CHAPTER V

THE STORY OF JOSEPH


Mr. Bingle went home in a taxi-cab, completely done up.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Back in 1885, Joseph Hooper, disgraced, disowned by his family and as
poor Job's turkey, made a brief but sufficiently explicit will in
which he named his beloved nephew Thomas Singleton Bingle as his sole
heir. He drew it up on the surface of a fresh, unused postal card, and
had it properly witnessed by the bailiff who came to Bingle's
apartment to demand his appearance before a court to show cause why he
should not consider himself in contempt for having disregarded the
order to pay monthly sums in the shape of alimony to his late but
unlamented wife.

In looking about for the second witness, he observed a levying deputy
sheriff in the act of carrying off his last and only possession of
value, to wit: a gold-headed cane that had been left to him by his
father. With a fine sense of irony, he persuaded the aforesaid deputy
sheriff to affix his signature to the will, and then remarked with
deep sarcasm that he had "put his house in order" so far as it was in
his power to do so. Inasmuch as the deputy sheriff was making way with
what looked to be his entire estate, saving the clothes upon his back
and the post-card (which he had taken the precaution to address to his