The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-21
THE ROMANCE OF
A WATER TROUGH.
BY Edgar L. Vincent.

BY Edgar l.. Vincent.
Might as we'll be in Halifax as in
my barnyard. 1t amt good for any,
thing. and what's more, it. never will
be-"
Farmer Stone stood looking down in
evident disgust at the water trough
! and faucet which had just been placed
by the town officials in his barnyard
Not a drop of water came through the
| faucet, although it was wide open.
When the town officers of Southville
had applied to Farmer Stone for per-
mission to dig a ditch and lay wa
ter pipe through his land on the way
from the springs above to the village
below, he had told them that he did
not need any of the water and he could
not see why he should have his farm
all dug up TO benefit somebody else un-
less he were to receive an adequate re-
turn.
The water commissioner of the viii
lage. sturdy Luke Mathers, declared
that he would take the law to Farmer
Stone" To which he had just as fierce
ly replied that he might take the law
and wallop him as much as he pleas
ed
Then Luke did go to the law, and
found that Farmer Stone was correct.
The right of way across private prop
erty had a value which must be con-
sidered before entering upon it. But
like many another man, Luke was
stubborn, and he did not want to APP
pear to have yielded in any way what
ever.
Sitting on the fence he had argued
with Farmer Stone the better part of
day on the wonderful benefit it would
be to the people of the village and that
nothing Farmer Stone could do would
bring him so many friends. He would
be public benefactor. The village was
poor, and could not afford to go to
great expense in the matter of right
of way.
Argument was useless, Farmer Stone
said. The farmers were swindled on
every hand by unfeeling corporations;
and he'd be just as foolish as the rest
of them if he followed their lead, like
''passel o. sheep"
1t was at this juncture that a would
be arbitrator appeared on the scene,
the very pretty daughter of Luke
Mathers, so fair and so sensible that
Joshua Stone, the stirring son of the
man who owned the farm, had been
suspected for more than year of car
ing more for her than for any other
woman in the world.
One afternoon not long after her
fathers failure to come to terms with
Farmer Stone she rode over to the
scene of contention with her father and
sat for a long time in the carriage
listening with sorrowful countenance
to the conversation of the two uncom-
promising men. Then she made a
proposition.
Mr.. Stone" she said very sweetly.
'if the town would put a nice water
trough here in the barnyard and fur
nish it with a faucet, SO that you could
have all the water you need the year
round, would you not be willing to let
the line go through your hand?"
Farmer Stone thought Mettie never
looked prettier. But he was not so
easily captured. If he wanted a wa
ter trough he supposed he could put
it there.
But you haven't got the spring,
have your" Mettie innocently queried.
And this settled that part of Farmer
Stones argument. 1t was fact that
his farm was destitute of springs; and
when, as always happened in dry sea-
sons, the wells on his farm failed. his
place was as dry as the desert of Sa-
hara.
We'll, I'll have to think about it.
amt one of the kind to make up my
mind in a hurry. You'd be willing to
do that, would you. Luke?"
''Why. it's more than 1 ought to do;
but if you'll say right now that thatll
be satisfactory. I think we can close
the bargain. Tomorrow 1 might not
want to do it. It's making great con-
cession on my part; great conces-
sion"
But Farmer Stone knew his advan-
tage and he pressed it.
IAN right. So fur as I'm concerned
it don't make no difference"
There was a tone of independence in
the voice which at once brought the
commissioner to terms.
Il didn't propose it. but I always did
stand by what Mettie says 1 must,
and I VIII now"
Joshua felt his heart leap within him
when Mettie gave him one of her most
approving glances as the carriage drove
away. All that evening, while the two
were doing the chores, Joshua labored
with his father in behalf of the water
trough.
1t was a joy to both the young peo-
pie when, the next day, Farmer Stone
allowed that he guessed they might go
ahead with their line.
The water trough was duly installed
in the barnyard. The faucet was at
tached. Then. when all was ready, on
a certain day the water was let into
the main. 1t leaped into the pipe and
went sweeping down to give Joy to the
townspeople; but not a drop came
through the half-inch pipe which rose
up from the main five feet below to
the trough in the barnyard.
Farmer Stone knew it was a con-
spiracy against him. They never meant
TO do as they agreed. Luke Mathers
always was a rascal. He might have
known better than TO trust him.
But ii was just as much puzzle TO
the water commissioner as to Farmer
Stone himself why the water went so
scornfully past the water trough. He
wetn all over the line. peering into
the faucet and listening with his ear
close to its mouth in the vain en-
deavor to solve the problem.
To satisfy himself that the work of
laying the pipe and making the con-
nection had been properly done. he d.
rected the earth all to be dug away and