The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-30
EVENING STORY
The Boundary Line.
BY ABIGAIL SCOTT,

airy line between the two farms. Con-
structed of rough powders, skillfully
fitted. for years it stood, monument
to the feud between the Ashleys and
the Raymonds.
Originally the two farms had been
one; three hundred acres of Woodland
and rolling meadows, the property of
Henry Ashley and his father before
him. Asa, Henry Ashley's son, had
grown. up with the expectation of in
heriting it some day. But the elder
Ashley plunged much too heavily one
year in backing a colt of his own rails
ing at the neighboring county fair.
The PAGER lost by a neck; Mr.. Ashley
was unable to meet his obligations.
Just at this critical juncture John
Raymond happened along, bent on the
purchase of a farm. Henry Ashley Of
fered him hundred acres at reason
able price, but Raymond, after looking
carefully over the place, decided that
he wanted half the farm or none
and that half with condition. Ashley
accepted that condition.
John Raymond built a house front
ing on the highway, as the Ashleys had
done, and brought his small daughter
and housekeeper to live in it. Asa
Ashley, who lived in his fathers home,
had a young wife and a small son.
Knowing well enough that the blame
for the division of the farm rested on
his fathers passion for racing horses,
Asa nevertheless chose to place it on
the shoulders of John Raymond. He
never returned the latters greetings
and forbade his wife to visit the new
neighbors or his son to speak to the
Raymond child.
When in the course of time Asa Ash
ley came into the shrunken inheritance
his bitterness toward Raymond in
creased; it reached its apex on the day
he learned the nature of the condition
on which the land had been purchased
He had not known there was a condi-
ton.
Midway on the Ashly half of the
farm, about twenty feet from the
boundary line. was a never-failing
spring. 1t was one of Asa Ashley's
dreams to some time pipe the water
from that spring into his house.
Therefore it was with incredulous
wrath that, one summer day, he spied
two men digging on his land while
John Raymond stood by, directing the
work of running a pipe line from the
spring into his own house
Only kept from some act of violence
by Raymond's superior strength, and
only convinced to his neighbours sole
right to the waters of the spring and
right of way over the Ashley property
by a sight of the deed, Asa's feelings
changed from passive dislike to open
enTnity.
The next day the wall was begun,
and Raymond thereafter was forced
to be constantly on the alert for acts
of petty malignity on the part of his
neighbor. Taking no chances, he Wis
tied the spring daily
The children caught the spirit III
the air. Annie Raymond's little red
| tongue always stuck out its full length
when Harry Ashley appeared, and the
scion of the Ashley family would yell
derisively, Hello, freckle-faced car
hof " IJav flI-
admired her mop of red curls Annie
| did not know. st--r .f a-
At seventeen, just after the death of
! his mother. the boy quarreled with his
| father and ran away from home. Some
time later John Raymond learned
| from the gossip of the countryside
! that Harry had shipped in the mer-
| chant marine.~
The years passed, bringing their
| eternal changes, but Harry Ashley did
not return home. Inseparable from
his memory of the old place. however,
was mental picture of an auburn
| haired girl, with a very red tongue
perpetually thrust out at him.
| Then came the great war. Harry
Ashley enlisted in the nay and speed
! lily won a commission. During those
anxious days, when young Ashley's
| ship formed a unit in the conveys
which travelled back and forth with
/
of lives. when he thought of it at all
the old feud seemed very petty indeed.
But he thought much of going back
some day-and of the red-haired girl.
Then came a cablegram telling of his
fathers death, at tense moment
when there was scarcely time for
regret that he had never returned
! home.
| When the armistice was signed Annie
Raymond was carrying out her fathers
last request, that she run the farm
to its fullest capacity while the worlds
need of foodstuffS continued so urg-
ent. Soon afterward she learned from
the neighbors that Harry Ashley was
coming home. and she wondered what
type of man he might have developed
into.
A faithful old farm hand met Har-
ry at the station and on the drive
home related all the news Of the coun-
| ty. That Raymond gals a-running
the place now, and she comes over
the wall every day, jest like her dad
used to- Here the old man chuckled.
"Ain't been enjoyin's their spring
water much the last few days, l
reckon. There's a bad leak some
where in their pipe and the waters
seepin' off SOS they can't find the
/ bust Got a lot of stock water, too,
an their wells most dry" He chucked
again.
Haven't you offered Miss Raymond
any help?" Harry asked without a
smile The old man looked at him in
establishment us help out a Ray
mond ?" he exclaimed. Young man.
hev you forgot the way your father
| felt towards them p
| ''I haven't forgotten that the world
still needs every bit of farm produce
it can get" replied Lieutenant Ashley.
/ Starting out to look over the farm.
which he hadn't seen since boyhood,
Ashley saw two men digging near the
spring. He questioned them and re-
| ceived the following answers: No,
they hadn't located the leak. Miss
Raymond had gone to town for add
| tional help. Yes, the had an extra
shovel.
| II was luck. of course. that the new
conner hit at once on the spot where
I 4; I,a1r