Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1905-12-07
When the Lawyer
Came
Copyright, 1906, by E. 5. Mcclure
BY CARL d AY

Copyright, 1905, 10y Z. :. Mcclure
The village of HilIsdale. containing
400 inhabitants, had a grocery, a post
office, a cooper shop, blacksmith shop
and a sawmill, but when any Of It's
people visited other towns they didn't
brag of these things. If they boasted
at all it was Of the fact that the village
never had had a lawyer or a lawsuit.
Now and then differences Of opinion
arose among the villagers, and they al
ways went TO old Silas Warner to set
tie them He was the father" of the
village. When he said it was going to
be a hard winter or a hot summer no
one thought of doubling his word. He
was ready with advice to old and
young, and no one ever knew him to
say a mean thing about anybody. He
would hear both sides of a story and
then decide according TO his judgment,
and it was seldom that his decision
was appealed from or created hard
feelings.
Uncle Silas had been fathering Hills
dale for twenty years when an event
happened \ boom struck the town.
Some one sold his house and lot, the
cooper got an order for hundred bar
rels all at once. and it was discovered
that the water Of a spring emptying
into the mill pond was good for sore
eyes 1t wouldn't have been called
much of a boom in Kansas, but it was
enough to make them hold their breath
in Hillsdale, and it led to results. One
of the results was a move to get a law
yer to come there and open an office.
Il amt goin TO say yes nor no to it."
Uncle SilaS said when he heard of it,
but if we get a lawyer here we can
look out for mumps and measles to
foller."
The lawyer came. He was an object
of curiosity for the first two weeks,
and then he was an object Of some
thing else. To do him justice, he was
no pettifogger to set neighbOrs by the
ears, but the fact that there was
lawyer in town to be consulted had an
influence with the villagers, and soon
most of them discovered chips on their
shoulders.
The cooper had a plot of ground on
which he always raised about fifty
bushels Of potatoes. The sawmill man
had six or eight hogs running at large
that always managed to get in among
the potatoes and reduce the crop by
l,,l., tor
had been carried to Uncle Silas for ar
btration He had taken a couple Of
days to think it over and then said:
"Waal, nayburs, hogs is hogs, and ta-
ters is taters. and it's mighty hard to
keep 'em apart. Fact is. hogs have got
to have 'em. | can't say that it was
anybody's fault in this case, but 1
guess If the owner of the hogs pays the
owner of the taters about a dollar and
a half no one will be the wuss Off"
That sum had been paid over with
out demur, and there never had been a
hard word between the two principals.
Things were different now, however.
One day the sawmill man got let
ter from the lawyer demanding SO
damages because his hogs had made
their annual raid on the potato patch
of the cooper.
Yes. Joe" said the cooper when his
neighbor came to see him, Il told the
lawyer to write you that letter. It's
time you took care o them blamed
hogs o yours. You've got to pay me
so this time
But you owe me 81 for lumber,
jim"
Then sue for it
Hanged if | don't! I'll show you
that | can start just as many lawsuits
as you cam
For ten years people had been in the
habit of taking short cut across ia
bez Smiths lots when going to the
postotfice and JabeZ had no more
thought of complaining than he had Of
flying. All of a sudden, however, he
puts up signs of NO Trespass," and
when the Widow Thompson didn't heed
them be came outside his gate to meet
her.
"See here, widder," he began, you
either keep off my land or I'll have you
up for damages"'
whats the matter Of you?" she
asked in surprise.
WAL I've been picked on and pick
ed on for the last ten years, and I've
stood it jest as long as I'm goin' to.
We've got a lawyer in the town now,
you know
Then you keep your hens out of my
garden or you'll hear from that law
yer, | allus thought you'd be pizen
mean if you had chance, and now
know it,"
Don't use violent language, widder,
or the law will make you suffer for it"
Horses, cattle and hogs always had
been allowed to run at large in Hills
dale, and the citizens were supposed to
protect themselves by keeping their
fences in repair and their gates shut.
1t was not long after the arrival Of the
lawyer that a dozen different neighbors
were shaking their fists at each other
and threatening lawsuits for damages
done In the long before, Jonas Bebee
had given the village the privilege Of
digging gravel at his banks TO fill in the
mudholes of the three or four streets.
There was no sale for 1t at any price,
and the more they dug away his hills
the better for his property, but one day
Jonas rose up at the pOstoffice to speak.