The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-01-16
:I&omance
-----.------s----OF IT
|: Water Trough. |


nMlGHT as well be in Halifax as in
W my %barnyard, II amt good
for anything, and what's more, It never
win be-"
Farmer Stone stood looking down in
evident disgust at the water trough
and faucet which had Just been placed
by the town Official In his barnyard,
Not a drop of water came through the
faucet, although 1t wa wide open
When the town officials of S%outhyille
had applied to Farmer Stone for per
mission TO dig n ditch and lay Il water
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 unless he
were TO receive an adequate return.
The water commissioner of the village.
sturdy Luke Mathers, declared that
he would take the law to Farmer
stone To which he had Just as
Hereby replied that he might take the
'"' ''N' N"ll'l' lllll No llltl MS he
pleased. Then Luke did go 10 the
law. The right-of-way across private
property had a value which must be
considered before entering upon it.
But, like many another man, Luke was
stubborn, and he did not want to ap-
pear to have yielded In any way what
ever.
sitting on the fence he had argued
with Farmer Stone the better part of
a day on the wonderful benefit II would
be TO the people Of the village. and
that nothing Farmer Stone could do
would bring him 80 many friends. He
would be a public benefactnr. The viii
lage was poor and could not afford TO
20 TO great expense in the matter of
right-ot-way, Argument was useless
Farmer Stone said. The farmers werc
SWlndIed on every hand BY unreelinr
corporations, and he'd just be as fool
lSh as the rest Of them If he followed
their lead, like a "passcl O sheen
It was at this juncture that a would
be arbitrator appeared on the scene
the very pretty daughter Of Luke
MaIhers, so fair and 80 sensible TINT
Joshua Stone, the stirring son of the
man who owned the farm, had been
suspected for more Than u year of car
ing more for her than for any other
woman in the world, One afternoon
long after her fathers failure to
come 70 terms with Farmer Stone, she
rode over to the scene of contention
with her father and sat for a long time
the carriage listening with sorrow
fnl countcnance to the conversation Of {
the two uncomprOmising men. Then /
she made a proposition.
MIR. Stone she said very sweetIy a
IF the town would put a nice water
trough here in the b%arnyard and fur. I
nlsh 1t with a faucet, so that you could
have all the water you need the year t
round would You not be willing to let d
line go through your land?" t
Farmer Stone thought Mettie never
ooked prettier, But he was not SO S
Easily captured. II he wanted a water f
rough he supposed he could nut II s
here. p
But you haven't got the spring,
a V your Mettie innocentIy queried, "
And this settled this part of Farmer
stones argument. 1t was a fact that II
farm was destitute of springs. and Il
when, as always happened in dry SEN "
IONS, the wells on his farm failed, his h
place vas as dry as the desert of Sa- h
lara. a.
Well. I'll have to think about II, h
unit one OF the kind to make up nv W
mind In a hurry, You'd be willing "a :,
10 that, would you, Luke?" n,
Why, It's Q than / ought to do: Ia
nut II you'll say right now that thatrl w
satisfactory, | think we can close
ne bargain. Tomorrow | might moi 9,
ant to do It. It's making a great 10
on my part, a great conces- .,
j