The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-11-26
A STRUGGLE WITH FATE.

The story is told, in San Jose, that one
evening in August, some three years
ago, a stranger made his appearance in
that city, and shortly thereafter created
breeze in society circles. He had
wandered aimlessly about the streets for
two or three days, speaking to NO one,
caring for nothing. He was a young
man, and might have been considered
unusually handsome if his clothes had
been good; but they were old. and faded,
and threadbare. These could be nc
mistaking the fact that he was an ad-
venturer, who had succeeded in finding
only disappointment and poverty. He
was tall and straight, and had a distin-
guished look.
On the evening of about the third day
he was accosted on San Fernando street
by a man exceedingly drunk. This man
was called Tarantula Joe," but some
of the boys persisted in addressing him
as "Tarantula Juice mot very in
appropriate appellation, but one which
was Indignantly resented by Joe, who
was fighter from Tuolumne, and who
boasted, among his numerous other
exploits, that in early days he had fire.
quently rolled a barrel of whisky fifty
miles day, and taken a drink every
time the bung turned up.
Hello, strangerl' he said to the seedy
young man. Joe was everybody's
friend. but had a strange way of show
ing his friendship when he was drunk
"What yer prowlin' round here in that
hang-dog style for, a-skeerin' peopleP"
"It's none OF yoar business" replied
the meek-looking stranger.
Joe was not the man to brook such an
insult. The stranger attempted to pass
nj, n nnn0d
"See here, young feller, do yer know
that yer a-tacklin' The wust man in this
townP An I'm on the fight bigger'n q
wolf. Yer miserable fraud, I'll"
But he never did. He thought brick
had struck him, but it was only the
strangers fist that had laid him out on
the sidewalk. II there was one thing
that Joe respected above all others. il
was the man who knocked him down,
As he scrambled laboriously to his feet,
his breath considerably shortened, he
found himself face to face with the
stranger. who had done the square thing,
in Joe's opinion, by not following up his
advantage while Joe was down, but
who nevertheless assumed posture SO
aggressive that Joe became aware of
gloomy possibilities. So he began to
temporiZe.
Cant yer take jokeP" he said, hold
ing out his hand. which the stranger
graaped. Joe eyed him in absorbed ad-
miration.
Who'd "a thought" he said, "thet
slim spider like yo1-beggin' yer
pardon fer calm yer spider, which
yer amt a spider-could IA let out so
ttrongP" And with his left hand he
fe.t the strangers right arm, gauging
the muscle. "Quicker'n a grizzly, too,"
he added.
So they Immediately became fast
friends. Then they became very COM
municative. The stranger told how he
had such a run OF bad luck that the
world seemed dreary, and there was
nothing to live for. Joe spoke words OF
encouraging consolation; and as last
and purely conventional expedient,
urged the stranger to marry some rich
girl and settle down. Joe explained
how easily it could be done. His
friend had brains, good manners, nerve
and good looks-all the necessary
requisites for doing 1.-THE correct thing"
The stranger was modest eli that score,
but Joe clung to the proposition, saying
that a man with such style could
marry any girl in Christendom. All
that was necessarywas unlimited check
and well arranged plan. They parted
ate.