MIGHT MAKES RIGHT.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2098, 29 July 1887, Page 1 (Supplement)

MIGHT MAKES RIGHT.

Worthy Mr. and Mrs. Jones, and the little Joneses, lived on the bank of the mighty Mississippi, and their lives had t been spent in what was to them, peace and happiness. but the Joneses loved the rude structure which sheltered them with a devotion which perhaps all the improvements of civilization could not have argumented ; it was their homo. What a sweet sense of security, how many recollections of the past and tender thoughts of the future are called up by that one word I How often has it stayed theband of the destroyer, and kept the weak and faltering from straying into many devious ways and crooked paths 1 Well, all the Jones family liked the old place, and it. was a sad shock, one spring morning, when they discovered that the river was shifting. *

The Father of Waters seems to have an in clination to play sad pranks with the simple mortals who trust themselves to locate on his banks, and when the playful mood seizes him, he has a game of puss in the corner, assuming the role of sly puss himself, and taking the corner of land he desires without waiting its desertion by its owner.

This tendency of the Mississippi to change its bed is well known, and the law has provided for giving the reclaimed river bottom to the owner of the land to which it is attached, so that one may go to bed the owner of a considerable tract of land, and awake in the morning to find it the home of a flowing river, while his more fortunate neighbor on the other side is rejoicing over his newly acquired addition. Well, old Jones discovered one morning that the river was shifting, but, unfortunately, it was moving the wrong way. Mr. Anthony Storm owned the opposite bank, in lowa, and when Jones reached the side of the river, on his way to the fields, Mr. Anthony Storm had already received a considerable addition to his property. Jones set his teeth hard together, and if he bad been a civilised man, 1 have no doubt, would have given way to profanity ; but he was a poor savage, so he contented himself with grinding his teeth and shaking his fist at the smooth waters, before he turned and went to the house.

Mrs. Jones was giving the breakfast dishes a finishing polish as be burst into the room. “ Mary," he said, “ the river’s coming this way, and in a very short time all we own will be swept away.” Mrs. Jours turned pale.

“ U may be only a temporary rise, John." said she, “ and at the worst, the house stands too high to be flooded.” " Yes," groaned Jones, who had sunk into a chair, completely overcome, while the children stood about with frightened looks. “ The house is all right, but it is on the east lino of the claim ; all but the few rods on this knoll are on the bottom, and not enough will be left us to raise a month’s food.”

"God’s will be done!” piously cried his wife. " But let us see what He has left for us to do for ourselves.”

Throwing her cape on her shoulders, she started for the river bank to view the impending calamity, Jones and the children followed, and when they turned the rise that hid the river from the house, they saw that what had been the day before a long, low, fertile garden was now the home of a vast sheet of water, which toiled on its way to the sea with a calm, smiling self-possession which seemed to say, " might makes right.” Jones watched the waters with a grim look.

" Now, what can we do, John 1" asked bis wife, anxiously.

“Do ? ” cried he. “ Why, we'll stay with our land, of course; where it goes we go." “liut-but-"

" Ob, not exactly that," with a forced laugh. “ But you see the river takes our land, and since wo can do no better, we will take what it leaves.”

And they did. By night the water had reached the rising land which protected the cabin, and the next morning the river had taken complete possession of its new bed. Jones loaded his family on a flat, and. fer-

ried them to the other aide; it waa lowa, bat. that made no difference with him. The land was not exactly his, bat it had been the river’s, and, thought be, “ a fair exchange ia no robbery." So he landed bis wife and chlU dren on the east upland, and oet about to build another cabin.

In the coarse of a week be was aettled, and had started to cultivate his lands, when bis proceedings came to the ears of Mr. Anthony Storm.

Mr. Storm was a wealthy man, but strangely enough, he was willing to become wealthier; so he bad a consultation with his legal adviser, which resulted in a message to Jones, offering to sell the land be occupied at a reasonable figure.

“ What 1 pay for my own land I ” said Jones to the bearer of Anthony’s message. “ Now you see here, young man ; this place belongs to me by right of exchange, and 1 mean to hold on to it."

‘‘ln that case, Mr. Storm says to tell you he'll have the law on you,” replied the messenger, with a laugh, “and not only force you out, but he’ll get damages, too, I reckon.”

“ He will, eh?” cried Jones, his face turning pale with rage. "Well, you tell Mr. Sturm that I mean to stay right here, with or without bis consent, and tell him that the next mean cuss he sends here with word for me to gtt ’ll have every bene in his body broken I Now don'f forget that last." Mr. Storm raged when be received this message; but be was a smart man, who had always an eye to the main chance, and would not stop at petty meanness to gain an extra crown ; and when his gain was another's loss, it was the more valuable, as showing him to be the keener man. So he awaited his time and allowed a couple of weeks to slip by, and then, when the land had been dressed by Jones's skilful hand, and had put on an appearance which promised an abundant harvest, be swore out a writ, and sent it down by Constable Reed, who found Jones at home. “ A writ, eh f" said Jones, when the man had explained his errand. “ What isit for ?” “ The object of this document is to tell yon to move,” replied Reed; “ notice to vacate these premises instanter, as it were.” “ By what authority," cried Jones, hoarsely, “ am 1 ordered to leave?”

