The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-11-29

face. but pasS
recognition.
OF course ri
Iais nsasteT and
bart In front o
was quiet and al
usual surrouTaiine
Hty and good behav
lpe-ate the toRn i
madness neyer\
making a visit to =
n fight. He never Il
jhe was always ready
Iferred { light on his
lis TO say under his owy
lor<te "hoit' was the =
(which / have been give
is a very effective one
ism. one day "Reub--<
he had been driven kdtoV
linsults peculiarly goading}
only soundiy whipped III
but ANONYMOUSLY pursued
the front Of the store on L
Ito the old court house. now
Square. Lem Brown ordina
kd oblivsous of these Tfcou
lon thai day he came out OF
lard patted .'Reub" on the he
he returned painting from his CHI
| Brown enjoyed himself after
ion. He was IN interchangeable S
land 'possJun hunter:and. besidesv
Forcing the leltea fare OF his
made many dimes by selling skins
day a Traveller. passing the lone G
lin the neck OF n woods. n early
Iwhen the fields lay fallow, he stud
lwas brown. and there was n soft ha
Eon the hills, might hear, away Town
1.-THE woods. "Rsub's' deep boom, an
then a shot-LeE1 Brown WAS kiniIEv
Squirrels. Some night n lonely wayfarc.d
going that way would look ACROSS tn
fields. and in the starlight would see the
house. only a black patch on the sky.
and AWAY OF in he depths Of that
dark. oozy swauEp "Faeub would hay,
land the axe would ffy-Brown was
hunting .poSsums-
This singular man had a fashion that
TO me was almost grusome-I cannot
EXACTLY explain why. 1t was his habit
Ito work in his fields - late that one
Wondered how he could see the furroy
Tor the growing crops. One evening at
least half an hour after sunset. ! pass
led Browns farm and away of at one
lend OF the field, with h light already
$50 dim that his figure was blurred. he
twas digging. digging. 4 long time ago
II saw h picture OF a dog with his
lforepaws planted on the breast OF his
dead master on an abandoned battle
field. That has ever since been TO me
1.-THE type of utter loneliness. Mex TO IL
in my mind is the figure OF Lem Brown.
bending in the gloom 20 h3s work on
1.-THE poor, cheap farm III a corner sof
North Carolina
One night a Fayetteville lawyer was
returning home after attending court
at Ellington. the county seat OF Har-
nett. 1t was a gloomy night. with a
slow rain dripping down; and. as he
passed Browns place. as well as he
jcould ascertain in the darkness. he was
attracted by the pite0us bowling OF L
dog. which seemed TO be running from
THE fence to the house. He checked his
horse for a moment: and. peering
Through the gloom, saw a dim light
Through the window Of the cabin. He
drove on. but h~esitatingly. for. some
lhow, the thing worried him Two or
three hundred yards down the road.
lfmoeEed by he~artrending cries from
1.-THE dog. he turned short around. drove
back to the fence. hiJcned his horse.
land wakes up TO h house. the door
iof which vas open and inside which
l"Reub'' could be heard in mournfI.
IsubdueG whining
Stretched out on his bed lay Lem
Brown dead. with "Reub's'' Jaws on
his breast and "Reub's'' tongue ltck'nS
1.-THE cold checks. The tgoT of death had
lalready gripped the cold form, and he
imam had probably been dead for some
hours. a large bowl of some herb in
fusion was on a chair by n bedside.
II never learned of what ailment Lem
Brown died-probably Of heart failure.
(which is a very convenient way OF &C
counting for a mans departure from
1.-THE world. l did hear that no kith or
ever appeared to put the earth over
lhis body, or claim his worldly goods:
lthev did not amount to much. / sup
Ipose that in u course OF law the
county administered On what was left
lof Lem Brown.
1t would be u pretty ending TO this
STORY If l were 10 say that "Reiib" pin
led away in grief. and that he was one
morning found stiT and stark on the
grave OF his master. But ! am not a
fiction writer-I am a historian: n
truth compels me TO confess that, a
Iyear after the death OF Lem Brown. /
lsaw "Reub'' on Market Square in this
lcity. in the ownership of a fat. happy
NEGRO with a mouth full OF white teeth.
land the dog was as fat and seened as
happy as his new owner. j. H NJ
Fayetteville, Nov. IS.