The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-06-30
Fruits of a Supper Table TaIk-T:eye-
nue. Officers Arrive just Too Late.
1t Felt like the Dream Was Coming
Truc-A Girls Night Ride-rl,e
Love of WIFI Burke.

ness or pink and white, n REGULAR
ty of feature, but her face was strong
full of character and very attractive
hair dark brown and abundant; eyes,
clear, expressive, gray; mouth large
but very sweet and winning, and q
straight nose, on each side of WHICH
a tiny patch of freckles. AS she
hustled with active step about the
kitchen, she sans, IN an unframed, but
clear, true voice, snatches of simple
ballads and plantation melodies:
"The moon on the leaf shines bright, :
love, :
The lone bird sings sweetly to the
night, love; d.
| ask no purer delight, love,
Than to sigh with the south vino 10
thee" .
Or, to a brisker measure, she sang
this, learned in childhood from the ne
groes along the river:
MY marster give me holiday, ;
l wish he'd give me more;
| thanked him very kindly,
AS l rowed my boat from shore, !
And down the river fOated
With a heart so light and free, |
To the cottage of my dearest May,
| longed SO much to see.
O dearest May, you are lovely as the
day,
Your eyes so bright, they shine at
night,
When the moon has gone away"
The suns shafts of light crept across
the floor and up the eastern wall,
fainter and fainter, blurred at last into
a yellow stain on the rough boards OF
the kitchen, and were gone. Lizzie's
father, Howard Raynor, came up from
the farm into the yard, followed by two
stout sons, their jeans trousers and
coarse shirts full Of the sign Of their
| field work, and stamped into the back
I piazza, where they betook themselves
to the tin-water basins and yellow soap
in preparation for supper. The father
was 4S or SO years OF age, lean in flesh
but with muscles tough as steel from
work and exercise, a mouth Xix MS
| daughters, but blue eyes instead OF
gray, with the CLINT Of fight in them,
high cheek bones and c~lose-croppei,
l Sr1ZLlcO ndlf. Inc SChS WClO 1LADAS
two out of thousands to be seen all
|! over the land-physical young giants
| and intellectual dwarfs, as far as edu-
| cation and culture go, loutish and awk-
] ward, but with a good leaven OF sturdy
manhood in their makeup, for al
| that.
Lizzie had the table neatly spread IN
| the middle of the f1oor-for the kitcn-
49, xx,o~ No 1uX111 nc yynII &C RnnEjnp
room of this plain country family. ex-
cept on company Occasions-and the
coarse but bountiful supper already
| filled the board when the three men
came in, their faces shining from their
washing and s%crubbing. "Ah," said
Raynor, that big white porker's nam
certainly does smell good, and I'm
ready for it, for one. But Lizzie, my
girl, if it amt too much trouble, before
the fire dies down, won't you fry three
or four more slices of that same ham?
The days works done, but there's
work ahead of us tonight; and a snack
! of biscuits and meat, with n of them
custard pies. won't taste bad along
about II o'clock
The girls face clouded as her father
went on, a troubled look came into
1 lei GN " lCl I1opSAS hNAo SA~Ah
bled as she poured the strong, steam
ing coffee from the pot. Father" ohs
said, drawing a deep breath, as shs
stood at the dresser, cutting more
slices from the great juicy ham-shak.
ing a little from feeling, but her flu
mouth set in steady resOlve-'it's {
pleasure to me to do anything for W,
and the boys; but l b~egrudge o tai:
task ans this snack, for l know vel
what tonight's work means, and | Sc
my face against it."
You and the rest of the world OK
cent the cussed revenuers, are welconi'
to know, gal" replied her father witt
a grim smile, but a quick flash in hi
eyes: I'VE are going up back of the BIZ
hill to make corn liquor, and
Yes. like thieves in the night, hidin;
from the law and the government tina
protects you,' exclaimed the girl, o D
ing from one to the other, her uer
vousness gone, and determined to hay
it out at last.
1.-The United States government is n
protector of mlne," replied Howar
Raynor, putting an evident restrain
on himself to speak calmly, though IN
crooked veins stood out on his III
hand, and the fingers grasped tighte
his knife handle; that governmer
cost me two brothers lives at Fredel
icksburg and the Wilderness, and M
self a bad wound in the side and pri:
on life and prison fare for a year
year of hell
Eyes. / know father you could NJ
be anything but a brave soldier, but
cit cost me- the old man went Oh
q waving off the interruption with b
:! knife, "the only three negroes / owl
8 edit has been taxing me to death eve
since. and makes me pay SO per cer
E tariff on every suck and stock works
/. On his farm never broke a law