“ Tbe law demands it, Mr. Jones. Mr. Storm claims this land, and I reckon he can show his right to it."

“ My deed to it is springing up faom every furrow and mound on its surface," said Jones, “ «nd no power on earth can make me leave it."

“But the law, Mr. Jones,”cried the constable, “ the law must be obeyed. I humbly represent that factor of human society, and 1 hereby formally ask you to leave," “ See here, llccd," said Jones, grimly, taking down his shot gun from its brackets. “ Me and this thing here represent that factor of human society called justice, and I rather think we arc able to uphold it, and you've just got two minutes to get off the place. 4 * The limb of the law stood not upon tbe order of his going, but went at once.

44 Well,” said Jones to bis wife, 44 might made right when the river wanted a new location, and I do not see why it should not do so for us.’ 4

44 Might makes right,” said Mr. Anthony Storm, and he hired and armed a posse of men, and led them against the enemy, Jones bad not thought such extreme measures would bo resorted to, and when he saw them coming he gave up all hope. For himself he did not care, and would have gladly barred tbe door and fought it out. But his wife and the children must be his first thought, so there was nothing to do but to go-

A few trips on the flat, and all they owned was once more in the old house, which stood on a barren strip of land, while across the stream lay promising fields, ricbcned by the sweat of Jones's brow. To reap where be bad not sown was the luck of Storm.

Starvation stared them in the face, and the next day was a sad one; there was only one way open to Jones to keep the wolf from the door, and that was by going to one of the large cities and seeking for work. The parting was hard, but was a necessity, and be set out at once.

St. Louis was the nearest town of any size, and to that city he went. Work was unfortunately bard to obtain, and he sometimes despaired of getting sufficient to keep the dear ones he had left from want. An odd job now and again enabled him to send home a small sum occasionally, and his wife wrote regularly, end always filled her letter with hope and encouragement. Thus the summer passed, and the winter and spring, and a year from the time he left home found Jones as poor as before. One day there came a change ; he received a letter from hi< wife, which, contrary to her usual style was short and mysterious. “ Come home at once,” she wrote, “wo need you.” “ What can she mean ?” thought Jones, “Is any one sick 1 What can have happened?” and many other questions which had to remain unanswered crowded into his mind.

There was only one way to answer them, and he took it. There was a station within ten miles of his home, and be bought a ticket to it. All through the journey he felt confused and bewildered. He thought of all the calamities that could possibly have happened, but each in turn gave way to another, and by the time be reached his stopping point he was in such a frame of mind that be took Farmer Seth’s presence at the station with his light waggon as a matter of course. “ How’dy, Jones 1” cried the worthy, exding his hand. “ Look kinder peetered out, but I reckon a few days at the old place T1 fix yon up." Jones bung on to his hand and stammered—

“ Did yon come by my house, Seth ? Has any evil befallen my family /" “ Yes, first," replied Seth, laughing, “ and not as I know of, for the second.” n My wife—how i» she?" 11 Looking hearty" " And the children “ As noisy as ever," " Is there nothing wroncat my house ?" “ Nothing wrong at all. "Seth, you are deceiving me," exclaimed Jones. " Why should she write me to come hack, if all were well ?"

•• Most likely she—she—well, jump in and ride over with me, and I reckon you'll find it out a beep quicker’n you will standin* ther .”

Farmer Seth did not spare his horse, and in something over an hour they rolled on to the divide on which stood Jones's home.”

The sight which met thp poor man's pare astounded him ; for there between the bouse and the river were the smiling fields of bowing corn, the rows of green-topped potatoes and waving, yellow sheafed wheat be had known of yore, and around the house were gathered bis friends and neighbors from miles around.

A shout announced their approach, and when they pulled up at the door, Jones was grasped by a dozen rude hands and carried to his wife’s side.

11 What does this mean, Mary 7 " be asked vaguely, as he folded her in his arms. And she explained, os she raised her smiling face to his; ■■ The river went bock to its old bed in the spring, John, and the neighbors joined hands and fixed up a surprise for yon.”

There were tears in more eyes than those belonging to Junes as be simply said: " Heaven reward yon, my friends 1 I can t ! "

Amt then Brown tuned up his fiddle, and the old walls uf Jones's humble home looked down in amazement at the joy which ketw no bounds. " Might bod mode right.”