Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-28

| lie wore top boots. a liberal growth
OF chin whiskers. which no barber
would dare attack. even II J. " did
steep In his chair. encircled his face
Ills clothes hung loosely about him.
and some days he forgot to snap in
place his little ready-made black bow
tie. which fastened TO his collar button
with an elastic loop.
After while ono or .wo obHervins
, women began 10 notice a change In
Joe" Thompson. His clothes looked as
though he had Joined the pressing club
Ills Intermittent tie became habit.
and when one day he brazenly appeared
without whiskcrs. their worst sus-
picions were confirmed.
"ot course, II liz n woman" But who
can IL he?" Certainly none OF Union
towns ladies"
Then tho story flashed out that Josiah
Van Kirk Thompson, multimiIl,onnir..
had quietly married Mrs. Il. T.. Have.
In New York.
Then everybody remembered that Mr..
X. r. iiawes was Honey" Halves. the
daughter of racchorsc owner She
had been horn In Faye,ts County
Some said she had been n circus rider
! The aristocratc colony OF Uniontown
shrugged It's shoulders and vowed II
would never receive her. Some reinen-
hcrcd that ono day soue months before
| n private car had rolled into tho l.tlo
generous proportions had been seen 10
alight from the car and make her way
! 10 Mr.. Thompson's bank
/ THIS was Honey" Halves She had
/ heard OF J. v and his millions
Honey" was a smart girl, With the
! schooling her father gave her and her
own natural wits she acquired an Gle
CANT ,nanncr-a social veneer most con-
I vinCiuE.
] She invited !. V. for luncheon IN her
f,.r.
vate car was hired for that very thing
"A sort OF stage setting like Cleo
patras splendid river barge on which
she entertained Marc Antony.
4 Mansion for the Bride.
while Mr.. and Mrs. Thompson wore
in Europe on their honeymoon Union.
/ town awake 10 the fact that out on
/ the turnpike at the ton OF the hili
| which for so many years had shell
! tered tho iittle red brick house a man
sion NJ for royal bride was IN course
( OF construction under the personal
I supervision OF the younger son. John
I Thompson.
To this domain Mr.. Thompson
brought his wife Un!ontown was
/ bursting with curiosity and excite.
ment, Invitations were issued for q
reception.
! The road was black with motorcars
ana carriages. No one who could pos
s!bly get in would miss IT, Mrs
/ Thompson received. dressed IN gown
that some said cost 100000. She wore
magnificent Jewels
Mrs. Thompson has a retinue OF for
! eign servants. including several Jap
snese she had brough, from Japan.
These little maidenS served tea IN
! picturesque native garb.
Then Culontown began to whisper.
There was mystery about all this
luxury. The plain folks couldn't sec
any good II II. Imaginations pictured
revels OF the most shocking kind
that is shocking 10 Uniontown.
Shocked by Luxury.
And somehow or other these storie.
! conferred about the swimming pool
| Cniontown couldn't imagine such
luxurious bath,ub for any good pur-
pose.
| Mrs. Thompson went 10 Palm Reach
and the Virginia resorts. while j. Y
settled back to burning midnight OF!
at his desk
| Mrs. Thompson returned to the man
sion on tho hill
! Finally it became known that J. V
was spending more and more OF his
time In the little red house at the foot
| of the hill.
Then came more whispering, both
! general and specific AT last q disso-
| luton OF the strange marriage. when
j. V. gave his wife 81 900 600 allmony
This was January 1913 Mrs Thomn-
son went to live in New York and ]. V
, settled back to his old life. Some timo
after his divorce an announcement was
! made that Mr.. Thompson would marry
! Miss Murdoch, Of jefferson, Greene
! County. Miss Murdoch Is twenty-threc
years old ard Mr.. Thompson is now six
| ty-one.