S
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
dreds made homeless and penniless, northwest. Mort saw, with sinking at
with nothing left, even wherewith to his heart, that there was an even chanco
o f getting cut o ff from the river,
wring their bread out of the soil.
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Tn C---------- County and its neighbors, •
Begun by a Calf and Ended by Fire.
however, all felt secure; the fires were
Mr. Walker was on a feather-bed on
far north o f them, and beiqg gradually the floor o f the wagon and Mia. Walk*
(R. L. Ketch urn in San Francisco Argo what to say to the c a lf’s owner that the exterminated. Besides they were in the er crouched beside him. Nellie ran back
n aut)
calf suddenly remembered a previous Jim River Valley; it is curious bow into the house for the family Biblo,
T WAS certainly a first rate fend, engagement and started, in some haste, much confidence the proximity o f a riv­ then climbed up beside Mort.
and a source o f much pride to the to keep it, heading directly across the er will give to the settler who is threat­
“ Git up! O k I”
The heavy whip
settlers in and about Hickey Town croquet ground. Papa Benedict wished ened by prairie fires.
came down liard on the horses’ flanks,
ship, just as a haunted house, or a inur to follow with moro dignity than the
Mort Benedict and his father were re­ and the race was begun.
der mystery, or a long-lived scandal calf desired; and presently his feet turning from the county town one day,
Faster came the flames; the billow of
might have been— only the feud was were scraped from under him by
having been in to leave “ mother” for smoke rolled over them, now and then
much more satisfactory, because it had wicket and he was being handled the a two days’ visit and to have the dropping feathery grass-cinders as it
been on for four years, and hardly a way the vaqueros in South A frica are breaking plow repaired. For a day or passed; they could hear the roar o f the
month had passed during all that time supposed to make butter— at the end of two there had been rumors of fires only fire and feel its hot breath whenever
that had not witnessed some new epi a lassoo. He did not look very neat twenty miles or so to the north, and the wind increased in velocity— and
sodo in the affair, and each one seemed when, a few minutes later, he reached they were talking of this as they cross­ Jim River so far away!
more startling than its predecessor. And the Walker residence and called his ed the bridge, four miles from home.
Nearer caroo the great wave o f
so it was that the good people of Hick neighbor out. He was holding the calf As they reached the top of the hill on flame; the air was denso and suffocat­
ey Township held their heads just a Tit up short, but his temper had slipped its the west side of the river Mort glanced ing. Mort in his frenzy lashed the now
tie bit higher than their less fortunate tether and caused him to say bad words, at the northern horizon, which was not running horses incessantly, cursing,
friends who resided in more peaceful to which Papa Walker replied in kind— distant, on account o f a range of hills [»raying, saying he knew not what. Mrs,
portions of the country.
whereat Papa Benedict seized a conven running east and west, and
Walker wept and prayed; Mr. Walker
Did his eyes deceive him, or was that now and then gave a feeble moan; Nel­
It— the feud— all started on account ient neck-yoke and killed the cause of
o f a yearling calf— than which, permit the trouble.
smoke, just rolling up above the line of lie, on the seat beside Mort, kept her
me (a stock-raiser of limited but fruit­
O f course there was a fight and con hills f
lips tight closed and said nothing, only
ful experience) to interpolate, there siderable ill-chosen language; then, as
“ Look, father! ”
clinging to the seat more desperately as
never was nor can there ever be a crea- soon as possible, Papa Benedict sued
the wagon bounced and lurched.
Startled, the elder man did so.
turo more hopelessly,
unreasonably Papa Walker for the damage to his cab
Mort looked at her; her silence anger­
“
Great
God,
Mort!
She’s
a-comin’,
*1 ornery,” and one more productive of bages, and Papa Walker sued Papa Ben
ed him. “ Git o f f ’n th ’ sea t!” he roar­
an
’
cornin’
t
’
beat
hell,
too!
We
got
sinful language and display o f sultry edict for the value of the calf. After
ed. “ How d ’ye think I c ’n drive with
temper on the part of its keepers. Year­ that they prosecuted each other for as t ’ race, t ’ save anything!”
you sittin’ thar?”
And
raco
they
did,
but
the
firo
was
ling calves have caused the recording sault and battery; the younger mem
The girl obeyed, and fell, rather than
angel more trouble, broken up more old bers of both houses “ sassed” each oth­ racing, too; and when they drove their climbed, back into the boex.
panting
horses
into
the
dooryard,
the
friendships, produced more family jars, er at every available opportunity; Mrs.
Mort Benedict’s recollections o f what
and, in the form o f veal, begotten more Walker and Mrs. Benedict did no more flames were only a few miles away and occurred after that are very dim. He
indigestion and the insomnia resultant “ neighborin’
and Mort Benedict coming down at lightning speed.
