Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-10
HERMIT JOE.
The Story of a Farmer Lad who was
Disappointed in Love.
From the FetO York Sun.

From the Neto York Sun.
There occasionally appears In Pittsburg an
old man with sad eyes and long white hair
and beard, whose peculiar garb and aspect
always attract attention. In answer to a
question by Chronicle Telegraph reporter,
a gentleman said that tie old man was Her
NIT Joe.
II was up In the mountains hunting last
FAM said the gentleman, "where he leads
hermit life, and learned his history. IL Is
over thirty years since the romance OF his
life began. His father had small farm
little this side Of the mountains, and Joe TILED
the soil until long after his majority. HIS
was the old story OF falling IN love WIN VIII
young girl, whose father was what would be
called magnate in that section years ago.
The girls friends would not listen TO her mar
rying Joe because he was poor, ana the en-
gagement was broken off.
Joe used TO ponder over the fact that the
marriage was prevented solely because he
was poor. But for months he plodded along
doing the drudgery of the farm WORK s H,o as
though he had abandoned al thoughts OF we'd
ding the girl whom he loved.
"Suddenly he mysteriously disappeared.
No one knew whittier he had gone for months
after his disappearance. One day party OF
hunters who had known him, discovered him
living in hut up in the mountains, hundred
miles from his fathers farm. lie was morose
and silent, refusing to say why ne had CHOSEN
The life of a recluse, and merely telling his
former friends that he was satisfied to live In
his hut and gain meagre subsistence by hunt
ing and fishing. All efforts to induce him to
return and give up his strange mode OF exist
ence were unavaillng, and he seemed gratihed
when his friends turned away and left him at
the door of his gloomy hut, gazing dreamlly
down the mountain side HIS friends re-
turned home and related their meeting with
Joe. His farcical mode of living was sub
Jet of gossip for couple Of weeks, and then
he was again forgotten.
but Joe's romance was only half begun"
continued the gentleman. Ear Y one morn
ing in the spring, two years after he had left
home. he suddenly resppeared. He was
different man. He had sold a lot of skins he
had cured, was well dressed, and seemed TO
fairly beam with happiness.
HE had several heavy packages in his
pockets, which he guarded so Zealously that
curiosity was aroused as to what were their
con ents. He was so impatient that he had
not been here an hour until he hurried off to
the village, near by. He entered the only
jewelrv store in the village and accOsted the
proprietor with the announcement that he
had been working for the past two years in
gold nine he had discovered, which he knew
was the richest mine in the world. 1t was
cavern. he said, literally filed with bright
yellow golden nuggets. Where was 1t? He
smiled. and said that it was in a precipltous
portion of the mountains, where no other foot
than his mad ever trod, and where no one
else could discover 1t. He would be the rich
est man in the State-in the world-he exult-
antly said, and then whispered to the ieweler
that at last he could we'd the girl for whom
he had labored INCREASINGLY for two years
"At last he produced the mysterious little
heSvy packages. which he said were samples
of his vast wealth The little group that had
gathered together in the store drew close to
Joe and gazed, awe struck. upon the yellow
bits of mineral. The jeweler carefully picked
up several pieces, looked at them couple of
moments, and then said: Joe, my friend, you
are mistaken. This is not gold. These yellow
Jumps are iron pyrites. They are worthless
For q full minute Joe uttered not a word.
He seemed herelt Of sense. Then he mechan-
ically raised his hand to his brow, as though to
collect his thoughts. Are Won sure 1t is not
gold? he TREMENDOUSLY asked. Yes was the
reply. Slowly he left the store, and as quietly
passed along through the village. His fathers
farm was now re ched, but he stopped only to
open the door of the homestead and say good
bye. In another hour he was on his way
back to his retreat in the mountains. II
DISAPPOINTMENT had been so sudden and his
grief so intense that his mind seemed to weak
en- under the great strain. He did not even
stop to see the one he had loved and worked 50
hard for. but seemed to feel that all was lost
to him forever. She, it is said, was true to
him, and died few years ago of q broken
heart. Joe has ever since dwelt in his hut in
the mount aims, which of late years has become
an object of curiosity to people visiting that
section of the country, He has grown too old
to exc out a subsistence, but lives a small
income his father left him. His mind has be-
come so weakened that he now Imagines the
cave near his hut contains a great mass of
wealth. but that the world has cOnspired to
ignore him and his imaginative tons of gold
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