The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-02-15
A CALIFORNIA FEUD.

IL had lasted for the seven years during
which the Garrys and the SHADES bad lived
and raise. oranges, Strawberries and rasp-
berries on adjoining farms. The Garrys
had ten acres, the SHADES had three. The
Garrys had been laying by little money
each year and improving their property
The SHADES had run behind a trihc more
each year. Their little square frame house
had not been reprinted or repaired since
they bought 1t and their outbuildings were
half ruinous. The Garrys could afford to
hire Mexicans to help turn the water on
the trees when the monthly irrigating day
came. The SHADES had to depend on their
own family-mother and father, eight
children and an uncle who was dying OF
consumption. These IL people lived the
year round in a seven roomed house, and
Mt harvest time or when tho precious two
or three miners inches of water had
been bought and must be served, they all
turned out into the fields.
The Garrys and the SHADES quarreled
about the eternal question, which embit
tiers the life OF the Californian farmer.
which makes deadly enemies Of people
who live next door to one another, simply
by reason of that proximity, and sets every
mans tongue and hand against his neigh
bor-the question Of water rights. The
SHADES attributed the undue prosperity OF
the Garrys to the fact that they got more
than their share OF the water. The Garrys
considered 1t part of the general cussed-
ness of tho SHADES that they stole water
whenever they got a chance. Crimina-
tions and recriminations flew constantly
back and forth across the zan ia which sep
arated the two places, and suspicion regu-
larly became wrought to frenzy as the
middle Of the month came round. Garry,
who was hot blooded Irishman, swore
fearful oaths that II he once caught any
of them at It he'd blow them of the earth
He placed his neighbors on the level of the
Chinese coolies whose vast straw berry
fields stretched beyond him to the east and
who would lie all night in the ditohes,
waiting for chance to slip gate up an
inch or so when the zanohero had passed
on his round.
Garry posted up hand written placard
on his tankhouse, offering So reward for
the capture of any Slsde caught where he
should not be. He could not keep it there,
however, for three times some one slipped
at night through the orchard, tore half
the card off and covered the other half
with opprobrious remarks concerning the
Carrys' ancestry.
No one had the least doubt as to the au-
thor of these reflections, for Minta, the 49,
year-old daughter of the SHADES, was
known to be tho only one of the family
who could write two words together.
Garry threatened before his men to horse
whip her if he caught her on his property
and, hearing this, Minta sharpened a
kitchen knife on the grindstone in the
rickOty woodshed and carried it In the
pook rt of her dress-whon she had pocket
or 1tuok 1t in her belt--when she wore a
belt.
She was a small, wiry, restless creature,
with light hair, bieached almost white by
the hn, always stringing Into her eyes
face aud hands tanned copper brown and
a sly, bright, rodent look. She seemed to
concentrate in herself all the energy, all
the vitality, which might have been dis
tributed among the ten other members OF
her shiftless Virginian family. She was
always abroad in the fields working like
man when she chose or playing boyish
pranks. She wore generally an old skirt
and mans coat and went barefoot and
hstless. She used to climb after birds
nests into the tops of the tallest eucalyptus
trees and cling there to be tossed about by
the wind She might be seen very often
walking the ridgepole of the Slade man
light, ana then she would jump down into
the green spray of the great pepper tree
that grew back OF the house Her father
used to Emile when he saw or heard of
these performances.
"Girls will be girls, " he would say in
diligently, land eff they want to be boys.
why, SO much the better for the ranch. We
need boys, heaven knows. And Minta's
the only one of y all that does a days
work"
Minta helped prune the orange trees,
tearing her clothes and sometimes her
brown, calloused hands On the needlelike
thorns. When 1t came to picking berries,
she was cheerfully admitted by all the
other SHADES to be equal to any two of
them. Sbo made desperate war on the
gophers, which are the pest of the orchards,
used to visit her traps night and morning,
dragging abe struggling, chattering ami
mails out Of their burrows to smash their
heads with a stick. Sometimes she held
them for few moments to laugh at the
queer faces and noises they made or put
her finger in their mouths and laughed
still more when the sharp teeth drew
blood.
When, once q month, the Zanchero came
at night and unlocked the SHADES water
gate, the whole family turned out To work
by lantern light till dawn. Then Minta
discarded skirts and assumed the garb
which she vastly preferred-troussrs, a
flannel shist and long rubber boots, and
standing Geep in the running water she
welded spode or hoe like man. But the
10y of her life was a horse. To ride with
only the brefe and a girth Topped for her
foot, throwing herself fat along the back
Of the brute and shouting into his ear as
he tore at full speed across the mesa--this
was a pleasure for which Minta would at
any moment eheerfuily risk her life. She
had been thrown half hundred times.
trampled on, all but rolled on, and
her left arm showed the marks of horses
vicious teeth, but never had she been
Known TO show fear. She had broken in