The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1915-03-06
A Village I ale
BY M. QUAD
Copyright. 1915. BY the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

II was when Uncle EbeneZer David
SOL was postmaster at Hopevile that
Silas Thompson and Ben Goodheart
met at the postotiice one evening. and
as they sat around and Whitfield and
waited for the mail to come IN Silas
lazily queried:
"Eben, you've been to Cat Hill
hundred times. | reckon. and jest how
far do you call it from Hopeville:"
Jest as far AS it Is" answered Eben
after thinking for about three minutes.
And that's ten miles:
who said 1t was!
Il say so. carried the mail ON that
road fur three long years. and ! reck-
on know the distance purity well.
asked you because some one said you
call it only nine and half miles"
And that's what I'm sayin' this
mint. It's nine miles and half to an
inch"
Say. Eben. didn't you measure 1t
with purity short tapelineT asked
SlaS as he Whitfield away.
Its Jest nine and Il half" answered
EDen in logged way.
Its exactly ten"
Not an inch over nine and half"
Not an inch under ten miles,
"Sias, are you crazy or born fool?"
asked Eben as his hair began to curl.
II amt big huff fool to call 1t nine
miles and Il half to Cat Hill" yelled
Silas in reply.
They jawed about 1t half an hour
longer. and they parted bad friends.
In the course of two or three days
Eben put up II sign reading. "Cat Hill
Nine and Il Half Miles" and as soon
as Silas heard Of it he put up another
reading, Cat Hill-Ten Miles," That
made things worse. and II half dozen
families were mixed UP in the quarrel.
Almost every night in the year the two
men met ut the postotlice. and. though
they wouldn't notice each other. they
had their ways of hurting each others
feelings. Silas would look around to
Ezra Billings and gigge and chuckle
and say:
Did you hear that Cat Hill had
moved inland a half mile. Ezra! She
used to be ten miles from Hopeville.
but she moved up to nine and Il half
to accommodate sartin smart folks
Eben would be hurt and want to
get even. and he'd look at Jabez White
and say:
Heard about that escaped lunatic.
Jabez: They say he's measnrin' the
road from here to Cat Hill with n tow
string and that it keeps him crazy be-
cause he can't make but nine and Il
half miles Of It,"
The two men never came TO blows.
but they never met without trying to
hurt each others feelings II one ia
vOred anything the other opposed It.
and they were contrary in politics. re-
igon and all public improvements.
One day Eben got buried In his well
by a cave-in. and though Silas helped
to dig him out the chance was one to
say:
"Nehbe this narrow escape from
death will make him turn to the truth
in the future and admit it's ten miles
to Cat Hill
Ii wasn't four weeks after that when
Silas had saw Iog roll over him. and
rs he IN there all ilattcncd ont Eben
came up and looked on him and said:
.Ile seems to he Il goner. but It the
Lord lets him live it will he that he
may take huff Il mile off the distance
to Cat Hill aud save his soul from per-
dition
Folks thought the dispute might
wear itself ont in II year or two. but
il d dn't II kept right on for twenty
long years and never grew cold. Ehen
woultl have gone to Indiana to live. hut
no didn't want to leave SilaS behind TO
crow over him. and SilaS would not
~ to Syracuse to run Il Sawmlll for
the same rcrSon At length Ehcn lay
On his dyiu" tied, and lust the minute
the tnctnr to'd him his case was hope
less he SIT M ana said:
Then | want You to send for Silas
Tompkus. rye got something want
to say I" him urfmr | die