The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-23
THE EVENING STORY
Neighbors.
(By Joanna Single.)

/ 1n6 WAO4C u6lO us
breath when the three-room cottage,
vacant for a year, was bought by one
Reuben Farr. The place could not be
rented because of the Jones family.
Exery Jones in the house made trouble
even Mr.. Jones, two years in his
quiet grave. for his widow used his
poor widow woman and her young
ones had ought to be let alone
Mrs. Jones talked as fast as she
| worked, which speaks we'll for her in
dustry, and defended her chicks i'm
partially. Name was really pretty,
with the courage of that prettiness,
and kept the girlhood of the little
street in ferment by her wholesale
and constituencies annexation of their
| beaux. Sophie, red-headed and gawky
and eleven, leased smaller children
| and caused feuds and fights among
them. George, eight. cried if anything
| or anybody looked at him, and ran to
his mother, who forthwith sailed
forth to protect her offspring. At
such times rows were rife, and the
probation officers, the police and the
humane society had all been called
| upon to arbitrate during the two years
since the demise of the husband and
father.
neighborhood offendings had been
Joseph Jones, aged twelve and one
half, the owner of pigeons and rab-
bits and guinea hens, all nuisances
and trespassers. Worse than that, Joe
kept chickens. That is, the neighbors
kept them. They were ostensibly kept
in, and the widow was so neat and
clean and industrious, so valiant
mother, that officers were inclined to
think the neighbors were simply
"down on the tribe" and unwilling to
condone an occasional accidental
escape of a small boys pets. Also, the
widow had a fine eye and plump
red cheek, not to mention an Irish
always came off second best, but they
lived in hope of some day seeing Joe
Jones "get what was comm to him.
The Jones family owned and had to
F'arr bought the place next door. in
spite of fears and hints, the public
breath was held. How would he stand
the CONSEQUENTLY Joe?
The day the new householder took
possession the neighbors were hidden
behind curtains, or openly out In
yards and porches. Reuben Farr was
year or two younger than Mrs.
Jones. tall and silent and gaunt.
carpenter by trade, his own cook and
housekeeper. He nodded to every
body, said goodnight or morning when
he met them, but talked with no one
He minded his own business. It was
bleak March when he moved in, and
at nights and odd free days he tinker
ed about his little house and got his
affairs in order. In April he appear
ed one night with horse and pillow and
broke up his entire generous back
yard. He was questioned.
Garden was his laconic response.
The next night he narrowed the
ground. Then. he methodfcally made
beds and planted things, vegetables
little trees. A few ones tried to warn
him of Joe's rabbits. his pigeons, his
guinea hens and, worst of all. his
chickens. But gossip. aimed at him,
seemed to die on the lip. The neigh
bors finally decided to let him get his
own experience. But they admired
him. Moreover, he was rather fine
looking and not day older than 40.
a Irritation. But. to the Joy of the
interested, she did not succeed. He
was polite, that was all AS for Joe,
he found no fault with the boy. But
one fine morning in May when he
found the pet rabbits had eaten the
tender tops from his upgrowing vege
tables, he stood thoughtfully. That
night he fenced his place In high and
tight with chicken wire of the finest,
closest variety
And the next morning as he went to
work, after getting his own break
fast, Joe. safe on his own porch. cat
called at him and made gesture of
scorn. 1t was awful to be ignored.
have preferred an open row to silence
and a fence.
1t was not long thereafter that. in
some indescribable manner. the Jones
chickens got over the fence-miracu |
lousy, since they were clumsy, heavy |
fowls without power of flight. They |
uprooted several flower beds and COB |
bled eff the tops of the peas, now well |
above ground. Reuben Farr sowed
more peas. and lifted the hens over
the fence.
That night he called on the widow, !
casually. as if in passing She well
coined him on the porch, and babe |
him smoke If he liked He did not
talk more than a word or two. but |
Name came out. in white and impu- |
dence and inwardly much excited. |
She wished her mother could learn to |
know when she was not wanted. But
Mrs. Jones stayed, rocking intermina- |
bly, When he rose to go she STAN |
meringIy mentioned the matter of the |
chickens and the rabbits. 1t was a |
new thing to have a neighbor who did |
but it was accidental. and children
must have pets, and so forth After |
a voluble discourse in her pleasant
Irish voice, Mary Jones, nee Ryan,
dom. Boys" she said. will be boys"
YES Boys will be-boys,' he said, |
dryly. Then he went away uptown.
The next evening he added an extra |
foot to the helgnt or MS renee. The |
neighbors grinned, knowing Joseph |
would simply consider himself chal- |
lenged Natural history tells us that |
the rabbit will bore its way under al !
most anything on earth. 1t also teaches |
US that like most useless things it |
multipiies very rapidly. There had |
been originally some seven or eight |
rabbits. Now there were, it seemed |
dozens of them One night they worked |
steadily, having somehow escaped from |
fhaix 11IaCad hHfChaS and the morning
found them in Reuben's garden They