Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1910 — A FINE POINT IN EQUITY [ARTICLE]

A FINE POINT IN EQUITY

An old-time story of the fine points of law and equity which arose in carrying out an amicable contract is told in the Philadelphia Record. There were four brothers who had inherited a storage warehouse from their father. He had divided the property equally among them. Among the appurtenances was a cat —a fine animal, excellent for mousing. This, too, was divided, the eldest brother owing the right front quarter, the second brother the left front quarter, and the younger brothers the two hind quarters. Now, unfortunately, the cat in one of its nocturnal prowls Injured the right front paw, and the eldest brother attended to that portion of his property by binding the injured member with a greased rag. The cat, thankful for this relief to its Bufferings, went to sleep contentedly before the fire; but in the midst of Its slumbers a falling coal ignited the rag, and the animal, howling with agony, dashed through the warehouse, and coming in contact with some combustibles, set the building on fire. When the loss came to be figured out, the three younger brothers wished to throw it all upon the eldest, on the ground that had he not tied up his part of the cat with the inflammable rag, the building would not have been destroyed. He, on the contrary, contended that had the cat only been possessed of the front right paw—his property—lt would have stood still and Burned to death. It was the three other paws that caused the damage. _____ "The brothers argued the case until they died, but they never reached an agreement