Newspapers / State Port Pilot (Southport, … / March 21, 1962, edition 1 / Page 5
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Death Of A Friend— W hen Man Loses A Dog After 12 Years By EUGENE FALLON | If you are the sort of person j who doesn't like dogs, it will pay i you to stop reading right here. A mongrel dog called "Demp- I sey was put to death a few hours ago. A form of execution. And Dempsey was not a criminal type dog. Not at all. On the contrary he was gentle and very, very for giving. And he was one of the family. Literally, I mean. He slept in the house; ate from his own china plate in the kitchen; ate what we ate—or rather the rem nants of what we fared on. He grew up with the youngest boy. Only a few months separated them. They are almost twelve. Half of them, I should say. It is very hard to think that a curtain has fallen between them ... I try not to remember that. I got Dempsey as a gift. One of ! the best I ever received in my ; life. Got him from a Negro man | who lived almost at the water’s edge at Beaufort. , There were six or seven broth- j ers and sisters, all cuddled to- ! gether under the man’s house, i “Take your pick,” he said to ! me. I picked wisely. The puppy ; was perhaps two-weeks old. ! Couldn't walk without falling j down. And, you know, life is a j cycle ? The poor thing couldn’t ; walk for a couple of days before : the end. What is the difference between dogs and humans ? Well, they say an animal has no soul. I say they lie. Dempsey was all heart and soul. I brought the newest member cf the family home to Goldsboro in a cardboard box. My oldest boy was about eight. He was de lighted. And we named the robust brown ball of fur after the Manasas Mauler. The warm milk seemed to go to his ears for INSURANCE MEANS PROTECTION ' # Fire & Extended I Coverage # Homeowners Policies # Automobiles # All Forms Casualty | # Workmen’s Compensation j 9 Bonds CARR INSURANCE AGENCY Phone GL 7-2771 Southport, N. C. these developed amazingly, prov ing he was at least half-hound. What the other half was, God only knows. I know this much, it was a fine dog strain. During his early years poor Dempsey took quite a bit of pulling and mauling. You know how real small children are hardly able to keep their hands off something as cute as a puppy. But Dempsey took it like an adult gentleman. Twist his tail, drop him, throw him, step on him, and he never so much as bared a tiny fang. And the years went on and the infant dog and child grew up. Dempsey of course, grew faster. He had to. Dogs have such little time. Our dog was no coward. He would challenge every new dog that hove .nto view. He fought, as all dogs must. And he won most fights. But he never bit a person, adult or child. If a bur glar were to break in the house in the night. I doubt seriously if Dempsey would have,bitten him. We were safe enough, insofar as his welfare was concerned. But I feel a bit guilty now, as if I had robbed him of something. You see, the hound in our dog loved the woods and the fields. On very rare occasions, the boys and myself would bundle him into the car, pick up a rifle and go out in the woods for target prac tice. Dempsey would run a hun dred miles on those outings; sniffing and then taking off, un trained as a teddy bear, on some spoor or other. But he would al ways circle back to us. And he would turn silently. No baying or barking. His senses reeling with the intoxication of it all, he had no time for noise-making. All we would have to do was pick a rifle or a gun from the wall-rack and he’d grow terribly excited. Most of this I know now, was extreme cruelty. Only humans know how to be cruel, really cruel. But he loved us. This I am sure of. Dempsey spent his days about evenly divided between North and South Carolina. If we four humans cheated him of his heri tage, he clung to us regardless. Every living thing needs some thing to cling to. I was not present when he left the world. I learned over the phone that he was doomed. My wife wept telling it. The boys, she said, were inconsolable, espe cially the little one. He could hardly feature a world without Dempsey. They had learned things together. Lying in the large world of a yard, they had pulled grass together; one by hand, the other by mouth; had dug little holes together, to see what was under the velvet greenness. And now it was time to part sudden ly. My wife said Dempsey sickened almost overnight. Went two days without eating or drinking a thing. Wanted to lie outside on the damp ground. The great and searing sadness of it! Sickened unto death, our dog wanted to drink his fill, wanted to feel the PAINT. WITH CONFIDENCE PAINT with... • • FOR FREE COLOR CARDS VISIT, PHONE or WRITE Dl A Kf BUILDERS SUPPLY Southport, N. C. and Yaupon Beach, N. C. Southport Native Retires From Service With Power Firm Kenneth B. Swam, Carolina Power & Light Company sub station operator at Wilmington, traveled over much of the globe during his early life. He expects his retirement March 1 to allow him more traveling time. Swain ends the job with CP&L after 37 years in electric utilities. He grew tip in Southport and shortly after leaving high school joined companions and hopped a cattle boat to England. World War I was underway and the youngsters had the romantic no tion of joining the Scot Army. “Then I got cold feet,’’ he re calls, “and I decided if I was go ing to fight, I wanted it to be for the good old LT. S. A.’’ He is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. G. F. Swain of South port and has one brother. Johnnie Swain, who is a resident of this city. He returned to the States and a Navy assignment aboard an ammunition supply transport. This job took him to England, France, Scotland, Ireland, Bulgaria, Tur key and Egypt. His ship was in dry dock at Glasgow, Scotland, when the ar mistice was signed. Several jobs later, he joined CP&L in 1925 as electrician's helper in sub station construction at Raleigh. The following year he married Donnie Brinkley of Raleigh. “I moved around too much for my job to be dull,” Swain re members. As relief substation op erator, he toured virtually every community in CP&L's two-state service area. He was promoted to substation superintendent at San ford in 1937 arid four years later moved to the company’s Cape Fear plant at Moncure. In 1941, he resigned the CP&L job and returned "home” to Wil mington and a job at Tide Water Power Company’s Castle Street plant. One of his associates remarked several years later, “Old K. B. quit CP&L and went to work for Tide Water, and CP&L had to buy Tide Water out to get him back.” Swain became a CP&L em ployee again in 1952 when Tide Water was merged with CP&L. Since that time he has been sub station operator, overseeing the earth under him. pulsing, cool, steady and consoling. But they carried him inside, hoping it was only a cold, a slight distemper. The next step was a vet. He told them the truth. The dog, he said, suffered with uremic poisoning, and also had heart worms. A matter of a couple of days, the vet said. The dog’s years were against him. He is an old-man dog, he pointed out kindly. And did they want him put to sleep? Do you help something you love to die ? It was a bitter choice. And they shook their heads, one after the other, and picked up the dying dog and brought him home again. And then came the crusher. My wife, in South Carolina, asked for my advice. “What shall we do”, she wanted to know'? I was licked. It was a terrible choice. I com promised, hedged, you might say. Wait until tomorrow afternoon, I suggested. See if he improves a little. But he was suffering, she said. Heaving all through his frame, unable to get up, unable to walk. And I then talked to the older boy, practically a man now. He poured fresh horrors in my ear. Dempsey lurched sideways, his head shook, tremors seized him. “Daddy,” said my son, “I’m going to tell Mama to take him back tonight. I can’t stand to see him like that . . .” I acknowledge him freely. Only a dog? More than that he was. He was a good and blameless thing who loved the sun and the rain and the woods and evert that scanty few feet of grass behind the house where he had spent half his days. He was grateful for favors. His eyes were brown and calm. But comes an end to mumery and dogs and humans and birds and plans and happi ness. What can one do about it? Who, I ask you honestly, can fight death? KENNETH B. SWAIN important facilities at Eagle Is land, East Wilmington, Delco and Holly Ridge. One of his most prized posses sions is a pin denoting 34 years of service without a lost-time ac cident. Swain is an avid gardner and will spend much of his retirement time so occupied. He also plans to do some more traveling when he has the time and will continue work in Temple Baptist Church. He is also active in the American Legion and Forty and Eight So ciety which recognized him fop bringing 50 new members into the local club. Retirement also will give him and his wife more time with the children: Mary Ellen, married to Dr. Jack Riley of Tarboro; and Kenneth, Jr., of Wilmington. Three grandchildren will share their attention. Carolyn Johnson Is Miss Sencland Carolyn Johnson of the Leban on-Mill Creek community , was selected as Miss SENCland of Brunswick County at a meeting held last Friday night in the county agriculture building in Supply. There were three judges. Competing with the winner were Sharon Eaddon of Bolivia and Marilyn Stanland- of the Caw Caw community. Miss SENCland for Brunswick County will ride the SENCland development association float in the Azalea festival parade to be held at Wilmington April 7. County SENCland winners from Columbus, Duplin, Pender. Bla den and N^w Hanover counties will ride the float along with Miss Johnson. Lunchroom Menu For Southport Following is the lunchroom menu for Southport High School cafeteria for the coming week: Thursday Baked turkey, rice and gravy, dressing, cranberry sauce, garden peas, hot rolls and butter, grape fruit, milk. Friday Fish sticks, candied yams, tur nip greens, pickled beets, corn bread and butter, milk. Monday Hamburgers, cole slaw, sliced onions, baked beans, apple sauce, milk. Tuesday Meat loaf, rice and gravy, stew ed tomatoes, raisin carrot salad, hot biscuits and butter, milk. —— | Mrs. Sermons Is Honored By Club The Supply Home Demonstra tion club met last week at the County Agriculture building and elected Mrs. Vara Sermons as its clubwoman of the year. Mrs. Ser mons won the honor for her out standing work in 4-H, church, and other community efforts. Mrs. Nellie Clemmons gave a demonstration on arts and ehafts and exhibited several pairs of shoes made by her. Refreshments j | were served the gathering. For County Commissioner I am a candidate for the Democratic Nomination for Member of the Board of County Commissioners from Waccamaw Township, subject to the will of the voters in the May Primary. I was a candidate for this nomination two years ago, and although it was my first race for public off ice, I was very much encouraged by the support thal I received from every part of Brunswick County. I will I appreciate your continued vote and support. Parley P. Formy Duvall Lakeshore Drive At Boiling Spring Lakes We think that one of the most beautiful scenic attractions in Brunswick County is the drive around Boiling Spring Lake. We are hap py !o say that we are winning hundreds of converts to this way of think ing during these pretty, Spring days, for more and more people are driving out to see whet is going on at this big, new residential develop ment. This weekend, we invite you to drive out to see us. Be Sure To Visit The — MYSTERIOUS B0M9G SPRING 300-ACRE LAKl™B©iling Spring Lake Is The Largest Man-Made Lake In Southeastern North Carolina. It Affords Several Miles Of Lake Front Building Sites Which Are As Beautiful As They Are Distinctive. MEDALLION HOMES“"Every Home In Boiling Springs Ldses Is Brick Veneer and Is All-Electric. The Eighth Of These Homes To Be Constru cted In The Past 4 Months Is Nearing Completion. RECREATION UNLIMITED " Fishing, Boating, Swimming, Water Skiing On The Lakes. Areas Set Aside For Hunting Of All Kinds. 18-Hole Golf Course Under Construction. MILES OF DRIVES ™ We Urge You To Bring The Family Out To Boiling Spring Lakes For A Leisurely Inspection Of Our Spacious Residential Development Which Has Been Planned For Unlimited Future Expan sion. Watch A City Develop From Its Beginning! Boiling Spring Lakes A Division Of Reeves Broadcasting and Development Corporation Situated On Highway No. 87 ' SOUTHPORT, N. C
State Port Pilot (Southport, N.C.)
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March 21, 1962, edition 1
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