The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1914-06-25
The Feud in Hickey Township
Begun by a Calf and Ended by Fire.

->A~eSA
what to say to the caf's owner that the
calf suddenly remembered a previous
engagement and started, in some haste,
Ito keep il, heading directly across the
croquet ground. Papa Benedict wished
to follow with more dignity than the
calf desired; and presently his feet
were scraped from under him by a
wicket and he was being handled the
way the vaqueros in South Africa are
supposed to make butter-at the end of
a lassoo. He did not look very neat
when, few minutes later, he reached
the Walker residence and called his
neighbor out. He was holding the calf
up short, but his temper had slipped its
tether and caused him to say bad words,
to which Papa Walker replied in kind
whereat Papa Benedict seized conven-
lent neck yoke and killed the cause of
the trouble.
Of course there was fight and con-
siderable ill-chosen language; then, as
soon as possible, Papa Benedict sued
Papa Walker for the damage to his cab
bages, and Papa Walker sued Papa Ben
edict for the value of the calf. After
that they prosecuted each other for as
sault and battery; the younger men,
bers of both houses "sassed" each 9th
er at every available opportunity; Mrs.
Walker and Mrs. Benedict did no more
I" neighborin' -; and Mort Benedict
and Nellie Walker "busted up" with
each other. That is, Nellie broke with
Mort, who, for his part, had whole
some contempt for feuds and such non
sense and would feign have ignored the
state of affairs, so far as Nellie was
concerned, except for the opposition
any overtures from him would have re-
ceived on all sides, and especially from
Nellie. So he had to grin and bear it
leaving, however, all hostilities to the
others, and speaking pleasantly to any
of the Walkers he CHANGED to meet.
But finally, through rash act of his
own, he was forced into the feud
There was husking- bee of the good old
fashioned sort at Thompson s one night
and the younger members of the hostile
: houses attended. During the evening
Mort found a red ear in his pile, and
: he never knew what impelled him to do
!,
it, unless it was that Nellie looked SC
pretty and tempting-he took his form
er sweetheart in his arms and kissed
her, not once, but three times
As soon as it could be done without
| the girls knowing of it, Bud Walker
, and Harvey Free invited Mort and Pei
| Horner out into the moonlit pasture
: where Bud insisted on "having it out.
: Mort demurred, but in vain, and, much
to his regret, was forced to Click" to
a standstill not only the man he hoped
some day to call his brother -in-law, but
: the latter's second as well; Pei Horner
being cripple and unable to accom-
modate young Free, who was "pinin' .
on account Of his principals s defeat.
That settled it. Thereafter even ten
/ der hearted Mrs. Walker-who, like
Mrs. Benedict, sincerely but silently re
gretted the trouble that kept her apart
from her old-time friends these foul
, long years, and who had always had q
pleasant greeting for all the family, es
!pecially for Mort, who was great fla
vorite of hers-cut him dead when sht
happened to meet him, and even the
, frigid inclination of the head with
, which Nellie had been wont to recog
nize his presence on those rare occa
, sions on which they met was now de
, MED him.
All this cut Mort deeply, but he was
made of too tough fibre to show it;
so till the end of the feud he tried tc
act as though he did not care-lust as
did Nellie, who, however, was obliged
to confess to herself once in while
that she did care, "lots."
The spring of 1sS- is a memorable
one in the history of many portions OF
the DaEotas. The amount Of rain in
the fall and the snowfall of the winter
preceding had been very slight indeed,
la ALn,, xroro M c,,rinO rains to on