The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-11-16

You see my grandfather, when he was
a young fellow, was at dance one
night and fiddle string broke. OF
course, everybody knew that fiddle
string was bound to break, yet no one
had thought to bring an extra one.
Well, it became necessary to send some
one to a store six miles away to get
another string. 1 don't know any
thing about the society in your coun,
try, but away out in Kentucky the
man that goes after the fiddle strinF
is marked with certain sort of dis
tinction. Ny grandfather said that he
wanted to go, and a young fellow
named Hightower, as naughty buck
as ever lived, reckoned that he would
go himself. Well, dispute arose, and
it was finally decided that they should
both go. And they did. But when
they got to the store another difficulty
came up as to who should take the
string.
MY grandfather said that he reck-
oned he would take it, and Hightower
lowed that If he did he wouldn't take
his ears with him. Even the most lib
eral construction would have made
this an insinuation. At least my
grandfather took it as such. The up
shot was that he took the string, to-
gether with both of his ears, back to
the place where the dancers were wait
ing; but afterward it was observed
that some people had more ears than
| Hightower could boast tot. This natur-
ally brought about an embarrassed
relationship between the two families,
which at the time, must add, consist
ed of only the two, my grandfather and
the other fellow. But what did they
do, go at each other to end the affair?
Oh, no; that would not have been
proper.
'.They had sowed the seeds of feud
and now were to wait for the harvest
in fact, they were to marry, bring up
families and engage in war. They
married about the same time. They
wanted their wives to hate each other.
so they married two girls that had
been devoted friends. The two fami-
lies prospered, and when my father
was twenty years old the war broke
out 1t lasted along in snapshot
way until another generation came,
and then it broke ont in earnest At
| that time l was seventeen years old.
There had been long lull, and the
neighbors said they hoped the difficult
ty was settled, but they knew it wasn't,
and indeed they hadn't hoped that it
was Luke Hightower and l went to
the same school-sat together. 1t was
intended that we both should study
medicine, for you know that each
branch of feud has a doctor. One
day my brother Ned came to the school
house and told me that was wanted
at home, and about that time Luke's
brother came after him. We knew
what was up. Luke asked me for a
chew of tobacco, and lowed that he
might see me again.
81 laughed pleasantly and answered
that might take a close look at him
through the sights Of a rifle. This
tickled him nightly, it was so good a
joke, and he swore that if he hadn't
agreed, after shaking dice, to let his
brother Tall have the first crack at me
he would shoot me on the spot. Well,
the next day, we all arrayed ourselves
in the latest styles of firearms and
went to the county seat to wait for the
| Hightowers. Circuit court was in ses-
sion. You must know that it is re-
garded as ungentlemanly to fight in
the county seat unless court is in ses-
sion. Otherwise the judge would be in
no danger of getting shot, and to shoot
a judge by accident is great event in
the county. We poked about town
eating gingerbread for an hour or SO,
and at last the Hightowers rode into
the place."
"Wait moment" said the English
man. He was busy making notes.
Just a bit, please. You are really
contributing very interesting chap
ter to my book on the social customs of
rural life in America. There, now you
may proceed"
1--WE didn't take much notice of one
another until along toward evening,
course, pistol went off by accident.
Everybody knew that the shot was ac-
cidental, and therefore it was n signal
that the battle had begun. | don't
know the exact time the fight lasted,
for my watch was broken by the third
shot"
you don't say sou the Englishman
exclaimed.
Didn't You hear me say SO? II you
didn't I'll say it again."
"Yes. really, heard YOU"
"Then why did you say didn't say
so. You mean to call me liar?"
"Ah, wait till / get that down.
Charming, assure YOU"
''All right. Well, we succeeded in
killing four men who had nothing to
do with the fight, but still we fought,
for our mission was not yet accom-
plished. 1t looked discouraging and
my father was heartsick, but about
five o'clock in the afternoon we heard
that the judge had been accidentally
killed and then we rode away, feeling
that a great work had been accom-
\ plished