The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, 1914-09-25
CONFESSIONS
OF A FOOL
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1919. by Associated Lit
crIry Press.

stnnces. John Williams wns cnilcd dull.
When lie Ind renched Ills minority he
was accounted Light In the head" Hc
wds butt OF rtdicuie for yenrs and
years. and no one could ever remember
| that lie resented Il. When he wasi told.
| us was ofien the c,,se. that lie wis only
hnif witted lie luighed In good iin.
turcd way. II people laughed ut him
| no linIgh"d bnck. and if the joke wils
on him 1t seemed TO plrisc lin ns
much ns II some one else had been hit.
There was only one thins nbout tic
town fool which WAS not ns plain IN
tlny. From the time he wns eighteen
years old he kept IL diary. 1t was
often wondered what he wrote down.
but no one ever had chnnce to see.
Tile diary didn't take IN daily events.
ns WINS one day discovered. but In the
course Of twelve ycurs hn abundance
Of things were jotted down. AT the
nge Of thirty John Wlliinms was fatnl-
ly injured by tile Kick of horse.
| When Ii was given OUT thnt he lind
only three or four days to live the pub
| lie hnd 10 sympathy to WASTE. Per-
lnps the town fool didn't EXPECT nny.
T From time to time the doctors told him
he was Il doomed nun. and he began to
set his house In order-thnt Is. he had
Ills dinries brought to his bed and sent
/ for Il Justice OF the pence and II worthy
Witness. Hc had few deathbed con-
! f.sslons to Eluke. No. ], went buck
twelve years. a sawnill in the town
| hnd been destroyed by fire. The day
after the tire Il man nnmed Thompson
hnd put II retli,ot cent on the sidewalk
| for tue town fool to pick up. Tile
diary recorded both events. The con-
| fcSsion wn3 to the effect that John
| Wtlliulns fud seen, Thompson set fire
to the mill. 1t was written out nnd
.worn to md witnessed. and then came
| confession No. 9. LII tlint slime year
some one had stolen thra. smoked
hnms from the cellar or villtger.
Following close upon the loss Of the
hnns, as duly recorded in the diary,
the village blacksmith hud ducked the
town fool III his water tub for Joke.
The confession WINS to the effect that
Williams and the blacksmith stole the
hams and that the hitter was the only
Une to profit by the theft. The two
confessions implicated men who hnd
always heen considered upright mud
tho Justice felt 1t his duty to say: =
'''Join. this is serious business. Ton
know you have only three days to
| i've"
"Yes, know..g replied John. "..fut
we have hardly begun yet. I've, got
to- get n whole carload OF things en-
my mind before Il gO'.. 1. sssi .E? \ :. &
No.ga lnted bhek eleven yearH. "a A.
horse lind BEEN stolen from q nearby
| farmer. and about the same dnte c
viflnse 'fninter named Swayne lind
! r,iinted tfp town fct!'s boaH I. bright
red BY way OF |. Joke. The confession
so,emhIy confessed thnt the painter
and williams hnd stolen the horse ind
tarned him over. to n: stranger to he
run out Of town and sold. Many little
details were put down. and. MS. 1t was
solemnly sworn to. the Justice, henyed
| Sigh over the deceit and :wickcdness
OF nun whU Ind always been looked
up to hs fun or Integrity. ~
Confession No. 4 went bnck ten
years. a church edifce belonging to
the Mcthodfsts had been set on Hre
md pnrtly destroyed. 1t had been
pretty well settled TINT It was the
work OF trnmps H'ilo hnd broken Ia.
but no one hid been arrested vii.
Hams now confessed thhf the Widow
Davidson Ind hired him Cor SIS TO. set
the firc sIi ~ 'a,ss ~
Con g&sion Nh Z, WINS n corker. Some
seven Scnla prey yious there hld been a
loral lslerttoI Tn which barty feelihss