The Penn's Grove record., 1893-07-21
THE END OF A FEUD.

| AIlh LINZ VI ~
1t was certainly a f~rst-rate feud
nd u source of much pride to the
Letters In and about Hickey Town
ship, just as a haunted house or a
murder mystery or Q long.lived scan.
ial might have been, only the feud
vas much more satisfactory because
liz had been on for four years, and
hardly a month had passed during all
THAT time that had not witnessed some
new episode IN the affair, and each one
Deemed more startling than Its prede-
lessor. And sc il was that the good
people of Hickey Township held their
heads Just a little bit higher than
their less fortunate friends who re-
side in more peaceful portions of the
country.
1.-THE feud-all started on account
Of q yearlins calf-than which, per-
nit me Ia stock raiser of limited but
fruitful experlcnce) to ihterpolate,
there never was nor can there ever be
a creature more hopelessly, unreason-
ably 'prpery" and one more produc-
Tive Of sinful language and display OF
sultry temper on the part OF Its keep
ers. Yearling calves have caused
1.-THE recording angel more trouble,
broken UP more old friendships, pro.
duced more family jars and In the
torn of veal begotten more indiges-
ltion and the insomnia resulting there
from than-but this Is not an essay on
the sinful. sportive steerlet and his
shortcomings.
The Walkers and the Benedicts had
been old neighbors for} years, shack
In 1oway." In fact, the elder Walk.
ers and the elder Benedicts had been
married about the same time. at the
beginning Of the war, and had just
SETTLED on adjoining homesteads when
the first gun was fired on Sumter.
The men enlisted in the same COM
pany, fought side by side, ate and
slept and suffered together, and at
home their young wives waited and
wept together. When the little
Walkers and the little Benedicts grew
large enough to run about they were
playmates and boone companions; the
children OF n family felt as much
at liberty in the home of the other
As they did In their own-for twenty
eight years the two familie, lived In
peace and amitY, and then that mis-.
srable calf precipitated an irreparable
row. 1t was too bad, all the neigh.
bors said, but it Is a noticeable fact
that none of them attempted to patch
up a ~piece-life in Hickey Township
aud at Hickey Corners would have
been dull. indeed, but for the feud;
70 everybody sat by and watched each
new phase Of the affair with nervous,
morbid interest, and commented
thereon, but not In q manner likely
TO prove conducive to o truce on the
part Of the disputants.
1t was In this way: The Benedict
and Walker houses had been built on
adjacent corners of the homestead
quarters, and were quite close to-
lyether; 10 fact, one well, sunk on the
iQuarteF section line between the two
homesteads, had furnished water for
both families for the first four years
after coming to Dakota, and 1t was
only a short distance from either
house.
But 1t anne to pass on the Walker
domain there was born and grew and
waxed fat and sassy" a brindle calf,
with a right smart chance OF white
in its eye and a plethora Of deep.dyed
mischief In its soul-and be (for il
was a young gentleman 'critter"l,
while yet of tender age but tough Of
record, e%pgendered the fend. He had
wandered away the day before, and
when ne returned at night the gate
Of the calf pen was shut against him,
and in the morning when Papa Bepe-
dict arose from post breakfast family
prayers, and followed by the younger
male Benedicts hied him toward the
stable, he beheld his neighbours In.
cipient steer nipping in the bud
sundry young and toothsome cabbages
and kicking out Of the earth, in his
bovine abandon, all he could not eat
Then Papa Benedict was wroth
and ~thereupon did he give way to
naughty, profane words white the
young Benedicts surrounded the Of.
Tending calf and brought him up fol
Judgment
Now Papa Benedict was o mar o.
NASTY temper, but easily claimed; so
when the calf was rendered him at
the end Of a long picket-rope his
wrath had decreased several degrees
and he wound the rope around his
hands and started to lead the calf
home.
1t was while he was ponderihg on
what to say to the calf's owner that
the calf suddenly remembered a rre-
vious engagement and started 10 some
haste to keep 1t, heading directly
across the croQuet ground. Papa
Benedict wished to follow with more
dignity than the calf desired, and
presently his feet were scraped from
under him by a wicket, and he was
being handled the way the vaquero.
In South America are supposed to
make butter-at the end Of a lasso.
He did not look very neat when a few
minutes later he reached the Walker
residence and called hisneighbor out.
lie was holding the calf up short, but
his temper had slipped its tether and
caused him to say bad words to
which Pop Walker replied in kind
whereat Pop Benedict seized q con-
venient neckyoke and killed the cause
II the trouble
OF course there was a fight and
considerable ill-cbosenl language; then,
As soon as possible, Papa Benedict
sued Papa Walker for The DAMAGE to
his cabbages and Papa Walker sued
Papa Bepedict for the value Of the
falk ,SIAitAf- that fhaY hrosacntAd