN The af-
fair, and each ono seemed more startling
than its predecessor. And 80 II was that
the good people Of Hickey township hsld
their heads Just a little bit htGhs. than
their less fortunate friends who re-
side in more peaceful portions Of the soun-
tsy.
It. tho feud, all started on account Of \
yearling calf. than which. permit me q
stock raiser Of limited but fruitful expert
snos) TO i~nterpolatc. thete never wns nor
can there ever DO q creature SO hopolessly.
unrsasonably ~''onery'' and ono more pro-
ductive OF sinful Language and display Of
sultry temper on the part Of iks keepers.
Yearling calves havo caused the recording
angel moro trouble. broken mp moro old
friendships, produoed more family Jars and
in the form Of veal bsgottsn moro indiGss-
tion and the insomnia resulting thereftom
thau-but this 10 not IN essay on the sinful.
sportivs ~stesrlst and his shortcomings.
The Walkers and the Bensdiots had been
old n~sighbors for years. back IN Joway."
In fact. the elder Walkers and the elder
Bsnedicts had been married about the same
time, at the beginning Of tbs war. and had
just settled In adjoining hcmesteads when
the first gun was fred on Sumter. The
men enlisted in the same company, fought
side by side. ate and SLEPT and suffered to-
gsther and At homs tier young wives
waited and wspt together. When the little
Wllkers and little Beuedicts grew large
enough TO run about they were play mates
and boon companions; tho children Of one
family fslt a. much at liberty in the home
Of the other ~ they did in their own-i0r
twenty.eight years the two families lived in
peace and amity. and then that miserable
calf precipitated an irrsparable row. II
was too bad. all the n%eiRhbors said. hut II
is q noticeable fact that none Of them
attempted to patch a peace-lifs in Hickory
township and at Hickory Corners would
have been dull, indeed, bst for the feud; so
everybody sat BY and watched zach new
phase of the affair with nervous, morbid
interest. and commented thereon, bat not
in . manner likely TO prove conducive TO .
truce on the part Of distutants.
1t was this way: The Benedict and
Walker houses mad been built on adjacent
corners of the homestead quarters, and
quiten lose together; in fact, one we'll. sunk
0 II the quarter section line between the two
shomestoads, had furnished water for both
families for the first four years after
coming TO Dakota, and it was only . short
distance from either house.
Bnt 1t came to pass ON the Walker do
main there was born and grew and waxsd
fat and sassy" a brindle calf. with = right
smart chance of white in its eye and = ple-
thora of deep-dyed mischief in its soul; and
he (for it was q young gentleman "critter").
while yet OF tender age but tough Of record.
engendeYed the feud. He had wandered
away the day before, and when he rstu. ned
at night the gate of she calf pen was shut
against him. aRd in the morning when Papa
Benedict a, oss from post-breakfast family
prayers and. followed by the younger male
Bcnedicts, hisd him toward the stable be
beheldh his %neiRhbor's ineipient steer mig
ping in the bud sundry young and tooth
some cabbages and kicking out of the
earth, In his bovine abandon, al hs could
not eat.
Then Papa Benedict WAS wroth aud there
UPON did he give way to naughty. profans
words. while the youag Benedicts sur
rounded the offending OAlt and brought him
mp for Judgment.
Now Papa Benedict IVES . man of hasty
temper. but easily GAINED; 90 when the calf
was rendered him NJ the end OF a long
picket rope his wrath had decseased several
degrees and he wound the rope around his
hands and started to lead the calf home.
1t was while he Was pondering ON what
to say to the calls owner that the calf sud
denly remembered a previous engagement
and started in some haste to keep il. head
ing directly across the croquct ground.
Papa Benedict wished to follow with more
dignity than the calf desired, and presently
his feet were scrapod from under him by q
wicket, and he Was being handled the way
the vaqueros in South America are sup
posed to make butter-at the end of . lAssO.
He did not look very neat WHOM q few min
utes later he reached the Walker residence
aud called his nsiRhbor out. He was hold
ing the calf mp shot, but his temper had
slipped its tether and caused him to say
bad words, to which Pop Walker replied in
~klnd-whereat Pop Benedict seized a con-
venient neckyoke and killed the cause OF
she trouble.
or course there was a fight and consider
possible. Papa Benedict sued Papa Walker
for the damage to his cabbages and Pap.
Walker sued Papa Benedict Tor the value
of the calf. After that they prosecuted each
other for assault aud battery; the younger
members of both houses "sassed" eaoh
other At every available opportunity. Ms.
Walker and Mrs. Benedict did no more
~''neiRhborin'." and Mort Benedict aud Mel.
lie Walker "busted up with each other.
That ia. Nellie broke with Mort. who for
his part had . wholesome contempt for
feuds and such nonsense, and would fain
have ignored the state OF affairs. 80 far az
Nellie was conce ned, except for the OPP
position any overtures from him would
have received or all sides, and especially
from Nellie. So be had to grin and bear IL,
leaving, however, all hos.ilities TO the
others. and Speaking pleasantly to any of
tho Walkers he chsnced to meet.
But finally, through a rash act Of his own,
no was forced into she ferd. There was a
huskinR bee of the good old fashioned SOFT
at ThompEon's one night. and the younger
members Of the hostile houses attended.
During the evening Mort found a red ear in
his pile, ano-hs never knew what impelled
him to do 1t unlesa il WAS that Nellie looked
30 pretty aud tcmpting-he took his former
sweetheart In his arms and kissed her, not
once hut thrse times.
Az soon - II could be done without the
girls knowing II. Bud Walker and Harvey
Free invited Mort and Pei Horner ont into
the moonlit pasture. where Bud insisted on
'.having II out" Mort dsmurred, but In
vain, and much 10 his regret was forced 70
flick" to q standstill not only che man no
hoped some day to call his brother. In law.
bnt the ~lattot's second rs we'll. Pol Hornsr