Worcester daily spy., 1859-06-01
0Qurrestrr Daily spp.
WAS IT ALL LuCKl

l am going there"
'Ah, then we must part here was afraid
of that. Our roads are different, young man.
Mine lies down yonder-he pointed as he
spoke towards Tooley street. So must get
on as well as / can, thanking you for your
shelter while l have had it. There-I won't
keep you any longer in the wet; every one
for himself, you know"
"And his neighbor, too, sir. 1t won't make
much difference to me, and if you allow me
to walk with you as far as you are going, or
if you would like to take my umbrella, YOU
are welcome to it,
"You are fine young fellow, Mr. Mark
Anderson" said Mr.. Cameron, turning alb
ruptly upon his companion. ga thousand pit
les you smoke. Well sir, I'll accept your of
fer. 'Tisn't above half mile that | am 60
ing and you shall have the pleasure of put
ting your motto into practice"
Mark was right enough in Judging his COM
panion to be an inquisitive old gentleman.
lie was, in fact, very inquisitive. But Mark
did not mind it; and before they parted that
evening, Mr. Cameron had learned good
deal OF the young mans previous history
who and what his father had been. where
his mother lived, what her resources were,
how many sisters he had what they had TO
support themselves, and what his own pros
poets were. And as he shook hands with Mr..
Cameron at parting. he received at the same
time friendly invitation and a suggestion.
couched in such language as this
oung man, L owe you something for
your poteness, and also for being so rough to
you the other afternoon on the coach"
Don't mention it, sill" Mark began to saw.
fes but l must mention it, though l
was in a bad humor that day. / had lost a
good bit OF money, or thought l had but
that's no excuse. WE'LL you must get down
at my house the next time we ride together.
and take chop with me- eh? And you can
walk to Enfield Wash afterwards What do
you say? 2"
Mark thanked the gentleman.
"And cheer up my lad You don't think
your prospects very promising | can see
Ah you don't know. Who can tell what
day may bring forth Not you or l. Fifty
years ago, young man, left Scotland on foot
with but ten shillings in my pocket, and not
friend north of the Tweed that | knew any,
thing of. And here l am now, with more
than ten shillings and four pence, think. But
didn't smoke cigars, young man. And I
say, Mr.. Anderson, tits thousand pities Won
smoke. wouldn't if l were yon''
Our narrative, however, must now take
leap over long range of years. Twenty
summers and winters have passed since that
rainy day on London bridge, bringing with
rows, successes and reverses. The scene now
shifts to a commercial room in the Eagle and
Crown, at market town some fifty miles
from the metropolis. There sat a party of
commercial travellers at supper, discussing,
while they did justice to the good fare, as is
their wont, the credit and resources of various
houses in the different lines of business with
which they were connected.
"What lucky fellow, by the way" said
one of the party, after the merits Of a great
Manchester warehouse man had been canvass.
ed, "that Mark Anderson has been all his life. !"
"A very lucky fellow" rejoined another;
and third re-echoed the remark
10 you think so, gentlemen 2" asked a
fourth-an elderly man, who had hitherto
borne no part in the rather "free and easy"
conversation of that evening.
There can be no doubt of it. Mr.. W.
should think, replied the nrsr Speaker.
mot doubt of it, said the second like
wise, cit was all luck, depend upon it."
Gle began with nothing-nothing to speak
Of" continued the former; "but old Cameron
took fancy to him, and now you see the old
gentleman retires from the firm, and leaves
Mark Anderson at the head of it."
"And, rejoined the third commercial, call
begun, as I've been told, by young Anderson
happening to have an umbrella, and saving
Mr.. G. from getting a wetting one evening
A lucky thing, that. l think | shall take to
carrying an umbrella fine days as well as wet
ones"
"That wasn't quite all, I believe" responded
number one; che came over the old gent by
Ginning in with his humors, and finding out
the length of his foot. A clever fellow Mark
Anderson is, fancy. But there was a bit of
sneaking about him. That and good luck did
it ALL"
"Ah l heard that Cameron cottoned to the
young fellow at first because of his name 1t
was Scotch sort of sound, you know and
Anderson's father, or his grandfather, was
Scotchman So it was 'Highlanders shoulder
to shoulder you know. A lucky thing to
have fine sounding name, sometimes. Poor
Jack Smith might have told his name fifty
times, and nobody would have thought any.
thing about it."
ga lucky thing for Mr.. Anderson to leave
off smoking as he did. He took his cue there,
famously. That was what nailed old Gamer
on, suspect A lucky thought that"
"Well, gentlemen SAID Mr.. W., when
there was a slight break in the conversation,
"you have had your say about Mr.. Anderson,
and you all seem to know more or less of his
history, but you must excuse me for thinking
you are wrong in ascribing his prosperity to
what you call luck. There is more than that
n it, think"
"Of course, Mr.. W., replied one of the for
mer speakers; we don't mean that Mr.. Ander-
son isn't clever and shrewd, and all that sort
of thing that helps man on in the world it
was his first start, mind you, that we said was
lucky"
''Mr. w. does not believe in luck, perhaps"
observed another member of the company.
"No | don't' said Mr. w. "Luek is heath
enish word, and the idea it conveys is a heath
enish idea. But we need not dispute about
words What | mean is that Mr. Anderson's q
first start, as you call it, was owing to some
thing with which luck had nothing to do"
"You know Mr.. Anderson, perhaps" 2"
eyes, rather intimately and I'll tell you
what know Of his rise in the world, if you
like. few words will do it."
"By all means, Mr.. W." said one of the 9TH
er speakers.
'fn the first place, then, what first attracted
Mr.. Camerons notice in young Anderson,
was his good temper and readiness to oblige a
stranger who had behaved to him crustily and
selfishly. Their first meeting was on the top
of the stage coach"
eyes, / have heard of that"
"Well, then, you will admit that had Ander.
son given his fellow passenger as good as he
had sent, to use a common expression, their
acquaintance would probably have ended
where it began So that ! shonld say that
good temper rather than luck, was the first
step towards Mr.. Anderson's prosperity"
"There's something in that, to be sure, Mr.
''Then there was degree of kindness
somewhat selfdenying, in the offer of the um
brella when Cameron and Anderson came il
each others way the second time. 1t is no
every young man would have gone out 0
his way to oblige common acquaintance
and not many, perhaps, would have thought o
offarino the shelter of an umbrella TO guch ,