The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-03-12
CAUGHT BY
THE LEG
BY James Larne
Copyright, 1905, by NJ. NJ. Cunningham

1 a.
score of times without taking any par
ticular interest in the matter. In a
dim way he knew that 1t was down on
Long Island; that II was on the shore
of body of water, presumably the
sound; that Johnson was always kick
| ing about the taxes and always abus-
| ing some one named Copeland, who
| owned property next to his domain,
and that he himself hadn't the re-
hottest idea of buying either shore or
mountain property.
This was all before the great game Of
poker that will be talked about In the
| club for many years to come There
were but few members who didn't take
hand occasionally, but the play had
seldom become exciting On the occa
sion in question, when Morrison, John
son and three others sat down, no one
had any idea of what was coming. And
what did come was all because of the
extra ordinary hands which the even
ing's play brought out The deck seem
ed to be bewitched. Pat straights,
Pushes and full houses were as plenti-
| full as pairs had been on other occa-
sfons
BY and by, when every player had
hand he could back for any reasonable
sum, there was raising all along the
line, and before three of them grudg-
tngly dropped out and left Morrison
and Johnson to fight it out between
them there was record pot on the
table. When that had been raised to
! $1,000 Johnson put in his shore prop
| erty and made it $4,000. He was
raised $1,000 more. With that he put
down four aces only to be beaten by a
straight flush. Within three days the
deeds of the property were in Morri-
sons hands.
| In speaking of Dreamland, as John
son had named his shore property, he
| had forgotten to mention one thing
The Copeland he had inveighed against
| was Colonel Copeland, a retired army
officer, sixty years old, and man very
| Jealous of his rights. Having bought
| the edge of the water This raised a
| quarrel with the property owners on
either side, and the fences had been re-
| peatedly torn down and rebuilt, while
the colonel had gone so far as to sit up
nights with shotgun to protect his
vested rights. This summer owing to
the colonels wife being in Europe,
Dreamland was in the hands of a care
taker
1t was a month before Morrison went
down to see his new property He
would not have gone then but for the
letters he received from the caretaker
The latter stated that he had become
afraid of his life and that he would
flee the place If something was not
done to protect him. Mr.. Arthur Nor
rison was not a belligerent man, but he
| refused to be bulldozed. If Colonel
Copeland, his neighbor, was carrying
things with too high a hand he would
! drop down and let him understand that
| other Long Islanders had few rights
| too. Morrison had heard of irascible
! old men with shotguns, and his belief
was that all they needed was some
one to talk right up to them.
| He reached Dreamland one day Just
in time to prevent the caretaker from
carrying out his project of hurried
fight. And all this because in accord
ance with a standing order from John
son, he had torn down the division
fence, and Colonel Copeland had
actually fred at him before proceeding
to rebuild it. The injured man went
on to give the old military hero such
reputation that Morrison was minded
| at f1rst to return to New York and put
| the place in the hands of real estate
agent. But the caretaker urged that he
assert his rights as a property owner,
and, though it was with many misgiv
| ings, he started out to see about that
shore fence.
The offending obstacle was nothing
more or less than a rail fence that ran
down through the scrub brush and
over the sand to the edge of the water.
| 1t was all on the colonefs own prop
erty, and just why this old man should
not have dozen fences there if he
wanted them was a puzzle to the new
conner. In fact, he thought 1t might be
a good idea to fence his own shore and
would have stopped at this but for the
caretaker, who insisted that he climb
the mooted fence and walk about on
the colonels land just to show him
that he did not own the earth.
A man will do foolish things against
his better judgment. Mr.. Morrison did
one on this occasion. He proceeded to
climb the fence. As soon as his back
was turned the caretaker made a re-
treat. If there was to be any shooting
he did not want to be counted in.
| When Mr.. Morrison had hoisted him
self to the top of the fence he sat
there for a few minutes and surveyed
the landscape. There was the same old
Long Island sound; there were the
same sand and brushes; there were the
trees. and beyond the trees he knew
| was the site of the colonel's house. II
the colonel had not told the caretaker
that he would aim to kill at the next
trespasser on his land Mr. Morrison
would have continued to sit on the top
rail of that fence until his back ached
and then dropped back on his own side.
His spirit Of defiance had been arous-
ed, however, and he meant to walk at
least a hundred steps and back. Ke
made a move to get off the fence and
fell forward The next thing he knew
his foot was caught between the rails,
and he was hanging head downward,
with broken leg.
In firing on the caretaker, getting In
to a redhot temper and rebuilding the
fence the colonel had taken chill and
was laid up in bed He could no longer
prowl along the shore to guard his
vested rights. But he had a substitute,
and he gave that substitute stern or
iers. commanding her to take the shot
gun along and fire at any moving
thing
The substitute was his daughter Ag
nes She was ruler of the coloneps
house and the idol of his heart, and
she had taken more than ordinary in
terest in that shore fence question.
She had announced, too, she was ready
to perish in defense Of her inalienable
rights as heir to the property. This
feeling was strong upon her as she
donned her jaunty hat and walking
skirt and headed for the beach that
afternoon. If the fence was still erect,
we'll and good If 1t had been torn
down again
Help. help. help!' were the words
that reached the girls ears as she
made her way through the bushes, and
the sounds startled her. Some one In
tearing down that fence had come to