Catoctin clarion., 1918-08-08
THE SPITE FENCE |
Rv GLADYS {. SALTER.


new neighbor, Burton Price WITHIN
week after the latter had moved from
another part of the town next 10 Tic
Lane home Price was a quiet hilas-
suming man with a large lanl'y' MS
children happened to break one or MI
Lanes windows in playing ball, their
dog rooted up some of the garden sun
Mr. Lane had carefully planted ana
that was the start of Mr.. Lanes W
feeling
It is3true that Mr.. Price stepped
over to his neighbours house, insisted
on paving for the window ana having
the garden damage repaired lha'
notified Mr.. Lane somewhat, h'' tue
next evening Mr.. Lane stepped over
to the Price home and returned MS
brow like thunder cloud.
rWbat is the trouble, RobertT In
quired his wife,
"rhot Price, Pm through with h''i'
Netta." to his eighteen-yehr-o'd ahusn'
ter, ~ hear that you LET that fr'ce coo
wnlk with YOU to the seminary. GU
II ont, As to the smaller Children
look to you, Martha. to see thai 'heE
don't associate with that brood heAt
door"
"Whv. Robert I" echoed Mrs. Lane
"whatever has crossed your
price has, and I'll see that he re-
grets it. | stepped over III k'''o
of neighborly way TO ask nm 10 S"'e
for Waller for sheriff. Price informed
me calmly that Waller was not the
kind of a man he could recommend"
rWell-could he?" challenged AIRS.
Lane significantly. "You know Wal
Ter associates with the worst class W
town."
"Neyer mind. I'm going to try for
mayor this fall, amt IT. demanded
Lane. "By catering bit t" Waller ID
the spring county election, he'll return
the compliment and help me WIN oul
In the fall, won't heT
So within week there was SET
condition of feud between the two fam
lilies.
"J'u fence those vandals in he vo-
build fence twelve feet high.
Mr. Price continued to bow courte-
ously to Lane, although the latter re-
buffed him with scowl. 1t nettled
the latter to the point of distraction
when he discovered that the spite
fence made an excellent surface for
the Price children to play hnndball
He nearly collapsed one evening Wheh
he came upon Meta, receiving through
knothole in the spite fence rose
poked through by her ardent lover
young Dudley Price.
1--WE won't have to stand that fac
tious brood much longer" he remark
ed to his wife. soon rs I'm elected
to the mayoralty I'm going to move to
better part Of the town"
one evening Lane arose Ia face
decidedly unpleasant incident. During
the night some nimble burglar had
scaled the spite fence, climbed into
the upper room and made off with
lot OF iewelry aud money.
IF 1t had not been for the fence
began Mrs. Lane and then thought 1t
wiser not to further disturb her dis
gruntled husband.
A week after that Lane came home
to view wreck and ruin. There had
been furious windstorm about noon
and fully 50 feet of the fence had been
blown down.
IF It hadn't been for the fence" be-
gan Mrs Lane again, but again sub
sided, for Lane was boiling over with
III humor as he began to realize that
his unneighborly tactics We're bearing
bitter fruit.
The fall election neared and the
town was split up between the two
main political parties and an indepen-
dent group, comprising the workers In
the plant at the other end OF town.
where Mr., Price was employed. one
day the manager in charge of the Lane
campaign came to him with rather
anxious face.
"Tell you, Lane" he said. "It's go
Ing to be a close shave"
"Why, how can that be when we rep
resent the usual majority party?"
"Well, to be plain with you, there's
detection. A good many are shying
away from you"
"What for?"
THAT spite fence business hasn't
made very good impression with the
conservative class. It's true your Op-
ponent will lose a good many votes be-
hn hac TO hn
pie, but their independent votes count
up in the hundreds"
AS the days went on Lar. began tv
realize that his manager vas pretty
shrewd analyst. Lane became gloomy
over the prospect. The night before
election he came home restless and
pessimistic. 1t was foregone conclu-
sion that he had lost weight IN his own
party. About eight o'clock someone
called him up on the phore.
"Mr Lane? Yes? | am about to sd
dress the Independents at the MILL
voice spoke. II want to ask you
question"
"All right" replied Lane, wondering
who his interlocutor might be.
Are you in favor of putting through
the new road for the convenience and
property benefit Of the workers."
"Decidedly. Who is this?"
'Tm your neighbor, Price On your
pledge, Mr.. Lane, We'll see that you
are elected"
And he was, and Robert Lane learn
ed his lesson. If he WINGED when he
compared the kindly impulses of his
neighbor with his own soured nature,
he felt he was on his way to reform as