This happened a long time ago, but this story is still told to this day.
There lived a nice man in the state of Arkansas in a place with the strange name Garrison. His name was Mr. Doctor Walker. He was not tall, but he had high ideas about how to behave, how to maintain one’s dignity, and so on. True, not all the neighbors agreed with him on this, and therefore they said that he was an eccentric. This is what they always say about those whose ideas are alien to you.
He argued that everything in the world is beautiful, except women who whistle, hens who crow, fireplace grates that squeak, and violinists who are out of tune.
This Doctor Walker was too picky, and God punished him for it. His own daughter, the beautiful Jane, ran away from home with a violinist who was shamelessly out of tune.
When the state government moved to Little Rock,
Dr. Walker bought a farm in its vicinity.
In those days these places were not very populated. Walker's closest neighbor lived two miles away. His name was Judge Rover.
One day Judge Rover came to see Dr. Walker.
“Listen, Walker,” said Judge Rover, “I need a yoke to harness the ox and plow the ground.”
Mine broke in half. Would you mind borrowing yours for a while?
- Please take it, judge. Use it as much as you need.
Rover took the yoke, used it as much as necessary, and then “forgot” to return it.
Walker waited and waited... He himself needed the yoke, and he sent a man with a message to Rover. Rover was in a bad mood that day and barked:
“If he needs it so urgently, let him come and take it himself!”
Hearing the judge's answer, Walker almost choked with indignation. And, taking a well-oiled gun, he went to Judge Rover's house, although the day was hot and he had to walk two miles. But the last thing he thought about was the sun.
He found Judge Rover in the backyard, examining a young bull.
“David Rover,” said Dr. Walker, pointing his gun at the judge, “take the yoke you once borrowed from me and bring it to my house immediately or you will turn to dust!”
Rover looked at the barrel of the gun and said:
- Nice treatment of neighbors! Do you think I robbed a church altar? Okay, I'll send your filthy yoke with my man!
- You won’t send him with anyone! You should be taught good neighborly relations and simple courtesy. Take the yoke off the nail and bring it to my house, or else...
Rover looked from Walker to the gun pointed at his chest and bit his tongue. He took the heavy yoke off the wall, put it on himself and set off. Two miles in the sun. And Walker followed on his heels with a gun at his
shoulder
Rover could barely move his legs. The yoke became heavier with every step. Three times he wanted to stop and throw him to the ground, but each time Dr. Walker put the muzzle of the gun to the back of his head and said:
- Forward!
Finally they reached Walker's house. At the gate, Rover threw off the yoke and leaned it against the fence.
“You didn’t take it at the gate,” Walker noted sternly, “but in the barn.” Take it back to where you got it. - His tone did not tolerate objections.
Rover picked up the yoke and carried it to the barn. When he had hung the yoke in place, Walker lowered his gun and said peacefully:
- Let's go to the veranda, Judge Rover. There is better airflow there, and the day is hot. I'll ask my wife to go get some water and make us a cool drink.
They sat on the veranda, Walker called his wife, and she prepared them a cool drink.
Dr. Walker talked to the judge about this and that, about the farm, about business, and then added:
- Rover, you can take my ox yoke at any time, just a pleading: when you finish plowing, return it to its place so that I don’t have to ask for it. This will be a good neighbor.
And they parted as friends.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru