The Press., 1914-10-21
CONFESSIONS
 OF A FOOL By M. QUAD Copyright, 1914, by Associated Lit erary Press.

As a boy, born in the town of Col
 vile, of parents in moderate circum-
 stances, John Williams was called dull.
 When he had reached his majority he
 was accounted light in the head" He
 was d butt of ridicule for years and
 years, and no one could ever remember that he resented it. When he was told, as was often the case, that he was only
 half witted he laughed in a good na-
 tured way. If people laughed at him he laughed back, and if the joke was
 on him it seemed to please him as
 much as if some one else had been hit.
 There was only one thing about the
 town fool which was not as plain as
 day. From the time he was eighteen
 years old he kept a diary. It was
 often wondered what he wrote down,
 but no one ever had chance to see.
 The diary didn't take in daily events,
 as was one day discovered, but in the
 course of twelve years an abundance
 of things were jotted down. At the
 age of thirty John Williams was fatal-
 ly injured by the kick of a horse.
 When it was given out that he had
 only three or four days to live the pub
 lie had no sympathy ts waste. Per
 hap4 the town fool didn't expect any.
 From time to time the doctors told him
 he was d doomed man, and he began to set his house in Order-that is, he had
 his diaries brought to his bed and sent
 for d justice of the peace and d worthy witness. He had Il few deathbed con-
 feSsiuns to make. No. 1 went back twelve years. \ sawmill in the town had been destroyed by fire. The day after the fire man named Thompson had put redhot cent on the sidewalk for the town fool to pick up. The diary recorded both events The con- fessiou was to the effect that John Williams had seen Thompson set fire to the mill. It was written out and confession No. 2. In that same year some one had stolen three smoked hams from the cellar of villager. Following close upon the loss of the hams, as duly recorded ill the diary, the village blacksmith had tucked the town fool in his water tub for joke. The confession was to the effect that Williams and the blacksmith stole the hams and that the latter was the only one to profit by the theft. The two confessions implicated men who had always been considered upright and the justice felt it his duty to say:
 John, this is serious business. You know you have only three days to live"
 'Yes. I know" replied John, but | we have hardly begun yet. I've got | to get a whole carload of things off | my mind before go.''
 No. 3 dated back eleven years. A | horse had been stolen from a nearby | farmer, and about the same date a | village painter named Swayne had | painted the town fools boots bright | red by way of q joke. The confession | solem"'y confessed that the painter | and Williams had stolen the horse and turned him over to q stranger to be run out of town and sold. Many little details were put down, and, as it was sOlemnly sworn to, the justice heaved d sigh over he deceit and wickedness of man v-''1 had always been looked up to as fri of integrity.
 COnfeSSiD'r No. went back ten | years. A .''rh edifice belonging to | the Methr' < had been set on fire | and partly ':'StrOyed. 1t had been | pretty wei rtt!e1 that it was the work of tl IS who had broken in, but no q" Il been arrested. Will iamS now IfeSSed that the Widow Davidson hired him for 8 to set the fire.
 CunfeSS.u Nn. was q c0rker. Some seven year. ireviOus there had been a ocal elect II i'll which party feelings an high. IH before the election came 'n one ot t. candidates for mayor had ,een bad.E to ked by bolt of light ling which truck the house. Nobody lad ever u. StiOned the fact that it vas a str" H- ease of thunder and lightning. ": now the dying man wanted tu wash his conscience He lamed fruI treatment men in the vil- age wltn ." in cOnSDiracV the