The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1900-06-14
Mr.. BRYAN AT HOME.
The Candidate as He Appears
Among His NeighbOrs.

Among His Neighb0rs.
Boston Transcript.
LINCOLN, Neb.-"About thai
farm" said Mr.. Bryan to your cores
pondent today, "there is wrong i'm
preston. I can drive out there from
town, and it gives me an excuse to get
away. It Is rest. But 1t looks just
like every other piece of ground in
that nelghborhood. There is nothing
remarkable about it. Then about
that porch" he added, with a humor-
Gus smile, stepping out Of the front
door of bis Lincoln home as he spoke,
"You Will see that the old porch ran
here and there. The new porch has
taken nothing from tho old one. It
is an enlargement" and Mr.. Bryan
laughed and waited for some one to
make the old porch campaign joke,
which finally came. The painters
working upon the improvement grim
ned sympathetlcally and Mrs. Bryan
betrayed some anxiety that the visitors
should not tread on the fresh paint.
Mr.. Bryan bought his thirty-acre
farm some time ago. It is suburban
tract, about three miles from the city,
and not very alluring Investment at
the price paid. It is more the fad ct
a man who wishes at times to esca re
the noise and confusion which SUI
rounds presidential candidates. Tas
improvements upon his house hava
long been needed, and the deep veraa
da which now nearly surrounds the
small frame dwelling is Vast improve
ment to the rather unsightly building
SO familiar to the many who have
sought the silver leader at his home
since 1896.
Mr.. Bryan looks strong and vigorous.
His eyes are bright and his manner
alert. He says he has no more speak
ing dates between now and the Demo-
cratic national convention. As to
what he may do after that event he
claims to have made no plans. He
processes to regard the action of the
Kansas City convention as beyond dis
cussion by him on the ground that as
an event yet to transpire, knowledge
of what will happen is impossible, and
any assumption premature. Mr.. Bryan
has been described as having aged
materially in appearance since 1896,
but there are few signs of this on his
person. He is more self-contalned-i in
his manner, more a man OF the world
in his carriage and dress, although he
still cllngs to the black clothes and
wide expansive white shirt bosom which
are 50 familiar to those who have met
him during his campaign tours. His
hair has grown thinner on top Of his
head, but he is the same Bryan OF 1896
OAIy AAO10 ~.
He and his family have only been
home from Texas a short time. Itwas
the morning after he returned that the
delegation of gold Democrats from the
east called at his home to question him
as to the possibly of securing a modl-
fication OF the financial plank of the
national platform. They found Mr..
Bryan in his shirt sleeves setting
things to rights, but he did not need
his coat to tell them in plain English
that he would not consent to an evasion
OF the silver issue, even by a general
endorsement of the Chicago platform,
and it would be difficult to convince
any member OF the gold delegation
that Mr.. Bryan is evading the silver
question In any possible way during
this present campaign. His neighbors
do not credit the stories of Mr.. Bryans
reported wealth. They say he gives
freely and lives we'll, and if it were not
for the proceeds of his book sales and
the writing he does, he would need
other resources