Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1904-10-13
A Feud Settled
(Original.l

lOriginal.l
Tom Bowline and Jack Hunter were
fishermen and friends till that most
| frequent pf all disturbers of mems
-woman-brought about
GOODNESS between them. Nevertheless
they Were joint owners in their boats,
nets and other fishing paraphernalia
| and still fshed together.
One afternoon they were out on the
ocean in small fishing boat, yawl.
when black cloud rising against the
wind admonished them to pull for the
| shore. Each had been thinking during
the day that the other was trying to
supplant him In the affections Of Geor-
sullen silence.
What y goin' to do tonight? asked
Bowline presently of his companion.
Coin to see Georgia"
you've chosen an unfortunit time.
She and l agreed that l was to come
round this eyenin' and take her over to
Sarah Robbins"
"I've got note from her In my peck
ct appointin' for me to call this even
in'," replied Hunter. The tone in which
they spoke had become more acrid.
The only other sounds about them
were the. oars In the rowlocks and
light swish Of following waves against
the stern Of the boat. Presently Bow
line again broke silence.
II tell you what, Jack, it isn't fair to
Georgia for us two to be pesterin' her
at once. 1t might end in her marryin'
nobody She needs to marry, for her
father is gettin' old, and the loss of the
Pelican took his savin's for q whole
lifetime. 1t would be better for her If
one Of us left the other out here in the
ocean some time. That would settle
her."
Tonight is as good time as any"
"Reckon since y're so clipper about
It you expect I'm the one to be left"
Reckon you'll be if you mean what
you say"
"If you expect anything unfair from
me you're mistaken. I'll take no adj
vantage Of you"
81 won't let you. Besides, you're in
the stern with your back to me. I
could brain you with my oar before
you could say Jack Robinson"
you wouldn't do that. You amt
mean enough. Besides, you'd likely
come to grief when my body was found
with my skull stove in"
'Well, since you've made the PROPOSE
ton, why don't you stand up, turn
about and the one that can knock the
| other overheard pulls in and has free
field"
Hunter spoke with such manifest in
| ability to conceal his rising choler that
Bowline feared to remain longer as he
| was. He rose, and that called Hunter
to his feet. The two stood glaring,
each threa tening the other with an up
lifted oar; then. moved by mutual i'm
pulse, they began to fence with their
improvised lances. But they had fought
| only a few minutes when the wind
struck them on the quarter, and, had
they not instantly sat down, they
would have been obliged to continue
| the struggle, If at all, in the water.
There was enough in the common dan
| ger to induce them to drop their quar-
rel till they could get ashore. Selling
their oars, they pulled Justify, drifting
nearly parallel with the beach. The
shore curved toward them, and after
awhile they came near enough to make
an attempt to beach their boat. Watch
ing their opportunity, they pulled In on
the crest Of wave, jumped into the
water and succeeded in running the
boat up out of reach Of the next wave.
There is something uniting In danger
| past and there is something destructive
of hot blood in cold water. AS soon as
they were safe and had rested from the
struggle Bowline said:
"We've made asses Of ourselves,
Jack"
$50 we have"
"It would be much more sensible to
leave Georgia to make her own dec1-
sion."
"Of course it would"
Suppose we walk back up the beach
to her house, go In and submit our
case to her"
"a good idea"
/ With one accord they started to walk
three miles to the cottage where the
bone Of contention lived.
"1.m. treatin2Xou fair. jack. said