The Washington times., 1938-03-05

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The distance from where Lon
sat to where the lines reached
the bits in his horses mouths was
around twenty feet. Lon leiSurely
flipped the lines. The horses knew
the meaning of every slightest
movement of their master. They
stopped. Lon turned ponderouSly
toward Mr.. Brewer and cupped
Q hand to his ear.
What say, Sim?"
ct said. hold on a minute.
Wanta talk to you"
well, here I be-"
"Got a job for you. Package to
be picked up down to the depot.
Come in on the freight train
today"
Cant make it today, Sim. Got
to take Miz Hull's trunk down. BY
the time I get through with that
chore my horses'll be tuckered.
Tomorrow do?
Bout noon. eh?'
Bout noon"
Lon gave the reins another idle
flip and the heavy dray numbered
into motion again. Sim Brewer
stood in the doorway of the bank
and watched Lon, seated like a
king on the lofty rear of his
wagon, and admired him.
There's a man. was his
thought, with money in the bank,
independent as a rajah, a sound
citizen, I don't care whether folks
think he's queer or not. Yes,
sir"
DIDN'T BOTHER HIM
The fact that folks thought
he was a bit touched never both.
cred Lon Eisenhower. In truth, it's
to be doubted that the opinions
of others ever even entered Ions
head, and if they had, he would
have been utterly Indifferent to
them.
No one knew how or when Lon
had come to town. To use his own
phrase, he "just sifted in" From
where? Nowhere and everywhere.
"Just knocked around It'll I mt
a likely spot and this here is it. )"
There was a town meeting once
TO raise funds for new maternity
wing on the hospital. Sim Brewer,
naturally, presided and led the
giving. The hat was passed around
and various ones were requested
to express their opinions on the
project. Unbidden, Lon rose from
his seat in the back Of the hall
and announced in his slow drawl:
"As a citizen of this here town
for the last eighteen years, I vote
for this improvement and heres
twenty-five dollars to go along
with my vote"
A MARKED MAN
He sat down not realizing that
from then on he was more or less
a marked man in the community.
Eighteen years? Why, it was a lie
on the face of 1t. If he'd been
around eighteen years, why hadn't
folks known about it. You couldn't
hide yourself in such small town.
But you could. and Sim Brewers
bank records proved that Lon was
no liar. He'd toiled in railroad
freight yards, at Reichelt's brick
kiln, the sash and door factory,
the big plow works, and had even
gone farming in season. Sim
Brewer knew it because no month
went by that Lon didn't plank
down some cash, no matter now
little. to the credit Of his growing
account.
When he had around three hun
dred dollars he went to Sim for
advice. 1T want to buy a team o
horses" he said, land go into the
drayin' business on my own hook.
Brewer helped him out, showed
him where he could purchase a
broken down wagon and remodel
it into a dray with a bed that slid
downward toward the rear to
make loading and unloading
easier.
Then, and only then. did the
town become aware of Lon Esen-
hover's existence for in no time at
all he and his curious equlpage
became a familiar sight on the
streets, not only downtown but all
over the residence district as well.
EISENHOWER PROSPERS
No fool, he did not patronize
the hay and grain dealers for
feed but drove out into the coun-
try to the farmers and loaded on
his own feed which he brought
back to the shack where he and
his horses lived.
Hard, yellow corn and crisp,
dried timothy. Dray horses never
needed more than a cupful of oats
once in a while and maybe an oc-
casional bran mash to keep 'em In
good health.
So Eisenhower proSpered, and be-
tween him and Slim Brewer grew
up a. friendship founded upon re-
gpect, for they were two men who
could hold their heads UP with
anybody.
This despite the social gulf be-
tween them, Brewer living in a red
brick mansion and Lon sticking to
his little old shack near the tracks.
no longer a tumbledown shack
however, for in his odd moments
Lon painted it pretty colors and
planted a grass plot surrounded
by flowers and a hedge.
He lived alone and liked it. He
was growing old with the horses
that were his pride and his pals
he did an honest days work every
day, and was completely devoted
-~~1-~.. Ta,.avyar ~v,bo had rrOVeC