The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1902-04-25
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A MISSOURI COMPROMISE.
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BY EDWARD B. CLARK

Old Bud Jackson lived near The
source Of the Big Black" in the OZARK
Mountains OF Missouri. Bud had lived
there for sixty-fve years That was
Just bis age His habitation was rude
but comfortable and his daughter Bess
Tended it with housewifely care. Bess
Fas Buds only child She was coy
nountain maid OF 20, and as pretty as
me of the wild flowers that peep from
the ground in the Big Black Valley in
March.
Bud had neighbor. 81 Nyithers. 81
lived down the stream a ways, and Tie
holdings of the two men joined ST
had son Bill Between the two
mountain farms over in corner lay
Triangular piece OF ground not more
han two acres in extent Outside ut
he woodland this was the only piece
of.laud on the Jackson -Withers hold
iAgs that was not cultivated 1t WAS
weed grown. and though II would have
supported goodly crop of grain, NO
seed sown by the hand OF man ever fell
there. IL was known for miles around
az the Debatable Ground. Buo and 81
both claimed the piece, and had wran
.gled over il for years before the feud
became deadly Al the present statuF
os things If either one set his foot IN
he strip the other wouli have snot
aim.
Bud Jackson had hobby lie VIA
collector of birds Scientists from
st. Louis and from the Western st1u
colleges came to his place every sum
mer TO look at his collection. lie never
would add a bird 10 the let unless 1t
aad been killed in The state OF Mis-
oari. provided always OF course that
,he bird was known 10 have been seeu
n the state. Bud didn't expect to get
and namingoes in Missouri but if be
should have heard an Indian tradition
that 500 years before q hamingo had
been seen on the Big Black he would
not have added the bird to his collec-
ltion until some one had sent him one
with the proper attestation that it had
been killed inside the limits Of his
native state
What a collection that Wasl There
vas pretty near everything in it iron
tie ruby-throated humm,ngb.rd to tft
big bronze wild turkey Bud had &c
build an addition 10 his house TO store
his birds Some people said that Bud
cared more for his birds than he did
for Bess. which was lie. For years
Bud had secured the woods Of tht
Czarks. extending mis- trips 80 the ad-
Jcinlng counties for the purpose OF
getting one bird, the ivory-billed wood
pecker. He knew that the ivory bin
was a dweller OF the southeast United
States, but be also knew ;hat strag
Cling birds had been seen IN the deer
woods Of the mountains Of Missouri
and SO he kept up his search with his
shotgun over his shoulder year atrei
year. He could have purchased an
ivory billed woodpecker, killed some
where else. for something Ike $50, but
he would have a Missouri bird or none
He slept out nights in the woods and
starved and thirsted on the trail Of re-
ports that the big bird had been seen.
Generally it turned out that those who
tGld Of the appearance pf the wood
pecker, not knowing much about birds
Rad seen the big log cock and hae
taken him for his still bigger brother.
One day in the summer Pnd noticed
th=t Ress had something on her mind
shs started suddenly whenever be
spoke 70 her and more ihan one
blushed vividiy rhe old man dida'
say much. but just thought he'd let thi
thing come out by itself But 4 dien1
come out Bess just kept on acting a.
though she were way on somewhere 70
-. aIands- One day as the Old mar