While Tom and Roy saddled their remembers driving deeper and deeper
therefrom than— but this is not an es­ and Nellie Walker “ busted u p” with
into the terrible heat and smoko, o f
say on the sinful, sportive steerlet and each other. That is, Nellie broke with ponies and rounded up the livestock, tearing through a volume o f flame that
his shortcomings.
Mort. who, for his part, had a whole Mrs. Benedict and the three elder boys seemed endless— flame that burned his
The Walkers and the Benedicts had some contempt for feuds and such non and Bessie in an incredibly short space eyeR, his nostrils, his throat, and scorch­
been old neighbors, for years, “ back in sense and would feign have ignored the of time put into the two v-agons every ed his hair and eyebrows— then, with a
Jo way.
In fact, the elder Walkers state o f affairs, so far as Nellie was thing that it was possible to save, af final leap, the horses dashed down the
and the elder Benedicts had been mar­ concerned, except for the opposition ter which Hal and George saddled their slope into tho shallow river, and he
ried about the same time, at the be­ any overtures from him would have re ponies, joined Tom and Roy with the
knew no more
ginning o f the war, and had just set­ ceived on all sides, and especially from herd, and the whole procession, headed *
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tled on adjoining homesteads when the Nellie. So he had to grin and bear it, by the two wagons, driven by Mort and
When Mort awoke ho conld not for
his
father,
moved
o
ff
at
a
rapid
pace
first gun was fired on Sumter. The leaving, however, all hostilities to the
somo tiem realize where be was, and
men enlisted in the same company, others, and speaking pleasantly to any toward the river.
Then, and only then, did Mort notice lay for some minutes trying to remem­
fought side by side, ate and slept and o f the Walkers he chanced to meet.
ber. Oh, ye»; ho was in Will Berry'a
suffereu together; and at home their
But finally, through a rash act of his that there wgs no sign o f human life room. He remembered the antlers on
young wives waited and wept together. own, he was forced into the feud. about the Walker place. His heart gave the wal?, and the white curtains at the
leap.
When the little Walkers and the little There was a husking-bce of the good old
“ B ess!” lie said, sharply; “ Hid— did windows. Some one came in softly
Benedicts grew large enough to run fashioned sort at Thompson’s one night
Did ye notice ’em from the next room.
about, they were playmates and boon and the younger members of the hostile they git away?
“ Who is it ? ” he asked.
companions; the children o f one family houses attended. During the evening movin’ ’round?”
It was Nellie, and she came and
The g irl’s eyes opened wide. “ Ob,
felt as much at liberty in the home of Mort found a red ear in his pile, and—
leaned over him. “ I t ’s me, Mort. I ’ve
the other as they did in tlieir own— for he never knew what impelled him to do Mort! I haven’ t heard or seen a sign b e ’n here all th ’ time. I thought yo
of ’em all d a y !”
twenty-eight years the two families had it, unless it was that Nellie looked
Y ou ’ve b e ’a
Tako them reins. I ’m goin ’ back knew me, sometimes.
Jived in peace and amity, and then that pretty and tempting—he took his form­
sick. ’ ’
miserable calf preeipitated an irrepar er sweetheart in his arms and kissed an ' see. ’ ’
“ Are ye here t ’ stay, Nell—always,
He leaped from the wagon and ran
able row. It was too bad, all the neigh her, not once, but three times.
I mean?”
back,
noting
as
he
did
so
how
hot
the
bors said, but it is a noticeable fact
As soon as it could bo done without
8ho sat down on the edge of the bed
that none of them attempted to patch the girls knowing of it, Bud Walker air had become and how near the big and put her hands on his shoulders.
up a peace— life in Hickey Towushij and Harvey Free invited Mort and Pel wave o f smok) was.
“ I f ye want mo to, Mort.”
Mrs. Walker, singing softly as she
and Hickey Corners would have been Horner out into the moonlit pasture,
He drew her face down to his, but
dull, indeed, but for the feud; so every where Bud insisted on “ having it out.” bustled about the kitchen, was a bit put her at arm's length presently.
body sat by and watched each new Mort demurred, but in vain, and, much startled to see who her unannounced
“ But how about th ’ fend, N ell?”
phase o f the affair with nervous, mor to his regret, was forced to “ lic k ” to visitor was.
“ They ain’t no more feud, M ort.”
“ M is’ Walker, where’s all your men
bid interest, and commented thereon a standstill not only the man he hoped
but not in a manner likely to prove con some day to call his brother in-law, but folks? No, I didn't come fer trouble— ELITE PRIVATE
dneive to a truce on the part o f the dis the latter’s second as well; Pel Horner only th ’s a prairie Tire only a little
pntants.
