The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-19
The Half Fool
By NJ QUAD
Copyright. 1911, by Associated Lit
erary Press.
BY M. QUAD


had to say was that he was lookini
for work, and he found 1t at the livery
stable. He was given work at $40 ,
month. which the stableman had beer
paying double that to have done, bu
he had said to Abner:
"You see, you may run across bur
led treasure, and IL you do It's al
yours"
He worked for the liveryman for two
months, and then. having found nc
treasure, he decided TO quit his job
There was a rush to secure his serv
Ices. He was good worker, and he
could be had at half price. He put In
month at the village tavern, and as
the treasure still eluded him he en-
gagged himself to Deacon Spinney.
The deacon had talk with Abner
He was not going to deceive the man
in the least.
"Abner," he said, In his slow and
honest way, II have got ten acres In
corn"
YES, sir"
II want to hire you to attend to
Them"
do you think the British buried any
gold in that fieldT' was asked.
uni / can't say. Folks are saying
that they buried gold somewhere
around here 1t might have been in
my cornfeld, and 1t might not. II you
want 40 cents day and board till that
eorn is shelled you can go ahead"
But / must be looking for buried
treasure while work"
''And III allow you to do that"
"And IL find box of gold"
''It will be all yours-that Is. half
of 1t shall be yours"
"But l want II all. Mr.. Jones, tho
carpenter wants me to go to work for
him. He says a carpenter often finds
buried treasure, and he always keeps
1t ALL"
We'll / can afford to be as liberal
ms Mr.. Jones. Go to work, Abner, and
make the dirt fly"
The village was still keeping track
of the half fool. There was gen
eral grin when It was known that he
had gone to work for Deacon Splnney.
and he was accosted on all sides with:
Hoe away. Abner. You'll find that
box Of gold before snow flies."
How deep do you suppose they
buried the box?" Abnei would ask In
a whisper.
About two feet. You see. General
Washington was hot on their trail and
shooting them In the back, and they
wouldn't have time to dig more than
two feet"
And how much gold would there be
In the boxp
"At least $4,000 and maybe double
that The British were mighty mean
about some things. but when they
buried their gold they heaped up the
measure"
"All right. TIL be looking for that
box every day"
Abner had been working In that
cornfeld for ten days and doing two
mems work In one when Deacon Spin
ney found his conscience troubling
him. He therefore walked down to
the field to say:
"Abner. think ought to tell you
that I don't believe the British ever
buried any gold hereabout. ! can't
find In history that there were ever
any British soldiers as far west as
this"
80 you are going back on your
word?" asked the hired man.
''Well, n-n-no, but want you to I'm !
derstand that don't believe there is
any treasure here. It's 40 cents a
day"
'But I'm to have all the treasure I
find7"
Exactly"
'.Then it's all rightT
'But I'd like TO have you tell people
that don't believe there is any treas
ure here"
II will"
Abner kept his promise When ask
ed about his wages he would reply:
TITS 40 cents a day and board and
lodgings and all the ueasuro l find"
There are people yet in Medina who
will tell you that ON the afternoon of
the seventeenth day Of corn hoeing
Abner Taylor was seen jumping up
and down and running about and
swinging his arms Those who saw
him from a distance did not go near
him. thinking he had been attacked by
No inhabitant of the vii
age saw him drop from his window
hat night and head for the cornfeld
IN the run nor return four hours lat
n. 1t was the same next night. and
IN the morning after Abner said to the
ieacon:
81 have found the treasure and am
yoing away"
What. whatr' exclaimed the dea-
on. You say you have found some
hinge"
Yes, box Of gold"
SIN my corn6eld?"
"Yes."
How much?"
Half a bushel or So couldn't lift
he box"
And where is 1t? Abner. think ,
We must divide up that money between !
H." !
But Abner took to his heels. and a
iedina saw him no more They found !
be empty box. and they almost wept I
$ they figured on the amount II had
la 49,. tho kaIF foaI hoI f0nIad thn