The Starkville news. (Starkville, Miss.) 1902-1960, 1904-08-26
The Dividing
Fence
By JULIA TRUITT BISHOP


n EOPLE in the neighborhood often
referred regrettplly to the time
when the two old men. Joshua Long an0
Abner Wilmington, had been the best
friends in the world. Their two oddly
shaped farms joined at one place for
distance of so yards, and when they had
grown prosperous enough to build new
houses, some 20 years back, they had
built them near this dividing line, and
had moved the barns and other out
building to correspond. They were
rather lonely old men, except for their
friendship for one another. Abner had
never married, and for years his house
had been kept by a widowed sister, whose
children were all married and gone.
Joshua's wife was growing old; and ten
years before the great quarrel she had
died, leaving him to the mpanlonshlp
Of Sim, the hired man, who was Silent
and grim and did not make a very en-
livening companion.
What on earth they wanted to quarrel
for" said Alonzo Reed, one Of the neigh
bors further down the road, when dls-
cussing the feud with any chance conner,
"is moren | can see. What difference
did it make about that little bit fence,
any way?"
Perhaps Abner and Joshua themselves
could not have told. Through all these
years, now, they had consulted one an
other about seed time and harvest, and 1t
had always ended in Abner coming over
to Joshua's side of the question. For
years they had met in the evenings and
compared notes on politics and the
weather, with the result that Joshua had
always converted Abner to his way OF
thinking. Why, then, should Abner
have flown up" as Joshua expressed it,
over 4 little thing?
Il am goin' to turn this field mex to
you into a paster," Joshua had said on
that momentous occasion. ft'N need
better fence than what it's got. now
an while I'm laying it I'll jes' lay it four
foot further your way. Ye know, l al
ways have told ye that ye was too greedy
when ye built that fence"
So he had, and they had jested over it
many a time; slapping one anothers
stopped shoulders and threatening to
"have the law" OH each other, with jovia]
country laughter. But now, Abner's face
redeemed under the wrinkles.
'Ir We move that fence a inch onto my
line we've got me to fight" he said
sharply.
This was the beginning. In week the
quarrel had developed to such state
that they did not speak if they met in the
road. Joshua had the rails for the new
fence hauled and laid in neat piles alons
the line; but when Sim and the other
man hired for the occasion went out te
begin work Ab:er was there with an ole
shotgun, which, he took care to inform
them, had been loaded with biroshot II
his fathers day, and which he was con-
fident would shoot as we'll as any gun
that could be found. Under these circum
stances the hired men refused to work
and Joshua was compelled to withdraw
his forces until night, when the fenct
was completed four feet further TOWARD
Abner's house The next night it wa!
taken down and replaced on its ole
ground. Joshua rebuilt it and sat up ant
watched it; but one may not sit up for
ever, and the first night it was unpro
tected it was moved again. Matters grew
worse and worse; and the two old friends
became the bitterest enemies. For {
matter of six months the fence skipped
merrily back and forth across the fou
feet of space: and the neighborhoot
could talk of nothing else.
At last the night watching began to tel
on Joshua, and he was shut up in hi:
room, a prey to rheumatism, for an en-
tire week Sim reported progress to hin
every day Greatly to his astonishmen
the fence had remained in it's place al
that time. At last Sim brought him the
explanation Abner was laid up with {
"kind O. stroke" 1t might be some time
before he could get round again, the doc
tor said and they had sent for grand
daughter of Abner's sister to come ant
ssay with the two old people.
"That must be Bessie, the one he!
been keeping at school, said Joshua
with a tender hand stroking his knee
"Well, I'm goin' to Ben's, up N the city
Sim. to git treated for this rheumatics
an want you to watch that fence, sa."'
as If was here. If they move that fence
an you git up in the mornin' an see it'i
been tampered with, you put it back be
fore you set down to breakfas', mind
tellye. / wisht 1 didn't have to go. Like
nsnot tho nlace'I go to rack an ruin SOOI