240179 z~p?.~ve Story Page 1. 58 ~~ichard_Bru1ie1.! The subject of this sketch Richard Bruner,is one of the oldest negroes in Saline County. He claims‘ to be ninetyseven years old and lives in the little town of Nelson. r His humble dwelling, a gray and weathered frame building of about four rooms and two porches, sets in a square of yard thick with blue grass, old fashioned flowers like holly hocks, flowering piiilcs and marigolds making bright spots of color. Heavily laden fruit trees; apples „ peaches ‚ p2i~IIIS and pears shade every part of the plot . A splendid walnut tree towers over the smaller fruit trees, the house and the porch1while at the side of the house a garden spot contains a fine varie. sty of vegetables. As the writer approached, the old man was. seated on a cot on the little porch. The wall back of him was hung with all kinds of tools, a ~ saw, a hammer, bits of wire, a piece of rope, part o~ a bridle, and a wing ‚ apparently from a big gray goose . His long ~ curling ‚ gray hair is neatly parted and brushed and he wears a mustache and short beard or chin Whiskers, an unusùal thing among negroes in this part of the count3711 His skin is a ii~ht brown color end hiE eyes bright With his second eyesight which enables him to look on the wo~)Ä witho~t glasses. .. ~ Back ~ ~ hot~~ and dÖWi~ the hill ‚ ~ is a well equipped slaug~er ‚f ‚~‚~ ~.‚. ~-~