Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1884-04-03
M'WILLIAMS LUCK.
NV. w. Howard in The Continent.1


the proud condition of having been noticed
lin an adverse way) by fortune. 1t seemed
As though illluck, having tomahawked him
for his own good had scalpe1 him rs euro
against further concoit. 1t was high time,
evidently, that tho trodden worm should
turn sea serpent and swallow it's tormentor.
Even a worm that has spirit enough to turn,
gains the fear Of some and tho respect Of
everybody. Fate would much rather notice
spirited worm than cowardly lion.
The favored spot at which McWilliams
was down OF his luck was Pithole. All
Americans, and a great many foreigners.
that were alive in the summer of 1865, will
remember Pitioe. 1t WAS at that time, and
for year afterward, tho "eiGhth wonder
of the world" an oxcitable, cuatic city,
built in day, woshipins the green flood
of petroleum that flowed up from holes III
the earth, and baptized in mul fathom
deep. There has been nothing like it in all the
romantic history of tho oil country since.
Oil was discovered on the Homdcn farm
early in the year, and, before summer closed,
the wooded hills upheld an eager city, third
in postal importance in the greet State of
Pennsylvania. 1t roso in night, and like
its heavenly prototype, tho comet, hazed
forth for brief season, and then won. out.
Perhaps there was touch Of destiny in
tho name. 1t was just after tho war,
when good names were scarce, and
the now town was allowed to name itself.
natural pit, or hole, in tho rocks on the sum-
NIT Of neighboring mountain. furnished
material for a title, and the town, with
registering Indifference, adopted tho sus5es
tion.
The day on which McWilliams admitted to
his inner consciousness that he was down on
his luck was January %, 1855 1t was some
thing of comfort to him, even in that con-
dition, to know that fortune lad deigned to
notice him. He had drftcd in on that stream
of men fresh from the trenches Of the hostile
south, AM, in comm OF with his neighbors,
had invested his savings in what was then
mere speculation. lie had leased small
tract O; land on the hillside above the towp,
and started to drill for oil. This was in the
early summer, OF spring, OF ls,5. Develop
meuts in tho immediate ncighborhood were
30 uniformly successful that McWiiams was
looked upon as a lucky fellow and future oil
Prince From the awakening of this Scati-
ment date the beginning of McWiIliams
run Of ill-uck, for at this time he was shame
fully imposed upon by young woman in
ol City.
=
say, but her way, unfortunately, was 1T
tie out of the orthodox line Personally, and
Gs far as any one knew, she stood without re-
p,oaoh bu, hcr ideas OF lIc l gricvc to say,
were hat warped She was anxious,
Cbut, for the sake OF cuphemsrD, let us ray
anbitious) to get husband. | am inclined
to the belief that 81 g did not expect to love
her husband when she sot han, for she had
time enough on her hands to love two or
three husbands. 1t would have been an easy
matter for Eer to get married had she cared
less for distinction and n future free from
hades-looplo's bills, but a prasewor:hy de-
sire to slime as tie wife Of an oil prince
eaased her to throw q drag net over The un-
GIspecting head of McWillams. This net
took the shape of plausible argument to the
effect that mcWilliams' casual meetings viii
the young woman We're cOmpror sing in
their tendency, AMI shat, unless McWilhap,s
was enough in earnest to clear her namo Of
rcproach, he should leave the country until
the society of Oil City forgot him. This was
arrant hunDug, as every lleral-nirdcd
woman in the oil country will attest; but, as
| have said, McWi.liams WAS easily imposed
upon. Like thorOugh-Going oil man he re-
fused to let anything stand between him and
the oil wei! of his Dreams and in straight
forward, honest sort of way, lie married tho
young woman out OF hand.
Mrs. McWilliams ought to have been
happy; but if the unsolicited testimony Of
disir;cre5tcd witnesses may he allowed as
evidence, it would seem that she was
in Il state of constant dissatisfaction
and misery. With wariness truly
Scotch in its origin and tendency.
New iliams refused to launch into extrava-
gunce in living until the capacity Of the
P.thole lease should be known. This vexed
Mrs. McWil!iams beyond endurance; and it
came to pass early in the winter, when the
lease failed to produce anything but tho
dIcst kind of dry wells, and the indignant
wife, declaring that McWilliams had failed
in his duty toward her, left the oil country
to try her torture elsewhere. After PAWN.
his wife's debts, Williams--now pnnniless
and friendless- himself on n stump on
the hillside above Pitho!e and admitted to
himseA with dull feeling of satisfaction,
that he was down on his luck.
McWillians's luck had deserted him at
last! The hopeful man had waited q long
time for fortunes wheel to stop in front Of
him; and now that it had stopped a
flying spoke had knocked him down.
Most strong and healthy persons will
resent blow, even from fate.
With a Scotch slowness to wrath after pick
ing himself up and seating himsef on the
stump above the town Nc w illiams observed
that his luck had treated him cruelty Sit
ting there, watching the busy wells around
him, tho putfs Of steam that hoael away
like snowy banners from painting engines;
hearing the rattle of machinery and the
,ang of busy hammers, and noting with sui
lp itr pf It,p ,plr. .rjs ~
beside him, McWilliams gave reign to his
swelling temper and with sturdy arm aimed
blows at his fate.
The process of it was altogether unrecoc-
ni2.d by McWiliams. This revolt at fate
was in another form, but a remuneration of
religion, and in the ultimate issue was neither
argued with questioned. The subtle sophis-
try of unknown argument within him did not
find its way to his lips. So far as o,n bo
learned his utterancas wero emphatic and
commonplace. "Well," said he, II guess I'm
pretty low down now; luck's all gone to
thunder, and no mistake Luck2 To the
devil with luck! Who said anything about
lucss There's no such thing. Hard work
makes it-hard steady, pounding work"
The debate within him sent out no bulletins
to the public for several minutes. AT length,
when the sun suffused his thoughtful ewes
with golden radiance from the western hill
tops, McWilliams reused himself angrily,
and with little "To hell with luck" strobe
down TO the town.
Fate must have PAUSED in surprise to see
its grandchild, Luck, so previously Haunted
by hitherto harmless slave. She must have
respected him then, for McWilliams was be-
yond her power. He had taken his destiny
into his own hands.
The morning of the Goth day of January,
1866 saw McWilliams at work with shovel