The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-04-04
Tom Standish's Luck.

"It does beat all how some folks gifts
along in the world" said red-nosed
man in a crowd sitting around the stove
in corner grocery the other night.
"Now, there's that Tom Standish, look
at him; if he amt been follered by
regular streak of bull-headed luck l
want to know what you call it. He
come to this town without a dollar in
his pocket or a decent dud on his back,
but before three days he struck job of
helpin' in biler factory at five or six
dollars week, and by ivin' the lord
knows how an pilin' the bulk of his
airnin's on his back, it wasn't four
months before you'd a. thought, by the
looks of the kid, that he was solid with
a councilman, and had as much influence
on election day as airy other chap in the
ward. l don't say as he was lazy, but
he wasn't one of the kind of fellers to
go and wake the boss up out of sound
| nap to find out somethin' to do. He
wasn't even passably good-lookin', but
some how it Jest seemed to come nat
ural to him to cram on style, and he had
a knack of slickin' himself up, and al
ways lookin' tidy and neat as soon as he
was out of the shop, that's been more of
d
been to him. In knockin' around the
world as I've done, I've noticed that the
main run of people generally is tolerable
apt to take feller's own idee of himself
for granted good deal of the time. If
he wears good clothes, and puts ON airs
and carries himself with a swing as
though he was somebody, the heft of the
people will conclude that he is, and
boost him along accordin'. That's all in
the world that ever give Tom Standish
his start. He carried sail like a man
with money out at interest, and itwasn't
no time at all till he had. He wasn't
what you'd call smart-not by long
shot-for when L first knowed him he
hadn't sense enough to run a wheelbar-
row. Tom wasn't no hand at all for en-
gineerin' or plannin', or lookin' ahead
furder'n you'd throw live hog. He
hadn't the sign of an eye for business at
all, an not the shadder of gift fol
speculatin'. In fact, he hadn't nothin
but jest the stubbornest kind of luck
streaks thick enough to see, mighty near
From sortin' scrap-iron in the bile
factory it wasn't no time at all till ht
, found himself pullin' the checks over
bang-up team as coachman in a high
toned family, and if it hadn't been fo
/ the give-away rig they chucked him in
[ to, you'd a. thought he was the big bu,
who owned the turnout, takin' twist a
{ the lines for his own amusement. Fl
/ kept his eyes and ears open and in
little while learned all the ways of tn
a upper crust, and he couldn't a. talke
a and acted any more like an oyster O.
= stills if he'd a. had hide full of blu
/ blood himself. The next I knowed
S rich old cove had took a great fancy t
i him and had give him the job of ira,
| cling all over the world with him, mig
y about, to look after his baggage, cuss til
walters and take care of him. Then th
e old chap gifts into a chokin' spell or
It night and wades over to the golde
shore before mornin', leavin' Tom a
5 alone again. But he gathers up tt
n traps and comes home like prince
where Pd been obleeged to tramp it a
r, the way back-and finds the old man
/, folks feelin' SO bad about the news he
e brung, that among 'em they shakes hi
Y up matter of six or eight hundred dc
lars, and when the will was aired
q turned out that the old saint himse
had tackled a couple O. hundred more {
1t to him. But money was no count
70 him, no more'n to child, for instead
le buyin' out toney bar, down ne
la Change somewhere, as 1 should a. don
1T what did the fool do but go and sink Il
$. whole pile in piece of property tn
p nobody'd a. took for the taxes, but here
t, where his everlastin' luck froze to hi
id agin, and the next summer a ne
railroad scheme turned every last hu
dred he'd invested into a square tho
ID sand. I might go on and tell you he
ed he married woman so poor she W
to about to be set into the street cause s
he couldn't pay house rent, and how insi
of two months afterwards she fell he
= to whole raft of property in Bufa
sh and while they was comm home fro
ge seein' about it, she got killed in smas
up and the railroad company had
Ic- shell out in big figures, but its no use
NJ my aggravatin' you any more about
re There amt set of brains in this roc
he but what could dance all around t
/ works in his head, seven days in t
ad week, but luck is luck, gentlemen, a
~, the man that holds the most trumps do
its always rake the pot"
ne