The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-04
THE EVENING STOR 7

(by c. p Lewis.)

When Captain Ben Golden retired
from the sea and bought place on
the Connecticut shore he made only
careless inquiries as to who were ms
neighbors. As matter of fact, he did
not care. AS he explained it;
Il am man as attends TO my own
business and expect other folks to at
tend to theirs. 1 shall have house
keeper and a servant, and I'VE very
quietly. Ny nephew, George Lee, may
come down from the city now and then
to stay over Sunday, but that's all the
company I shall have.
Two weeks later, in buying and tax
ing possession of the property adJoln-
ing Captain Golden's on the west, the
purchaser, who was a man OF sixty ana
rather crusty, had said to those VINO
sold to him:
Il don't care who lives around here
All want of them is to mind their
own business and let me mind mine II
I catch any of them trespassing on my
land they won't do it second time.
shall live here quietly. with my niece
to manage the house"
There were no fences dividing tne
property. but for the first few weeks
Captain Golden and Mr.. Bingham, VINO
was the man with the niece, were TOO
busy to walk abroad much. They saw
each other from a distance, but mace
no effort to get acquainted. one day
they were tramping through me
shrubbery near the dividing line ana
came face to face Both We're tnerS
for the same object. Each one OF
them had been thinking of putting up
a line fence to shut the other out
There was some embarrassment Tor
moment. and then Captain Golden,
being the more jovial of the two
Good day. neighbor; glad to meet
you"
he drew himself up in an icy manner
e4r- a7r-4-1 ,f,r-e
I'VE are not neighbOrs, sir You SIM
ply happen to live near me. That is no
excuse, however, for you to trespass on
my property"
who's a-trespassing? ?"
You are. sir. The line runs ms
side of that beech and you are at least
IA inches in my land"
Then I'll get off your land-rlght
gan to bristle up. Yes, sir, I'll get on
4 am off-and if you are that sort
of a man warn you not to set foot
on my property
I will be careful not to. 1 Will see
about fence at once.
Il shall also see about it an once
I shall build the fence"
Sir" said Mr.. Bingham, I forbid
you to put up a fence heFe!
And / forbid your
There was further emphatic and even
violent language, and they finished up
by almost threatening the shotgun in
case OF IuTLHeI LIESDdSS " men MI e
Bingham reached his house his face was
so red and his manner so perturbed
that his niece, Miss Jennie Gray, was
forced to take notice of it and ask If
he had been attacked by tramps- He
thereupon explained what had occurred,
/ favoring his side Of the case as much
as possible, and concluded with the de-
claratton:
4 am not going to let that old brute
of sailor bluff me, and if you let him
scare you off you are no niece OF mine.
1--WE taken a great liking to ramb-
I ling through that shrubbery, repIled
the niece, and now I've got to be
very, very careful not to get even one
toe over the line
you go right ahead and ramble just
where you want to. line or no line. and
! If that old lump Of salt says anything
I to you make faces at him. told him
I'd build a fence. but I won't. He may
build one and pay for it. It's curious
how the Lord lets some folks continue
to live"
Miss Jennie Gray had lived with her
uncle long enough to know how hot
headed and irascible he was, and that
If there had been any trouble he had
done his full share in provoking it, but
/ she also felt it her duty to stand by
him right or wrong. More than that,
she also felt it her duty to trespass up
on Captain Golden's land because tres
passers had been forbidden.
The old sailor was also in angry mood
when he reached his house, but he did
not explain matters to his housekeeper
He waited until his nephew came down,
week later, and then he told the story
and added:
George, 1 don't want no trouble with
| anybody, but if that old fossil drives
me to the wall I shall drive him under
ground I said I'd build a fence, but
I won't do it. He can build and pay
for it If he wants to. I've warned him
to keep off my land, and if he don't do
4 it"
George Lee, civil engineer. had a
warm heart for his blum old uncle, and
it was only natural that he should
espOuse his cause. He arrived at the
house on Saturday evening, and soon
after breakfast Sunday morning he set
out for the shrubbery with cigar in his
mouth and a cane in his hand to look
the ground over. He found a belt Of
shrubs and trees about forty rods wide,
and extending from the highway back
to the shore. He could walk there ana
almost imagine himself in forest Inc
ground was clear Of any tangle. and
the whole thing was a happy thought
carried out between neighbors.
Young Mr. Lee had left the house
feeling somewhat belligerent, buth lost
it all soon after entering the grateful
shade. A rabbit ran away, squirrels
chartered at him, and he caught sight
Of birds nests among the branches. II
was a place Of good will and peace,
and he was feeling so when he heard
suspicious noise on the other side Of a
heap of brush lately cut and stacked.
He thought he heard the movements Of
a man. If it was a man he was a
trespasser If he was a trespasser he
must be sent about his business.
Hey. you, beyond the brush, what
are you doing there7'' called the young
man.
There was 70 answer, but he heard
a movement He advanced and gave
the heap a whack with his cane and
shouted:
Come out and show yourself, you
skulkeri"
The skullxer made no response. The
silence aggravated Mr. Lee, and draw
ing his cane up to his face like gun.
he continued
nf that he