GOING FOR A WITNESS.
"Did Peakslow say anything to you about our folks?" Rufe asked.
"I rather think he did!" said Jack; and he repeated the story of the
land robbery.
Rufe showed his contempt for it by a scornful laugh. "I'll tell you just
what there is in it; and it will show you the sort of man you have to
deal with. We haven't an inch of his land. Do you think father is a man
to crowd a neighbor?"
"And a neighbor like Peakslow! That's just what I told him," said Jack.
"You see," said Rufe, "these claims through here were all taken up
before the government survey. Most of the settlers were decent men; and
they knew that when the survey came to be made, there would be trouble
about the boundaries, if they didn't take measures beforehand to prevent
it. So they formed a society to protect each other against squatters and
claim-jumpers, and particularly to settle disputed boundary questions
between themselves. They all signed a paper, agreeing to 'deed and
redeed,'--that is, if your land adjoined mine, and the government survey
didn't correspond with our lines, but gave you, for instance, a part of
the land I had improved, then you agreed to redeed that part to me, for
the government price; just as I agreed to redeed to my neighbors what
the survey might give me of their claims."
"I understand," said Jack.
"Well, father and almost everybody in the county joined the society; but
there were some who didn't. Peakslow was one."
"What were his objections?"
"He couldn't give any good ones. All he would say was, 'I'll see; I'll
think about it.' He was just waiting to see if there was any advantage
to be gained over his neighbors by _not_ joining with them. Finally, the
survey came through; and the men run what they called a 'random line,'
which everybody thought, at first, was the true line. According to that,
the survey would have given us a big strip of Peakslow's farm, including
his house and barn. That frightened him. He came over, and shook his
fist in father's face, and threatened I don't know what, if he took the
land.
"'You really think I ought to redeed to you all your side of our old
line?' says father.
"'Of course I do!' says Peakslow. 'It's mine; you never claimed it; and
I'll shoot the fust man who sets foot on 't, to take it away from me.'
"'Then,' says father, 'why don't you join the society, and sign the
agreement to redeed, with the rest of us? That will save trouble.'
"So Peakslow rushed off in a fearful hurry, and put his name to the
paper. Then--what do you think? The surveyors, in a few days, run the
correct line, and that gave Peakslow a strip of _our_ farm."
"Capital!" laughed Jack.
"It wasn't capital for us! He was then, if you will believe it, more
excited than when the boot seemed to be on the other leg. He vowed that
the random line was a mere pretence to get him to sign the agreement;
that it was all a fraud, which he never would submit to; that he
wouldn't redeed, but that he would have what the survey gave him. That's
the kind of man he is," added Rufus.
"But he did redeed?"
"Yes, in some such way as he told you. The dispute came before the
society for arbitration, and of course the decision was in father's
favor. But Peakslow still held out, and talked of shooting and all that
sort of thing, till the society got tired of his nonsense. So, one
night, nine men did give him a call; they had called on a claim-jumper
down the river a few nights before, and made kindling-wood of his
shanty; Peakslow knew it, and knew they were not men to be trifled with.
They told him that if he expected to live in the county, he must sign
the deed. And he signed it. My father wasn't one of the men, but
Peakslow turned all his spite against him."
"He imagines he has been wronged," said Jack.
"I suppose so, for he is one of that kind who never can see any side to
a quarrel but their own. The land is growing more valuable every year;
he covets it accordingly, and so the ferment in his mind is kept up. Of
course," Rufe confessed, "we have done, or neglected to do, a good many
things which have kept adding fuel to the fire; for it's impossible to
live peaceably alongside of such a selfish, passionate, unreasonable
neighbor. We boys have taken up the quarrel, and now I owe that Zeph a
cudgelling, for hurting Cecie."
"How did he hurt her?"
"We had a swing up in the woods. The Peakslows are always interfering in
our affairs, and, one day, when Link and the girls went to swing, they
found a couple of little Peakslows there. Link drove 'em away, and they
went off bellowing to their big brothers. In a little while Zeph came
along, when Cecie happened to be in the swing; and he pushed her so hard
that she fell out."
"I shouldn't think cudgelling him would give you much satisfaction,"
said Jack. "It was a dreadful thing to happen! But did he intend it?"
"I don't think he is sorry for it. Father went to see Mr. Peakslow about
it; but he got nothing but abuse from him. What do you think he said?
'The swing,' says he, 'is on a part of the land you robbed me of; if you
had gin me what the guv'ment survey did, then your children wouldn't
have been there, and the thing wouldn't have occurred.' That is the man
who has got your horse."
Meanwhile, they had driven past Peakslow's house, proceeding down the
river road; and now once more Jack reined up before old Wiggett's cabin.
At the sight of the wagon approaching three or four half-naked little
barbarians ran into the house, like wild creatures into their hole,
giving an alarm which brought out old Wiggett himself, stooping through
the low doorway.
"Mr. Wiggett, do you remember me?" said Jack.
"Wal, I reckon!" said the old man, advancing to the wagon, reaching up,
and giving Jack's hand a hearty shake. "You're the young chap that found
my section corner."
"And do you remember my horse?"
"I 'low I oughter; for your elephant story, and the scars you showed me,
was drea'ful curi's. I heard the hoss was stole."
"He _was_ stolen. But I have found him; and I want you to go with me and
identify him, if you will be so good. Mr. Peakslow has him."
"Peakslow?" said the old man, with a dubious shake of the head. "It's
nigh about the easiest thing in the world to git into trouble with Dud
Peakslow. I gener'ly go my way, and let Peakslow go hisn, and waste few
words on him. But I don't mind gwine with ye, if ye say so. How did
Peakslow come by him?"
Jack told the story, whilst driving back to Peakslow's house. There he
left Rufus in the wagon, and walked on with Mr. Wiggett into the
barnyard.