The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-03-08
Village Tale
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
BY M. QUAD

Sllas Thompson and Ben Goodheart
met at the postofiice one evening, ana
as they sat around and whitfield and
waited for tine mail &c come in Silas
lazily queried:
"Eben, you've been TO Cat Hill
hundred times, reckon, and jest how
far do you call 1t from Hopeyille|
Jest as far as 1t Is" answered Eben
after thinking for about three minutes.
"And that's ten miles"
'Who said it WASP
81 say so. | carried the mail on that
road fur three long years, ana 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 ninS miles and half to an
inch"
"Say, Eben, didn't you measure 1t
with purity short tapelineY asked
Silas as he whitfield away
Its jest nine and a half, answered
Eben in a logged way,
Its exactly ten"
mot an inch over nine and half.
mot an inch under ten miles,
"Silas, are You crazy or a born fool|
asked Eben as his hair began TO curl.
II amt big nuff fool to call 1t niue
miles and 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 sign reading. cat Hill
Nine and a Half Miles," aud as soon
as Sias heard Of it he put up another
reading, "Cat Hill--Ten Miles" That
made things worse. and half dozen
families were mixed up in the quarrel.
Almost every night in the year the two
men met at the postotfice, 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 giggle and chuckle
and say:
Did you hear that Cat Hin had
moved inland half mile, Ezra? She
used TO be ten miles from Hopeyille.
but she moved up 10 nine and hair
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 lnnatic,
Jabezg They say he's measnrin' the
road from here to Cat Hill with a tow
string and that It keeps him crazy be-
cause he can't make but nine and
half miles Of II"
The two men never came to blows,
but they never met without trying 10
hurt each Others feelings. If one IA
vored anything the other opposed It,
and they were contrary i'm politics. re-
ligion and all public improvements
one day Eben got buried in his well
/ bv a cave-in, and though Silas helped
to dig him out the chance was one to
say:
.Mebbe this narrow escape from
death viii make him turn 20 the truth
In the future and admit it's ten miles
TO Cat Hill"
/ II wasn't four weeks after that when
sllas had a saw log roll over him, and
/ as he lay there all fattened out Eben
came up and looked on him and said
"He seems 10 be a goner, but II the
Lord lets him live Il viii be That he
NAV take hair mile or the distance
/ 10 cat Hill and save his soul from per-
dltion."
Folks thought the dispute might
wear itself out in year or two. but
IL didn't. II kept right on for twenty
long wears and never grew cold. Eben
would have gone 60 Indiana 10 live but
he didn't want 10 leave Silas behind 10
crow over him. and Silas would not
20 10 Syracuse 90 run a sawmil Tor
the same reason. Al length Eben lay
on his dying bed. and Just the minute
the doctor told him his case was hope
less he sat up aud said
Then I want you 30 send Tor s'ias
Tompkins. I've got something ] want
20 say 20 him before die"
snas didn't hang back about coming
and after he'd arrived and said he was
sorry Eben said 20 him
"Snas. how fur is IL % Cat Hiilf
aIfs Jest ten miles, Ebcn. jest ten
aRnt I'm q dyin' man.
Il aYes. know. but its jest ten miles
cts only nine and a half, silas. and
you are a. biz fool - you was t"en-
" years ago.
"Ten milesT
sNine and a half"
sfas went away. and Eben died.
ana year later siias was called 20
70 when BE- realised q be said 90 MS
wife.
aMartha. don't Del anybody bun you
when Tn gone. It's ten miles 20 Cat
Hfu. and sou stick % q n you haFe 70
i've on cold taterE'
arTi d. al suas~ she answered
In dny ~ two he was ded and
buried. ana o. the usual crowd met at
the uaetoHce in THE evening the ta.k
Wss 81 about the two men and thfif
ufe,ang disputs some sald one Hs
rigis ara some raiI TIE 1t1er There
vas sfraugar prearut. ala ha
81 rrsatsa uu his ears and asfe
awes sou faFs tstain albert the
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