The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1859-06-01

''inyestment was likely to turn out, and,
in the excitement, forgot the hour until 1t
was too late--so here is good two hundred
dollars worth Of work gone, oil for my wretch.
ed luck"
The old man smiled family. but went on
Iqaestioning:
And how about your land investment
Is il likely to prove asproftable as you anti.
lcipated I"
There is another specimen ofthe way my
cards turn up. 1t seems the man Of whom |
bought had no legal claim to it. and my title
lis not worth cent"
How much money did you invest there i''
4 Three hundred dollars--money that
have been laying by ever since my marriage
to help to purchase house and lot--but il 10
lgone now and am not likely to get any
Thing beforehand again, very soon. There
Is Jones. he bought land at the same time.
and now II is worth ten times the money he
| paid for 1.-THE always was iuckyf"
81 believe he employed an agent to ey-
anime all the deeds and titles Carefully be.
fore he purchased. did be not. John p
yes and paid him an exorbitant price.
tno never would encourage such extortion.
Besides. Edwards, WIN sold me nv claim,
assured me that he knew it TO be perfectly
good, and could never have hail the face
to qeuestion the honesty Of an old friend and
lneighbor."
alt seems he had the face to cheat you
nut Of your money" said the old gentleman,
smiling again, but more family than before.
sis there no chance to recover anything Of
him."
None at ALL Jones told me confidential.
liv. couple Of weeks ago, that he suspected
all was not right. and advised me to keep nv
eyes on Edwards but thought there was
no hurry, and yesterday ! learned that he
had sailed iron New York. no one knows
where. SO haye to make the pest of my
luck"
7 .You, use that word luck pretty freely.
John--may ask what you mean by it.; and
on what ground you charge all your misfor-
tunes TO 1t:
"Why, Won cannot deny, Uncle William.
that some men are cunstituiionally unlucky,
while others. with no greater advantages and
seemingly in the very same circumstances,
will prosper in every undertaking. could
give yul plenty nf instances here under OUT
own observation"
"sapposc you give cae, that will do very
we'll"
"Well, then, I can mention none better
than Jones ami myself. We began life TO,
gethcr as mechanics. with nearly equal al
yantages in every respect. except that had
a little the better Of him, in inheriting thai
small iarm of my fathers. We were marri,
ed at the same time. and our wives wert
both prudent. careful hnusekespers-model'
in every respect. Nv family is M largei
than his, but look at the contrast now. fiji
business has gone steadily upward. until b,
has all he can attend 10, with the help o
; several apprentices. while !, who have beer
always called the best workman, can hardl,
find employment for one. | am still liyin!
in an inconycnieHt, rented house. while Jonei
ha. snug little home Of his own. with gar
den, fruit, aud every comfort of life. lii
. children are healthy, and his wife looks n,
older than when he married her, ten year
ago; while my poor Mary is thin aud care
worn. and my doctors bill is almost as muel
as nv rent. avn sure | have made ever
possible exerti0n; l work as hard as Jones
but there Is such thing As iurk, and min
thus Ear, has been bad enough"
Now, John Eastman" began the old maj
slowly. I" want you to listen to me. Yo'
talk about luck, and I, who am an old man
who have seen seventy odd years of life.
tell YOU there Is no such thing az luck. Th
thread Of your destiny was never put into tn
hands Of the blind goddess Fate. 10 be twist
! ed and tangled at herwill. Ibelieve in Di
/ vine Providence that oyerrules all things
but believe that every man makes his owl
r track through life, and is responsible in
!, great measure for its roughness."
i "rhen you would throw all the blame q
mans misfnrtunes upon himself. Tha
seems rather hard"
r "lt isa great thing Cor man to learn 4
0 distinguish between those things which ar
i results Of his own unwise action, and thos
{ that spring tr0m causes beyond his control
r ~ admit that; but ain sure have alway
{ tried 10 act according TO my best judgment
and man can 10 M more than that"
"lfyou will not be angry with me, John
/ | would like to talk 70 YOU little abOu
your best Judgment"
"0h, there Is no fear of that. Uncle vii
i. liam-you know always take your adyic,
! kindly. although cannot quite agree viii
D you 10 your way Of thinking"
People that take advice too kindly ar
not sure TO make such good use oft; bot nj
matter. When came IN this mprning
found you in great rage over your bad lucI
in losing that job Of work which suppos'
/ went 10 Jones. as his shop j. Away open
! Pray. who was 20 blame for that but your
E self. for negleeting your engagement TO NEE
D the agents And will the evil results stCl
i with the lnss Of this one jubi Those men
. a. you well know. have occasion for thOus
ands Of dollars worth Of work in your liz,
!, every year, and will il not be natural that Il
4 deciding where to look in luture, they SHOULD
distrusta man who failed to meet an appoint
I nent in which his own interests were inyoly
1 edi Al, John. see more bad iKek in stOr,
for you there"
0 81 intended to keep the engagement, bu
the disappointment about my land put i al
! out u my mind"
THAT land business again now look a
Z that and sec how much luck had 10 do will
sNFf A a. - =.