The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-10-05
A FEUD

'a'l4t tell. you, Frank, it's got 10
the point where eSsernething must be
dene." }" said Mras Burnett, ard as che
spoke ahe EapISSd st the small knuc-
kles that were moving toward the
sugar bowl. Morton. aged nine.
ierked his hand out of the way and
laughed at his mother, who pursed
mp her lips to conceal smile.
"Don't do that, Morton" said
Mr.. Burnett. Then, turning to his
wife, he asked, sWhat have they
been doing pow?",
+ "rhat boy and some moro of his
crowd put tin cans along the top Of
the fence and then threw at them to
knock them off. About every other
stone went over the top of the fence
and went sailing across our back
yard. If one of them had struck
anybody he wouldn't have known
what hurt him."
The Deakins lived next door, and
although there was a dividing fence
it had not kept the two families
apart.
In the year during which the two
households had dwelt side by side
there had been q growing enmity.
Yet Mrs. Burnett had never spoken
a word to Mrs. Deakin, and her hus-
band knew nothing of Mr.. Deakin
except that he worked with his
hands for a living and spent great
many evenings at home.
There were two Deakin children
Lawrence, or Larry, aged ten, and
little Willie, who at the tender age
of three had learned to regard the
Burnett tribe with scorn and hatred
and suffer to some degree under the
indignities heaped upon his family
by that arch fiend of juvenility,
Morton Burnett.
For when the Deakins sat around
the supper table and cast up the ac-
counts of the day it was Larry who
posed as the persecuted and abused
child, while Morton Burnett was
pictured as an infant of dark in
tents, headed straight for the BRIDE
well.
'If I was a man, Tom Deakin,"
said the wife, ''I'll warrant you I'd
go over to that house and give no
&ice that things are simply going too
far. Today that boy got up on the
fence and called Lawrence all kinds
of names"
fHe said that his mother had said
that ma didn't have clothes fit to
wear" suggested Lawrence, who
had begun to breathe hard during
the recital of his grievances,
anyway, I don't try to make
myself look like a peacock every
time / start to church," said Mrs.
Deakin.
This comparison Of Mrs. Burnett
to peacock tickled the children,
and they laughed immoderately.
Tom Deakin restrained them with a
quiet 'Tut, tut!' and said that the
proper way to get along was to pay
no attention to the y ighbors.
"I'd like to know how you can
help it, said his wife. s'That boy is
up to some mischief every hour Of
the day, and his mother seems to
encourage him in everything he
does. He throws things over into
Dur. yard, leases Willie and makes
faces at him.
"Next time I see dim pick on Will
lie I'll give him another licking"
suggested Larry.
fYoull do nothing OF the kind" "
exclaimed his mother. Don't you
remember the talking to 7 -gase you
the other time gen had, that fight
with him p.
Lawrence remembered The mild
rebuke, and his inward resolution
was not changed. Tom .Deakin went
for his pipe, oppressed with the
thought that he had BEEN very un-
lucky in his selection of neighbors.
These complaints had come. to
him day after day from the down
trodden members Of mis- family.
The feud had grown from q thou
eand aggraYating circumstances.
Suppose Morton Burnett to be On
the fence. His mother would open
the back door and say loudly enough
to make herself heard through the
open windows Of the Daalkin house:
tMorty, get down from that feneel
Haven't ] told you about that ?" @
Mrs. Deakin swould hear and un-
derstand. Then che would wait her
opportunity to appear on the back
stoopg and retaliate. ..z3 's. &c..
In g s,....::s:;i e. time, Wnen both .wom-
en were out Of doors much Of the
time, they occasionally exchanged
glances which were more significant
than anything they could have said.
When Mrs. Burnett put out her
D washing she knew. that Mrs. Deakin