The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-09-14

A kept house for himself, and
SFo~ he had little desire for the
company of others. 1t was
said of him that he was never known
to laugh and anything in the way of q
joke, flung at him as he plodded his
way to town OF back nome again, was
utterly thrown away. Of course every
body held him Up to contempt or ridi.
Guile.
He had been living thus for ten years
when one day in a hollow tree on his
own farm he found q great heap Of
money. There was such weight that
he had to borrow a neighbours horse
and wagon to convey it to the bank in
the town. He tried to keep very secret
about it, but the matter became the
gossip Of the county. Neither Joe nor
the banker could tell what the sum
was, but the people who took a look
at the hollow tree estimated it at $780,
600. Those who didn't take a look
placed the figures at STE, 900, and also
added a lot of Jewelry to the find.
1t was passing strange what a
change took place in public opinion.
The old bachelor had callers by the
score, and each caller warmly congrat-
ulated him. Instead of being guyed
by the passers-by as he worked in his
fields, men climbed the fences to shake
hand with him and invite him to make
investments.
In the years past even the homeliest
old maids had declared that they would
drown themselves sooner than marry
such a POKE" of a man. Things were
different now. At least half a dozen
old maids and three or four widows
began sending in cuStard pies and
jellies and currant wine and giving
their opinion that Mr.. Joseph Harper
would show off with the best of them
If he only had a wife to give him hints
and suggestions. Joe did not come out
of his shell very far, but it was after
ward remembered by a good many that
he had something like a twinkle in his
eye as he shook hands with his numer.
ous well-wishers.
Unknown to anyone but his doctor,
goseph, Harper had a weak heart, and
one day he oVertaXed himself and died
at his W door. So far as was known
he had not spent a dollar Of his find,
and as he had no relatives, there was
much curiosity as to whether he had
made a will or not. and who would
come in for his money. A village law
yer soon gratifed curiosity as to a will.
One had been made only six months be-
fore the old bachelors death. More
than that, it concerned a score of peo-
pie, each n Of whom was notified to
appear on the day of the funeral and
hear the document read.
The excitement was intense and more
people turned out to pay a last tribute
OF respect to Joseph Harper than had
ever followed another citizen of the
county. While the house was crowded
full after the burial, at least 200 people
who could not get in stood about the
yard to learn the contents of the will.
The first person mentioned in the dOcu-
ment was an old maid. Before the
lind Of the treasure she had been in the
habit of mimicking the walk of the
old bachelor and had made a great hit.
Miss Lucy Arnold" read the docu-
ment, "is to walk twice across the
floor and initiate my gait as closely as
possible. She is then to be allowed to
take a double handful of coins out OF
thu hny DC "a fn1-ny, &c ,-
1t took Lucy five minutes to work up
her nerve for the performance, but
She figured that a double handful of
coins would be at least $500, and she
went ahead.
The next legatee was William John
SOD, q farmers son, who was required
to laugh in a hearty I'M for the
privilege of taking one handful of
coins. He had always been asking old
Joe why he didn't laugh. 1t vas a
pretty hard job for him to get up
a haw-haw on this occasion, but he
finally accomplished it and made a
mighty one-handed grab.
Then the document mentioned Mrs
Scott, wife Of Peter Scott. who was in
The habit of puckcring up her mouth
in a curious way and saying it was the
way Joe did when he tried to whistle
".Auld Lang Syne." She was to stand
up and pucker her mouth for two min,
utes by the clock and was then to be
rewarded with a pint basin full Of
coins. She hung off about it for
awhile, but her husband braccd her up
and she earned her coins and got hel
mouth back to it's usual shape again
Then came the turn Of Miss Hattie
Davis, another old maid. The ole
bachelor was deaf in the left ear, anC
he had a curious way Of jerking up hi;