The Spectator., 1915-07-13
LOST BOUNDARY LINES
By R. S. CAMP.

crimson with anger, seeing not the slightest humor in the situation.
 Half way through the strands of barbed wire, which caught the shoul- ders of her best lavender dimity gown, was Miss Rebecca Dobson, his next door neighbor Her delicate, faded face was quite pink with embarrass- ment.
 Upon my soul, madam!" ragged the colonel testify, this is too much!"
 ''If you were a gentleman you'd ex- tricate me from this wretched fence which you have had the impudence to erect on my property" was Rebecca's acid retort. Then, with wrench of her shoulders and her imprisoned knees. Miss Dobson fell back entirely free from the barbed wire.
 "A gentleman, indeed!" clustered the colonel, when he was left alone. How was to know that meddling old maid would go racing over my property hunting for lost guinea hen? Her land, eh! I thought the courts of Suffern county decided where the boundary lines were!"
 The colonel clustered into his lone- ly house, where he sat down to a lonely meal in the great dining room.
 He had never made woman cry in his life-unless his wrangle over the boundary line had caused Rebecca to shed tears. He never believed it had; she was too plucky for that
 She had never cried either, when they had quarreled, long years before he wouldn't believe it; their en- gagement had been short and sharp and soon ended And now the colonel bad come home to spend the quiet life of a country gentleman, and his first skirmish had been a dispute over the boundary line between the two estates. The colonel had conquered and it was by his orders that the old meadow fence had been torn down and replaced with one of barbed wire to include twelve feet of land that tho Dobsons had always claimed.
 By this time the colonel was down in the dew-drenched rose garden. which heretofore had always offered him repose when weary in mind and heart Tonight the white moon staring down on the fragrant inclos- ure was too much for him--it re- minded him sorely of another moon- light night and another rose garden when he had been younger.
 So he tramped out of the garden and down the yew walk to the or chard and through the orchard and around the fields until he fetched up short and sharp before the contro- versial barbed-wire fence.
 A big black form was busy there, muttering brokenly, while long 1ail- like arms moved to and fro. There was the clink of some tool against the whanging wire and the z-z-z-zip- zip as it tore away from the posts
 Lock here! What are you doing there?" sharply demanded the colonel.
 Sukey rolled her eyeballs at him. but did not cease her work of de- struction.
 Mind yo' own bizness!" she growled fiercely.
 Look here, woman--" he began, when she lifted a great fist and shook it under his outraged nose.
 Listen to me, Kunnel Bickford." said Sukey impressively. you jes' gotter mind yo' own bizness, und stand? Dis yere land belongs to Miss Rebecca and ain't goin' to hab no more wrangulation over 1t, If l breaks all yo' bones, like de way yo' broke her sweet heart years ago!"
 "Sukey!" he cried warningly Becky never cared about me-you knew we were engaged-you knew she broke it off and"
 "Oh, go long!' muttered the dis gusted Sukey. If yo' had de gump- ton of flea yo would'a' stomped over heah and jes' made up with her. And now, dere yo lives all aloney. cranky as old man Satan heself-and here lives my Miss Becky, jes' pinin' her sweet heart out with lone- liness-and de cure right In you two hans! White folks air de contrapt- edest!"
 Whang! went another length of wire. mere TeiudlHeu ouiy thO naked posts. Sukey picked up crew. bar and began to pry at a post.
 When the last post was out and the boundary fence had entirely dis- appeared. Colonel Bickford stepped across the space and entered the little lane that went up to Rebecca's cot tage. Sukey rested on her crowbar and watched him.
 "De good Lord forgive me for what I've said to him." she prayed as she scuttled away to her own quarters. Colonel Bickford found Rebecca Dob son sitting on the front veranda. He stood at the foot of the steps, a tall. straight scldierly figure. the Inoon- light falling on his gray. uncovered head.
 Becky" he said in a broken voice, "Sukey has torn down the boundary H. Io.-oz.. o,c Jo-l hovo rvncooA