IN THE POULTRY YARD. gt 
a:wise man, knowing that. the spring arose on my land, he would 
have met me more than half way, but being a churl he was likewise 
a fool. 
Lhad three plans open to me whereby the nuisance could be 
abated. 1. I could apply to the Board of Health; they would 
very quickly rectify matters if they did their duty. 2. I could 
commence a civil suit for damages, and procure an order from the 
court to abate the nuisance. 3. I could abate it myself a¢ once by 
turning off the water. I chose the latter course, partly because it 
was the speediest. A good spade in the hands of a stalwart 
man generally goes straight to the point, and knows nothing of 
the “law’s delays.” First of all, however, I consulted a lawyer of 
great experience and sound knowledge in regard to my rights in 
the case. I was informed that I had a perfect right to restore the 
water to its original course, and, moreover, that inasmuch as it arose 
wholly on my land, I had a right to do what I chose with it. 
Tat once employed three good stout laborers, and we went to 
work and cleared out the old channel most effectually. It had 
been entirely filled in in some places; these we dug out and re- 
opened. Amongst the property which Brown left with me, but 
which I did not purchase, merely held awaiting his order, was one 
of Gurley’s Architectural Levels. This admirable little instrument 
enabled me to make sure of my course, and I found that when the 
water passed off my land the bed of the stream would be so low 
that there would be no possibility of bringing it back to Nabal’s 
property except by means of a force pump. So we worked away, 
and in forty-eight hours I had the old channel cleaned out, and the 
present one very effectually filled up. As the sparkling stream 
dashed. over the pebbles and rushed into its old bed I could not 
help thinking of my little friend Nettie and her murdered pets. I 
knew that thousands of dollars had been spent on the ponds and 
fountains of our unneighborly neighbor,.and that these were now 
all.useless. The fountains were now nothing but dead lumps of 
iron and dead blocks of stone, and the pond, instead of being 
“a thing of beauty,” would be a noisome, stagnant pool, sickening . 
and disgusting its owner, until in self-defence he would be obliged 