BUSINESS COLLEGE
being a cripple and unable to accom­ ways off, a n ’ cornin’ down like mad*”
Mrs. Walker sank into a ehair. “ Oh,
It was in this war. ^ T h e Benedict modate yonng Free, who was “ pinin’ ”
404 COMMONWEALTH BLDG.
heavens! A n ’ father sick a bed a a ’ all
and Walker houses had been built on on account o f his principal’s defeat.
PORTLAND, O R
adjacent comers of the homestead quar
That settled it. Thereafter even ten­ th ’ hoys over t ’ Berry’« on a breakm’ -
ters, and were quite close together; in der-hearted Mrs. Walker—who, like bee! ”
Good Lord! A in ’t I glad I come
fact, one well, sunk on the quarter-scc Mrs. Benedict, sincerely but silently re
tion line between the two homesteads, gretted the trouble that kept her apart back! Where’s th ’ hosses?”
*Oh, Mort! They’re all loose in the
had furnished water for both families from her old-time friends these four
for the first four years after coming long years, and who had always had a paster! ”
“ Git what things ye wantuh save t
to Dakota, and it was only a short dis pleasant greeting for all the family, es
tance from either house.
pecially for Mort, who was a great fa ­ gether real quick! They ain’t no spare
But it came to pass th -t on the Walk vorite o f hers— cut him dead when she tim e.'’ And Mort tore out of the house
er domain there was born, and grew, happened to meet him. and even the like a madman, and down to the pasture,
and waxed fat and “ sassy” a brindle frigid inclination o f the head with not noticing that Nellie had entered the
calf, with a right smart chance o f white
hich Nellie had been wont to recog kitchen and was staring at him open
in its eye ar.d a plethora of deep-dyed nize his presence on those rare occa­ eyed.
mischief in its soul— and he (for it yas sions on which they met was now de­
Both Mr. W alker’s wagon teams were
a young gentleman “ critter” ), while nied him.
composed o f animals usually as docile as
yet o f tender age but tough, engendered
All this cut Mort deeply, but he wa? lambs; but today, bunched together in
the feud. He had wandered away the made o f too tough a fibre to show it; a corner of the pasture, they sniffed the
day before, and when he returned at go till the end o f the feud he tried to coming flames, and it seemed to put
night the gate of the calf pen was shut act as though he did not eare— just as
ild imps into their lumbering car
against him; and in the morning, when did Nellie, who, however, was obliged casses, and it was a long, trying time
Papa Benedict arose from post break­ to confess to herself once in a while before Mort could catch two of them,
MAUDB I. DECKER, A. M.
Principal.
fast family prayers and, followed by that she did care, “ lots.”
swear, pray, try as he might—and the
Poroonal
Attention, Individual Inctroctiacfc
the younger male Benedict«, hied him
The spring o f 1SS— is a memorable great firo rolled swiftly nearer. The Satisfaction Oaarasteod. Positions for O ra4 *
toward the stable, he beheld his neigh one in the history o f many portions of wind had shifted from northeast to
» »p ed a l 8nBaser Baton.
bor'rf incipient steer nipping in the bud the Dakota«. The amount of rain in
sundry young and toothsome cabbages the fall and the snowfall of the winter
and kicking out o f the earth, in his preceding had been very slight indeed,
bovine abandon, all he could not eat.
WEEK
and there were no spring rains to en
Then was Papa Benedict wroth, and courage the farmers. The creek-beds
thereupon did he give w iy to naughty, and conies were dry; the lake beds and
With or W ithout Bars Saw Attachment
profane words while the young Bene sloughs were as innocent of water a?
Will mw 20 to 40 earth o( wood per da* at a coot of
diets surrounded the offending calf and powder magazines; and the matted
S 7 £ i
$1.00. PULLS ITSELF ap tl* ttoepest HILL and
brought him up for judgment.
grass and reeds standing in them were I
orer tho roufhett wound. Costa leas than other maksa.
Now, Papa Benedict was a man of as dry as was the grass on the prairie*-
O b * b u d writes ho tawed 56 tick« a 10 hows.
basty temper, but easily calmed; so Everything
invited
the
fire-fiend |
Another sawed 40 cords ia 9 hows. T hem’s
when the calf was tendered him at the whose work on the plaiaa is so tw ift
to know. Write lor FREE <
Ipstimraulsl
end o f a long pieket rope, his wrath had and thorough—and he accepted the in
slof cor,lainm* full deacriotioa
from A tlw o u ix w m . WRITE
decreased several degrees, and he ▼itation.
wound the rope around hie hand and
From the wheat region* up north |
»tarted to lead the ealf home.
eame tales of hi* deadly work—o f ccuc |
It was while he wa
tie* almoat entirely laid wa«te, of hua |
The Feud in Hickey Township
I
UJ
KING OF T H E W O O D S ’ DRAG SAW
J