The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-11-01

you2"
"Knew old Davis2" answered the
baronet "what, Banker Davis, do you
meanl 1 should think I did. He was
my fathers tenant for twenty years, till
they quarreled about some Methodist
parsons who infested the neighborhood.
But he was hale and hearty fellow when
saw him last market day, after sitting
of the petty sessions at bloomington"
He isn't hale and hearty now," said
the lawyer. "He hanged himself yes.
terday at an old inn in Leadenhall
street."
"Heaven and earth - exclaimed Sir
Philip, "what shocking news! I re
member Banker Davis when he was
quite child. He was an obstinate old
fellow, said to be rich for his rank in
life, and he was one of my fathers show
peasants till they quarreled."
81 daresay, 1 daresay," mused tho
lawyer, absently. Now, I will tell you
what happened to him only last week.
1t will amuse you, and perhaps giveyou
new views of terrestrial happiness. Job
Davis was, as you are aware, an honest,
saving character. All his life he had
been heaping up halfpence, and occa-
sionally managed to put by a shilling
money even in his small way, and he was
quite proud of his little hoard. Many
winters night Job "ould lie down in q
among the warm animals to save firing,
and have seen him carry bundle of
sticks he had picked up in hedges and
bitches to sell for firewood at Droning-
ton, though ho could have only got
few perce for it. He was q cheerful
and sensible old man, with no evil pro-
pensities, very honest and very good ma
tured; but he had probably fear of
poverty. aud no gain was too small for
him. His only food was mess of Cruel
and potatoes. which he made himself at
the blacksmith's fire, or, on baking
days, at Mrs. Jinks' oven. Perhaps his
light diet accounted for his high spirits.
The people around here called him
Banker Davis, because he liked we'll
enough to chuckle over his money, and
he would always lend the whole or any
palt of it on moderate terms when he
knew the applicant was solvent and
would pay him back again. myself
borrowed q hundred pounds of him one
day, during the assizes, to settle
troublesome business of young Cad
ways with n billiard marker.
"I laughed when my agent down here
called Job out of the market, where he
WI selling four new laid eggs, and in
trOduced him to me as a capitalist. But
Job himself was nightly pleased, and
promised to bring him the money, if it
had been twice rs much, in half an hour,
and then he scudded off as fast as his
nimble old legs could carry him. From
what hiding pla he took the bank
notes he brought back with him do not
know. I only remember that they smelt
moldy, and was glad when the billiard
marker had them. 1 do not know which
was the dirtiest, Cadway's case or the
money that got him out of its conse-
quences. am afraid that it was this
simple, open-handed way of dealing
with the money he had saved so penuri-
ously which brought Banker Davis to
ruin and to self murder. One day, dur
ing the race week, Cadways got hold of
him, and conjured every penny the old
mau had away from him by some cook
and-bull story. There was no doubt
that the young rascal had committed
misdemeanor, and Job Davis came on
foot to London to ask me to prosecute.
OF course 1 declined to do SO, because
my firm never touches criminal bust
ness.
"We are conveyancers, and the lines
our profession are very rigidly drawn.
A solicitor who keeps shop of all sorts
loses caste. Nevertheless, I took so
much interest in Job-whose face under
misfortune looked like a winter apple
which had been dropped in ashes, so
smeared and red was it-that I recon-
mended him to the gentleman usually
employed by my firm in such cases; and
have 10 reason to doubt that the best
was done for him that could be done.
Unhappily, however, for Banker Davis,
there was comic element in bis mis-
fortune, and his very appearance was
laughable in the eyes of the law report
ers. SO was his provincial accent of
peasant 8 language. Cadways, too, had
really robbed him in funny way, and
there was something said about a night
cap and IN old stocking in which Job
had kept his savings that quite over
came the gravity of the bench. DAD
ways, OF course, was splendidly defend
ed by Gizzard, Q. G., and Serjeant
Bumptious, 80 that in the end, Jobs
misery was treated as the merriest busi.
ness Imaginable. He had no legal proof
even that he had been robbed, or that
he had over possessed anything worth
stealing. The court, which dined with
the defendant, afterward finally dismiss
ed the complaint amidst roars of laugh
ter, in which the worthy magistrate join
ed; and all the high class Liberal news.
papers that most adored the aristocracy
gave the very drollest possible report OF
the proceedings. myself smiled over
it, and as did so, read in another
part of the paper short paragraph,
evidently written by penny a. liner, re.
lating how one Davis had hanged him.