Gilpin observer. (Central City, Colo.) 1897-1921, 1918-05-16
THE SPITE FENCE
BY GLADYS E. sALrER.

hODeTl k<uiC tOOn q OhStsoS " 49,
new neighbor, Burton Price. within q
week after the latter had moved from
another part of the town next to the
Lane home. Price was quiet. unas-
suming man with a large family, MS
children happened to break one OF Mr..
Lanes windows in playing ball. their
dog rooted up some of the garden stun
Mr.. Lane had carefully planted ana
that was the start of Mr.. Lanes III
feeling.
1t is true that Mr.. Price stepped
over to his neighbours house, insisted
on paying for the window and having
the garden damage repaired. That
Modified Mr.. Lane somewhat. put the
next evening Mr.. Lane stepped over
to the Price home and returned, MS
brow like thunder cloud.
"What is the trouble. Robert" In
Quired his wife.
"That Price! I'm through with HIM,
Netta," to his eighteen-year-old daueh-
ter, "I hear that you let that Price cub
walk with you to the seminary. CUT
II out! As to the smaller children.
look to you, Martha, to see that they
don't associate with that brood next
door" aAEN
"why, Robert!" echoed Mrs. Lane.
whatever has crossed your"
"Price has, and I'll see that he re-
grets it. I. stepped over in kind
of neighborly way to ask him to vote
for Waller for sheriff. Price informed
me calmly that Waller was not the
kind of a man he could recommend. 81
"Well-could he" challenged MIS-.
Lane. significantly. "You know Wall
Ter associates with the worst class in
town."
"Never mind. I'm going to try for
mayor this fall. amt II" demanded
Lane. by catering a bit to Waller in
the spring county election, he'll return
the compliment and help me win out
In the fall, won't he?"
So within d wet. there was set
condition of feud between the two fam
lilies. ~'@ a-ssra ~
"I'll fence those vandals in" he vo-
ciferated. and hired a carpenter to
build fence twelve feet high.
Mr.. Price continued to bow courte-
ously to Lane. although the latter re-.
BURIED him with a 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 handball.
He nearly collapsed one evening when
he came upon Meta. receiving through
knothole in the spite fence rose
poked through by her ardent lover,
young Dudley Pfice.
1--WE won't have to stand that fac
tious brood much longer ~ he remark
ed to his wife. "SOOn as I'm elected
to the mayoralty I'm going to move to
better part Of the town."
One evening Lane arose to face
decidedly unpleasant Incident. During
the night some nimble burglar had
scaled the spite fence. climbed into
the upper room and made of with a
lot of jewelry and money.
. IF 1t had not been for the fence"
began Mrs. Lane. and then thought it
wiser not to further disturb her dis
gruntled husband.
A week after that Lane came home
to view wreck and ruin. There had
been q furious .windstorm about noon,
and fully so feet of the fence had been
blown down.
"If 1t hadn't been for the fence" be-
gan Mrs. Lane again, but again sub
sided, for Lane was boiling over with
Ill humor as he began to realize that
his unneighborly tactics were 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 a rather
anxious face.
"Tell you. Lane" ne said. "Its 60
Ing to be close shnve.",
"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 on
ponent will lose good many votes be-
cause he has antagonized the mill peo-
pie. but their independent votes count
up In the hundreds"
: AS the days went on Lane began to.
realize that his manager was pretty
shrewd analyst. Lane became gloomy
over the prospect. The night before
election he came home restless and /.