Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-07-01
Was There Ever Such Luck !
CHAPTER I.-REFoRN.

his sister Ju, at Hilltop, near Reigate. He was u
| don in the morning, and back to dinner in the
| evening, which he did not mind. He called the
/ railway carriage his smoking-rOOm.
william FASH was thirty, the grandmother
eighty, Ju. twenty-three ; the intermediate gen
| Grafton being dead. On Sunday afternoon IL
was William Fassil's delight TO take long Walk;
! If only he could find companion; and the trlShi
| who most commonly came TO his rescue was Tom
| Chatteris.
Tom was not such good company on one of
| these afternoons as usual; he listened well
| enough, so does horse; but he did not seem 20
| take in meaning with words. AT last he said;
| seriously
~About the weights in the Caubridgoshire, I
| suppose" replied Fassil. 80 Take my advice,
Tom, and never bet on another horse till his
| number is up."
| g 1 mean TO improve upon it, and let them run
| unbaeked altogether. Don't look astonished;
| fellow must give up betting some day, and pre-
| Ter qolng lt before am quite smashed"
! - You. / thought YOU were always onivin-
| ners.n : .
No doubt have had better luck than the
majority OF hackers, but that does not make a
| pennyworth of difference. 4 man always in
creases his expenditure when he wins, but never
reduces It again in proportion when he loses.
! Upon my word, though it sounds contradictory,
am certain that it pays better TO lose steadily
from the first, than TO start successfully even ii
| you win on the average"
-, &" There is a good deal of truth in what yon say
| ever come to discover it,"
"WeIl William, the fact isl want to marry
| your sister Ju. There, the murders Oat!"
| FASH, who was forging ahead at the rate of
! four miles and half to the hour, stopped so
abruptly that his hat shot over his forehead,
| WHAT" be exclaimed,
| Tom continued bashfully {" I daresav II sound,
| queer TO you, who know more about me than
most other fellows do, and aterrihle deal more
than j u. does. 1t is true am not worthy of her:
but there would be precious few marriages if
men were expected TO be as good as girls are"
1T is not that, said FASH: but the idea of
! your marrying! And Ju!' And picking up his
| hat, he walked on cogitating.
! 8" have sold my hunter and my hack; have
| paid all my debts have given up my chambers,
| and taken quiet lodgings at Sydenham where
! some OF my people live; and have looked into
my affairs boldly before mentioning the NATTER
| said Tom
Then you and Ju. are not actually enCaged?''
NOT precisely but it is all right If can man
age TO board, lodge, and clothe her. That is the
worst OF 1t; find that have been living like a
fool, on my capital, and have only five thousand
pounds left. L must do something; and the uues-
tlOn Is, what am L fit for? / doubt whether I
should make good paTsOn; besides, left the
university without taking degree. 1t is late 10
start educating ones self for a lawyer or doctor
az thirty. Do you think could get secretary
snip? As for competitive examinations never
knew but little, and have forgotten that little
long ago."
"My dear Tom, ~ said Fassil gravelv. ts we have
always been friends and do not know any man
would sooner have for a brother-in-layy; but
we must look facts fairly in the face. ia. has
live up TO my small income; so that she win be
able to bring nothing TO help"
g." knew that, Old fellow"
" w ell, then, 1t is absolutely necessary that
you should, rs you say, have some other source
OF income than the interest upon i've Thousand
pounds. 1t Is true that Ju. is an excellent man
astT, ana makes my salary 90 d marvellous way;
but, then, think what your habits have been pr
CHAPTER ia PEoDIGIoUs ACORN.
III you suppose that by draining a country YOU
can get rid OF Will-o'the-wisys, Won had better
answer those advertisements ia the TiEaes which
are addressed TO gentlemen with "A small cauiraI
at thelI own disposal, and you viii be speedily
uHdGceived. One Of these misguiding inns I,rCS-
posed that Tom Chatteris should devote his lire
To pOtichOmanic; another, that he should become
aIuiacturer and retail vender OF gnger-beer;
while others, less harmless sought ~ transfer his
remaining capital into their own pockets on
preteStS 50 transparcntly fraudulent, that Tom
with al his natural taste for speculation and
them at once.
He likewise tried for vacant secretarysll.Ds of
several public companies, but found that the d-
rectors gave those posts to their own nominees
aHuOllly advertised Tor the sake of appearances,
!est the shareholders should suspect them OF
jobbcTy.
>, BY the end Of couple of monthshe was heart
lily SICK OF DOOtleSS correspondence, and OF both
erIng his friends for testimonials to no purDose;
ana started of one day alone, to walk away a fit
OF the blues, eSchcwing the hi sh-rOads and fol-
lowing rural footpaths. One OF these brought
INN into wood on the crest of some undulating
grOundj and as u was now the last week in OC-
tOber, the foliage was very finely tinted, for the
year Is like doiPhin-its brightest coIors come
out when il is dying.
Tom Chatteris was always affected pleasantly
by beauty in any form, and the scene cheered
MN up, ana inclined him to take a more sanguine
view OF life than he had started with.
AFTER all, how JOLLY we nj zlt live in an Aus
uallan or American clearing IwOnder if .Ju
would consent. She might not like the idea; but
am certain she would enjoy herself when she
got used to it. Sine would be giving ND nothing
except her grandmother, and William " i'll look
alter her What is the best l can expect in Eng
land? To sit at a desk all day. and never cross
horse again; while, as a squatter, nv life would
be full of interest, and should be peTpetIIally in
the saddle BY JoEe! L win so over tomorrow
a rash vow which was never TO be kent But
the making OF II did Tom good, for it represented
feasible, practical plan. All was uncertain
and surrounded with difficulty at home; but If
.Ju. would consent TO colonial roughing it. their
future was clear, distinct simple. So he cheered
up, like the lost traveller who comes upon a
pace he had started at, he began TO pause where
gaps in the wood Afforded him gliInpseS OF the
fertile country spreading for miles beyond.
a splendid oak, some three hundred yards off,
seen at the end of ride, attracted his particular
attentioD-it was 50 lofty, so wide-spreading, and
Its leaves were so much thicker than those on
most trees of the same species round about. Tom
was sadly materalistic, even i'm his most romantic
vein; and as the day was warm for the time of
year, it immediately occurred to him that il
would be pleasant to smoke a pine under that
But he had hardly gone far enough from home
TO sit down and rest yet; would il not be better to
continue his walk? Curiosity decided this ques-
ton; for while was looking towards the tree, he
fancied that one Of its lower bOughs shook; and
as there was not breath of wind stirring, he
wondered what was the cause, and went towards
it to ascertain.
The motion was not repeated; perhaps it had
been only fancy. But stay-what was that dark
object dimly showing through the leaves? 4
queer growth Of wood, surely. Tom sauntered
quietly up TO within twenty PAGES OF the oak; aud
then suddenly sprang into a run, for the object
took human form; and presently he found him
self Immediately under the body OF a man, who
was hanging by the neck from "A rope attached
to bOugh, which spread conveniently above
BY raising his hand, Tom could have touched
the pendent boots, which were in good repair,
and well BACKED. The rest of the clothes were
respectable, though running little TO seed and
a chimney-pOt hat, which lay on the ground, was
a gentlemanly hat. But Tom did not want to
touch the boots, for To pull the legs OF a hanging
man is not the best way TO resusctate him
Neither did he spend time in examining his APP
parel the little matters have mentioned were
apparent at glance. On the contrary, ne
swarmed up the tree, which was happily easy to
climb, and lay out on the bough with the readi-
ness OF a sailor.
In the carly and Sapcuina days % Ia, .o,-o..