The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1873-07-30
QUEER PEOPLE.

! ':lt takes all sorts Of people to
make q world" says the old adage,
! and truly, there arc 4 great many
varieties Of queer mon and women
and queer societies and queer COM
; munities scattered all over the
earth. when one takes the trouble
to look them up, as curious invcs-
tigators do now and then.
| Almost every ncighborhood fur
nisbcs 1T least one oddity. We
remember one old man with a
mania for litigation, whose IA
vorltc amusement was sueing his
Sous and daughters on all imagin-
able prcteXts. Once in a suit. no
matter how small the amount at
issue might be, he wonld spare
neither money nor time to push
the litigation just Us far Us the
. law would let it 50, and that too
in spite Of the fact that in all
other luatLers he was as penurlous
as 4 miser. We knew another
man once who, in riding on horse
back, would always sit with his
back toward the animals head,
because he believed it a sin
/ for anybody to sit otherwise,
on horseback since Baalam's
time. Another, u neighbor Of
Of this one, would always 60 with
out his hat as rain began, and
would walk thus FOR hours over
his farm, returning only when the
rain ceased or night set in. An
other would not allow on his table
sweet pickles or cny salad-dres
sing in which vinegar and sugar
were mixed, even though he was
abundantly supplied with pickles
or dressing to his taste. In the
same neighborhood lived (and
still lives, we believe) a gentleman
who has belonged to seven differ
ent churches, and whose oddities
Of other kinds are innumerable.
For many years he thought walk
ing the only proper mode Of loco
motion, and SO he walked every
where, even to the city, forty
miles away. Suddenly he became
convinced that walking was not
the proper thing, and ceased to
walk altogether outside the house.
Somewhat less. strange than
these was the case Of a gentleman
Of high culture and courtly man.
ners, who would never, on any
account, bid any one adieu, eyep
when the separation was to last
but a day. He would lay: deliber-
ate plans to AVOID this without
seeming guilty OF discourtesy, and
rarely eyer failed TO accomplish
his purpose. But in any event he
positively would not say goodbye:
and If he could evade it by taking
French leave Or in any other way
be would abruptH turn his back up
on his friends and leave without {
word. lie went to Europe once
for a journey Of many months
E anG gave no notice whatever o
his intention to 60, even to biz
own family. He left the house
without baggage, apparently for
ten minutes walk, and sent back
a note by a servant, saying tha
be would wait in New York foi
his trunk to arrive by express.
\ good many peculiarlties, o
, which We are too apt to MAKE
sport, are the result Of nervous
disease. Several cases Of the kline
have come within our own knowl
, edge. One Of them was that of;
young man who would be seize(
, with an Irresistible impulse t
touch, with hand or foot, some oh
ject within sight. He would ris
=. from his desk, when writing, am
cross the Office to touch a particu
. lar spot on the wall Or the leg of
: particular chair. When waikiki!
, along the street he would fee
bound to touch a post here and
2 tree ther., so that his progres
/ was often seriously impeded b.
J the nervous necessity. Sometime
: the impulse would seize him afte
= he had passed the object, and h
G would be compelled to return t
it. His first meeting with th
=. lady who afterwards became hi
5 wife was at party where, seein
/ her, q stranger, on the opposlt
side of the room, be was suddenl.
q impellcd to cross the floor for th
: purpose of laying his finger on he
j. nose, a proceeding which frien
), ofboth had to explain andapologiz
:, for in an interview with the lad
It next day. The explanation led t
j. an acquaintance which ripened il
y to friendship and ended 10 a ma
j. riage. But if any novelist had tol
r, this life-story in book, wh
!. wouldn't have thought it an ute
$ ly improbable one?-Hearth an
is Home.
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