The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-03-03
WHICH WAS The GENTLEMAN?
A Story in Three Parts.
BY HERBERT RIDLEY MOONEY.
From Woods Household Magazine for February.
PART I.

LUAAC COnbAlbQACS OASAb IOh 0A%A AiGz
breeding, Dawson Pember could lay
claim to extra refinement. He was
Southern gentleman, Maryland hav-
: ing had the honor of being his birth
place. His father, having entertain
r ed like a gentleman, found his estate
4 suddenly bankrupt. Utterly unused
20 dealing with any but gentlemen
his proletarian creditors broke his
heart. and so he was gathered to his
ancestors, buried in the old family
o vault, gentleman to the last.
e His son returned from college, call
r ed out one of the creditors for mo-
ment soiled his hands with plebian
: blood-as the only means whereby a
son might avenge an insult to the
memory Of his father-and, wound
} up his estate. The negroes were
sold the estate, heavily mortgaged,
was rented to farmers, who paid but
enough to maintain our hero respect
. ably, and prevent the old homestead
from falling into the hands of stran-
gers.
Dawson Pember pondered over
many a scheme to restore the faded
glories of his race. They were all
more or less tinged with romance;
rosy fringed, some, others somber-
hued yet, with all his cogitations,
the only means whereby he might
hope to accomplish a competency,
never dawned upon him. lie could
dream Of chopping up any number
of MeXicans. and thereby win to him.
self moiety of fame and filthy lu
ere, but the more prosiac counting
house as a means to that end never
occurred to him. Indeed, it is bare
ly possible that he would have "call-
ed OUT the man who dared insinuate
the profitable results of twice two
and two.
The effect of his dismal dreamings
was his appearance in New York, ac-
cOmpanied by a black satellite. re-
! joicing in the name of Lightning.
Dawson Pember, Esq, had at last
| hit upon a scheme to redeem the es-
tates, the brilliancy of which. out
weighed its originality. He had
come to look for an neiress. This,
with his introductions and name, he
had no doubt Of speedily obtaining.
| Unfortunately, the condition Of his
pOcket-book did not permit him to
live in the style due his birth: and
so, though he shone as butterfly IN
society, in private he was fain ocon-
tent himself with clearinghouse
on the confines of fashion, then near
! the Battery-whereof the democrat
ic lymph consisted of eX-cOlonels and
| peripatetic drummers. All these in
dulged in sly sneeIs and covert en-
nifty at the expense of the solitary
young aristocrat who was fortunate
enough to own "a niger" The
| landlady. however, sympathised with
the tall, refined looking young man,
who paid his bills regular = but, as
she was obese, and moreover sur
rounded by a dish-watery atmos-
phere, her sympathy speedily be-
came bore.
1t was to avoid an outbreak of
mutton-chop tenderness on the part
of this good creature, that Dawson
Pember strolled to the Battery one !
fine morning. Here he might nurse !
in solitude his growing misanthropy
his aesthetic commerce having so far
proved failure.
1t is impossible to say how long he |
might have remained gazing unmind- |
full of the beautiful water-scape, had |
not something shoreward attracted |
his attention. He heard steps be- |
hind him, and turning. beheld man
staggering toward a seat. He gain
ed it, and fell heavily, his head on |
the bench. his body on the ground. |
"Psh drunk before the sun is up"
murmured our aristocraC in disgust
He was about to leave, when a faint
groan caused him to examine the
man more closely. His hat had fall
en- off, revealing a high dead-white
forehead; clustering chestnut curls
but served to make more distinct
the sickly pallor of his clear cut fea-
lures. He was neatly though shah
billy dressed; his paper collar had
been turned; his tightly buttoned
coat concealed the absence of shirt
and vest. His cheeks were wan.
pinched, gaunt his half-closed eye
lids revealed dilated pupils.
A moment before MIR. Pember had
muttered drunk now, not having
studied medicine, he murmured zap
oplexy," and UnbuttOned his cOat,-
exposing almost living skeleton.
Great Heaven !'' he exclaimed,
"the man must be dying of starva-
tiOn." To rnn across the square, OBJ
tain some milk, return, and force a
portion down the young fellows
throat, was the work of a moment.
1t seemed to do him good he gasped
a little, and Pember felt his heart
beat family.
Our Southern gentleman thereup-
on fed toward his boardipe-house,
dragged his astonished satellite out,
and, not deigning to afford him any
explanation, returned with him to
the side of the dying man.
Quick lift him up and carry him
to my room Light; say | told you to
do so if any one objects; give him
some brandy he is dying of starya-
ton, l am going for a doctor. Htr-
ry = hurry
w men Dawson Fembef feached the
house accompanied by physician,
he found his Nubian, with his back
against the bedroom door. talking :
to the slow white trash
who wished the ejectment OF the
drunken intruder"
A little brandy restored the dying
man to feeble life. and homeopathic
doses of soup presently gave him
sufficient strength to murmur inco-
lerently. and fall asleep almost imme- !