Across the Fence: English Joe

The following is an abbreviated retelling of John Clay's book "A Sheepherder's Grave" Joseph Arthur was an Englishman and a farmer whose meager landholdings lay at the foot of the Cheviot Hills. The farm was a good one, with grassy meadows where cattle grazed and sheep drifted in woolen white dots on emerald hills. The land was rich and fertile and turned up black as coal dust behind the plow. Like many dwellings in the English countryside Joseph's home was already ancient when he was born, but the stone walls and thatched roof provided ample shelter and reasonable warmth for his wife and g...