diff --git a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/Config.java b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/Config.java
index 265db642..3d9d5bed 100644
--- a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/Config.java
+++ b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/Config.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: Config.java,v 1.17 2002/11/24 04:51:02 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: Config.java,v 1.18 2002/11/26 01:57:22 mdb Exp $
 //
 // samskivert library - useful routines for java programs
 // Copyright (C) 2001 Michael Bayne
@@ -104,17 +104,14 @@ public class Config
     public Config (String path)
     {
         // first load up our default prefs
+        _props = new Properties();
+
         try {
             // append the file suffix onto the path
             String ppath = path + PROPS_SUFFIX;
 
             // load the properties file
-            _props = ConfigUtil.loadInheritedProperties(ppath);
-            if (_props == null) {
-                Log.warning("Unable to locate configuration definitions " +
-                            "[path=" + path + "].");
-                _props = new Properties();
-            }
+            ConfigUtil.loadInheritedProperties(ppath, _props);
 
         } catch (IOException ioe) {
             Log.warning("Unable to load configuration [path=" + path +
diff --git a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/ConfigUtil.java b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/ConfigUtil.java
index 8249cad7..3f3f9909 100644
--- a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/ConfigUtil.java
+++ b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/ConfigUtil.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: ConfigUtil.java,v 1.8 2002/11/25 22:25:20 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: ConfigUtil.java,v 1.9 2002/11/26 01:57:22 mdb Exp $
 //
 // samskivert library - useful routines for java programs
 // Copyright (C) 2001 Michael Bayne
@@ -58,8 +58,6 @@ public class ConfigUtil
      * Like {@link #loadProperties(String)} but this method uses the
      * supplied class loader rather than the class loader used to load the
      * <code>ConfigUtil</code> class.
-     *
-     * @see #loadProperties(String)
      */
     public static Properties loadProperties (String path, ClassLoader loader)
 	throws IOException
@@ -223,12 +221,21 @@ public class ConfigUtil
             path, ConfigUtil.class.getClassLoader());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Like {@link #loadInheritedProperties(String)} but loads the
+     * properties into the supplied target object.
+     */
+    public static void loadInheritedProperties (String path, Properties target)
+	throws IOException
+    {
+        loadInheritedProperties(
+            path, ConfigUtil.class.getClassLoader(), target);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Like {@link #loadInheritedProperties(String)} but this method uses
      * the supplied class loader rather than the class loader used to load
      * the <code>ConfigUtil</code> class.
-     *
-     * @see #loadInheritedProperties(String)
      */
     public static Properties loadInheritedProperties (
         String path, ClassLoader loader)