The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-07-01
THE DIVIDING FENCE.
BY JULIA TRUITT BISHOP.


Copyright, 1904, by Daily Story Pub
Coz.
People in the neighborhood often
referred regretfully to the time when
the two old men, Joshua Long and
Abner Wilmington, had been the best
friends in the world. Their two oddly
shaped farms Joined at one place for
distance of fifty yards, and when
they had grown prosperous enough to
build new houses, some twenty years
back, they had built them near this
dividing line. and had moved the barns
and other outbuilding to correspond.
They were rather lonely old men. ex-
cept for their friendship for one an
other. 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. leav-
ing him to the companionship Of Sim.
the hired man, who was silent ana
grim and did not make a very enliven-
ing companion.
What on earth they wanted to
quarrel for" said Alonzo Reed, one OF
the neighbors further down the road.
when discussing the feud with any
chance conner, is more'n l can see
What difference did it make about that
little bit o renee, any way!
Perhaps Abner and Joshua them
selves could not have told. Through all
these years, now, they had consulted
one another about seed time and har-
vest, and 1t had always ended in Abb
ner 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 con-
verted Abner to his way of thinking
Why, then, should, Abner have flown
up" as Joshua expressed it, over lit
tie thing?
II am goin' to turn this field mex to
YOU into a paster," Joshua had said on
that momentous occasion. It'll need
better fence than what it's got now
an while I'm laying 1t I'll jes' lay 1t
four foot further your way. Ye know
I always have told We that We was too
greedy when we built that fence"
So he had. and they had Tested over
it many a time; shaping one anoth-
er's stopped shoulders and threatening
TO have tho law on each other with
jovial country laughter. But now. Abb
ner's face REDEEMED under the wrin-
kles.
IF We move that fence a inch onto
nv 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 II they
met in the road. Joshua had the rails
for the new fence hauled and laid In
neat piles along the line; but when Sim
and the other man hired for the occa-
sion went out to begin work Abner
was there with an old shotgun, which
he took care to inform them. had been
loaded with birdshot in his fathers
dav. and which he was confident would
shoot as well as any gun tlbat could be
found Under these circumstances the
hired men refused to work; and Joshua
was compelled to withdraw his forces
until night, when the fence was com
pleted four feet further toward Abb
ner's house. The next night it was TAX
en- down and replaced on its old
ground. Joshua rebuilt 1t and sat up
and watched It; but one may not sit
up forever, and the first night 1t was
unprotected 1t was moved again. Mat
tiers grew worse and worse; and the
two old friends became the bitterest
enemies For a matter of six months
the fence skipped merrily back and
forth across the four feet of space: and
the neighborhood could talk of nothing
else.
At last the night watching began
to tell on Joshua, and he was shut
up in his room. a prey to rheumatism,
for an entire week. Sim reported pro-
gress to him every day. Greatly to his
establishment the fence had remained
in its place all 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 doctor said; and
they had sent for a granddaughter of
Abner's sister to come and stay with
the two old people.
That must be Bessie, the one he's
been keeping at school" said Joshua,
with tender hand stroking his knee.
We'll, I'm goin' to Bens. up In the
city Sim, to git treated for this rheu-
mates, an ! want you to watch that
fence same as If 1 was here. If they
move that fence. an you git up in the
mornin' an see it's been tempered
with, you put 1t back before you set
down to breakfas'. mind l tell ye.
wisht didn't have to go Like as not