Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-09-06
The Debatable
Land
,copyright. lsIs. western Newspaper Union
BY ALvA JORDAN GARTH

Hale won't get my vote again. and
he'll not come TO this house." and then
he went in search of the daughter who
was the lodestone that drew the young
lawyer In question TO the Borden home.
Something to say TO you, Hetty," he
said, as he came upon the object of
his quest in the garden. THAT Hale"
You mean Richard" began Hetty.
and then flushed. and then paled.
''Hellol got as far as that, have
your derided Borden. "well, l don't
want you to encourage any more calls
from that young man. He imagines
he owns the town since he was elect
ed trustee. It's his work throwing
my land here into the town limits"
But, father" submitted Hetty,
'that had to be. They have built the
new school beyond us SO as TO serve
two townships and they say all your
land will become valuable town lots
in time.'
do they" jeered the self-opinionated
old fellow. "Well, III employ my own
property as / think best. l know Ii
means double taxation for me, right
now. That's not ALL Hale has had
the cheek to ask me to open path
through my field for the town children
TO rea he school"
Surrey you said yes, father"
Il didn't, most emphaticallyl I'm
imposed upon enough, already"
1t was I'm vain that clearer-minded
neighbors tried to show Borden that
the new school meant an increase in
value of property, that the opening of
the school path would save time and
effort for the little ones. All his life
Borden had been a stubborn customer.
He had conceived strong dislike for
Richard Hale-'the reformer," "the
tangled boss" as he contemptuously
termed him. When her mother had
died Hetty felt drawn closer to her
father. She knew from experience
that it was useless to resist his strong
will. In the present instance she
bowed her head submissively. She
kept out of the way of Richard Hale
as much as possible, with humiliation
she heard her father criticized for re-
eusing to give to the children short
cut route to the new school.
Borden turned his back upon the side
road as he noticed the children toiling
along its muddy length. A slight SEN
sation of shame appealed to him, but
he thrust 1t aside, obstinacy still pre-
vailing. Recently several real estate
spectators had been after his prop
erty, and, despite his set ways, Borden
began to wonder IL Richard Hale was
not right in his optimistic predictions
that his land was well worth one thou
sand dollars an acre as an investment.
ut is sort of task, especially
when 1t rains and in summer time, for
those children TO tramp that extra half
MILE" mentally agreed Borden, "but
let the town buy the path strip, just
as railroads do a right of way"
He felt more and more uneasy as
time drifted on. He noted that Hetty
was not as light spirited as had been
her wont, and he realized that his
neighbors did not go out Of their way
to meet or be agreeable to him, but
he. had built up wall of stubbornness
and spite and dislike, and 1t would
not melt away all at once.
Late one afternoon-Jerome Borden
never forgot that day and hour-a lit
tie tot, delayed at school. forlorn and
alone, was treading the side road with
difficulty. The air was sweltering-
there had been dashes of rain and
fierce sudden gusts of wind Over In
the northwest dense black clouds were
piling up, and Borden's weather eye
foresaw that the storm center was ap-
preaching.
A wailing cry drew his gaze towards
the road. The little girl had been lift
ed from her feet and thrown headlOng
by a passing blast. She got up from
a puddle of mud, crying bitterly. At
that moment a roaring. ripping sound
caused Borden to scan the western
sky.
"Thunder!" he almost gasped.
"She's coming-a cyclonel'
1t was strange, but at that moment
all he thought of was the little child
In the road. His heart currents check
ed as he realized that if anything hap
pened to her he would never forgive
himself. His the blame that she should
be overtaken in that dangerous stretch
Of road The funnel-shaped cloud
seemed poised direct to pounce down
upon her unprotected form.
q r11n = he
the fence he threw his whole force
against it and burst through bodily.
He grasped the terrified child. Then.
drenched with perspiration, his face
white and >quivering, he raced for a
pit hole, jumped into 1t and held the
little one protectfngly against his Wild
ly-beating heart.
Just in timel for when the roaring
tempest had passed, the side road was
strewn with trees and fence timber.
Borden staggered towards the house.
Hetty, anxious eyed. greeted him there.
He spoke hoarsely. Take charge of
the little one.' and collapsed utterly.
The sky cleared and Hetty took the
child home. The sun was shining
brightly when she returned Ak In
hand, delivering mighty strokes, her
father was cutting away a section of
the fence to open path for the little
school children through the debatable
ground, and q week later Richard Hale
was again a regular caller at the Bor-
den home.