"No, suh; not much. Folks is more prone to offer me old clothes than they are to pay me in cash. Still, I manage to git along. I don't live very fancy; but, then, I don't starve, and that's more'n some kin say." "Peep, whut was the most money you ever had in your life--at one time?" Peep scratched with a freckled hand at his thatch of faded whitish hair to stimulate recollection. "I reckin not more'n six bits at any one time, suh. Seems like I've sorter got the knack of livin' without money." "Well, Peep, sech bein' the case, whut would you say ef I was to tell you that you're a rich man?" The answer came slowly: "I reckin, suh, ef it didn't sound disrespectful, I'd say you was prankin' with me--makin' fun of me, suh." Judge Priest bent forward in his chair. "I'm not prankin' with you. It's my pleasant duty to inform you that at this moment you are the rightful owner of eight thousand pounds." "Pounds of whut, Judge?" The tone expressed a heavy incredulity. "Why, pounds in money." Outside, in the hall, with one ear held conveniently near the crack in the door, Deputy Sheriff Quarles gave a violent start; and then, at once, was torn between a desire to stay and hear more and an urge to hurry forth and spread the unbelievable tidings. After the briefest of struggles the latter inclination won; this news was too marvelously good to keep; surely a harbinger and a herald were needed to spread it broadcast. Mr. Quarles tiptoed rapidly down the hall. When he reached the sidewalk the volunteer bearer of a miraculous tale fairly ran. As for the man who sat facing the Judge, he merely stared in a dull bewilderment. "Judge," he said at length, "eight thousand pounds of money oughter make a powerful big pile, oughten it?" "It wouldn't weigh quite that much ef you put it on the scales," explained His Honor painstakingly. "I mean pounds sterlin'--English money. Near ez I kin figger offhand, it comes in our money to somewheres between thirty-five and forty thousand dollars--nearer forty than thirty-five. And it's yours, Peep--every red cent of it." "Excuse me, suh, and not meanin' to contradict you, or nothin' like that; but I reckin there must be some mistake. Why, Judge, I don't scursely know anybody that's ez wealthy ez all that, let alone anybody that'd give me sech a lot of money." "Listen, Peep: This here letter I'm holdin' in my hand came to me by to-day's mail--jest a little spell ago. It's frum Ireland--frum the town of Kilmare, where your people came frum. It was sent to me by a firm of barristers in that town--lawyers we'd call 'em. In this letter they ask me to find you and to tell you what's happened. It seems, from whut they write, that your uncle, by name Daniel O'Day, died not very long ago without issue--that is to say, without leavin' any children of his own, and without makin' any will.