The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-03

| There are some yet living who knew the man whose character I am about to delineate, and these will unanimously bear testimony that, if it be not faithfully drawn. it is not overdrawn. They can mol avouch for the truth of the anec- dotes which I am about to relate of him. because of these they know nothing but they will unhesitatingly declare that | there is nothing herein ascribed to him of which he was incapable, and of which he would not readily have been the au- | thor, supposing the scenes in which I have placed him to be real, and the | thoughts and actions attributed to him to have actually suggested themselves to him. They will further testify that the thoughts and actions are in perfect har- nony with his general character.
 | l do not feel at liberty as yet to give | the name of the person in question, and therefore he shall be designated for the present by the appellation of Ned Brace. 1 This man seemed to live only to amuse himself with his fellow beings and he possessed the rare faculty of deriving some qualification of his favorite propensity from almost every person whom he met, no matter what his temper, standing, or disposition. Of course he had opportuni- ties enough of exercising his uncommon | gift, and he rarely suffered an oppor- tunity to pass uninproved. The beau in | the presence of his mistress, the flop. the pedant, the purse-proud, the over-fastid- ious and sensitive, were Ned's favorite game. These never passed him unin- jured, and against such he directed his severest shafts. With these he common | ly amused himself by exciting in them every variety of emotion under circum- stances peculiarly ridiculous. He was ad- mirably fitted to his vocation He could l nIal, lat required him to personate, and he could sustain it to perfection. His knowledge of the character of others seemed to be | intuitve.
 It may seem remarkable, but it is true, that, though he lived his own peculiar life for about 16 years, after he reached the age of manhood he never involved him self in a personal rencounter with any one. This was owing in part to his muscular frame, which few would be | willing to engage, but more particularly to his adriotness in the management of | his projects of fun. He generally con- | ducted them in such way as to render it impossible for any one to call him to account without violating all the rules of decency, politeness and chivalry at once. But few anecdotes of him will give the reader a much better idea of his character | than he could possibly derive from a general description If these fulfill the | description which I have given of my | hero all will agree that he is no imag- | mary being if they do not, it will only | be because I am unfortunate in my selec- | ton Having known him from his earl | fest manhood to his grave-for he was a native Georgian-I confess that I am | greatly perplexed in determining what portions of his singular history to lay be- fore the reader as proper specimen or the whole. three days visit which | I once made with him to Savannah placed l him in a greater variety of scenes and | among a greater diversity of characters than perhaps any other period Of his life embracing no longer time and, therefore, l I will choose this for my purpose.
 E. We reached Savannah just at nightfall | of a cold December evening. As we ap- | preached the tavern of MT. Blank, at | which we designed to stop Ned proposed to me that we should drop our acquaint- ance until he should choose to renew 1t. 1 To this proposition l most cordially as- sented for knew that, so doing, l should be saved some mortifications, and avoid a thousand questions which I would not know how to answer. According to this understanding, Ned fingered behind in | order that I might reach the tavern | alone.
 On alighting at the public house I was led into a large dining room' at the entrance of which, to the right, stood the bar, opening into the dining | room. On the left and rather nearer to the center of the room was a nreplace, surrounded by gentlemen. Upon entering 1 the room my name was demanded at the bar; it was given, and l took my seat Tn the circle around the fire. l had been | seated just long enough for the company | to survey me to their satisfaction ana re- | sume their conversation, when Ned's | heavy footstep at the door turned the eyes of the company to the approaching | stranger. ~
 "Your name. sir, if you please?' said the restless little barkeeper, as he en- l tered.
 Ned stared at the question with appar- | ent alarm, cast a fearful glance at the | company. drowned, and shook his head In | token of caution to the barkeeper; looked | confused for moment, then, as 1T sud- denly recollecting himself jerked piece | of paper out of his pocket, turned rom the company, wrote on IL With ms peneli handed it to the barkeeper, walked to the | left of the fireplace and took the most | conspicuous seat in the circle. He looked | at no one, spoke to no one, but nxed ms eyes on the fire, lapsed into pro1ouno | reverie.
 The conversation, which had been pret- 1 ty general before, stopped as snort as II | avery man in the room had been shot dead Every eye was fixed on Ned' ana every variety of expression was to be seen on the countenances of the persons present. The landlord came in; the par | keeper whispered to him and looked at Ned. The landlord looked at him, too, with astonishment and alarm; the par keeper produced piece of paper and both of them examined it as If searching Tor | fig-mite with the naked eye. They rose from the examination unsatisf1ed. ana looked at Ned again. Those of the com many who recovered first from their as- topishment tried to revive the conversa- ton. but the effort was awkward met with no support. and failed. The par keeper. for the first time in his life, ne- came dignifed and solemn, and left the bar to take care of itself. The landlord had a world of foolish questions to ask the gentlemen directly opposite to Neo, for which purpose he passed ronnd to them every two minutes, and the answer to none did he hear.
 Three or four boarders coming ln' Who were unapprsed of what had happened at length revived the conversation; not however, until they had created some confusion by inquiring of their friends the cause of their sober looks. AS soon as the conversation began to become 1 oosv and natural Ned rose and walked