New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-17
THE LUCK OF LUKE STANDS


An its now ana nns one hH nnttl lh tnt NHiH'f
and by the stream which falls headluha IRON Tue
Kills 10 houider.hr broken channel where the water
fumes aud iroths and PUSHES by, mass uf seeth,hR
s,,yer hi the snn The hotel does well ~ the
suu,mPrstime. because there are cuflosiles w fel
snar and tourists aud geJugists come to see them
Ieran4e there are fine bits Ct English hill scenery
aud woodland pine trees aud white weird tnrs and
artists come to paint them hecause the gniur hooks
have written NJ Felspar, and II is fashionahe to
Us n ALL fashionabe fnlk hrine ahrcp-hkc. come
IN ttovrs IN the season with udl-luoking shepherds
a. keep Hn eve upon thsn sometimes. hut nnr etnrx
IL al Trlspaf before ~ woke ~ ana tunnd hS'li
lannon's IND " certain hubble Individual WHO
helped 90 make n fhmprs and who without Hlehn,
Of greatness, fortunate ieuew NAV ~ WI na,
greatness thrust arUh hin There are som" lucbF
people ~ the w0fld=rVrh nl wui'h hpt blhs
bach more than nitren years from present lain
90 a few "a Tie county "a whioll II was hilna and
b. tho Peaple who lived and died ~ the tlln nest "i
eottaers clustered by tho one aTcned stone bridge
eTossing The babhlmg brook o. the inhabitants Of
the bigger village ten miles away, and ~ 10" lnlh
~ the nearest town twenty miles on as ,i' H." ~,
flies, the town that had - railway station al lu
Itsrlf aud was hourshing plsor, aud had waters
which cured CONT aud rheumatism ana genera
bone-disarrangements, and was at all times ana
seasons running over with every variety OF cripple
and eOntUrtlOnist
with every variety OF beauty-which IL had Lconl-
pletey. which those living IN IT day 10y day dld not
seem to value for they were homespun, niaIter,oi-
fact lot whose only thought was how 10 ilve but
who chung 10 the place because their fathers ana
grandfatherS had cung to 1t before them. strng-
Cling IN the summer on a few shIllings weeks
wage to rear large fames-and rearing them =
and fighting with the winter always very des
peratriy. and dying in the fight now and then
IL was getting on for winter when the days were
cold and the nights set very early IN the Feispar
valley, although the leaves had not all shaken
themselves of the and there were rare aut UNI
nal tipts about for those who cared to notice them
and noboly did care. Leaves brownish" was the
one verdict and there was au end Of It Just as IN
the city sometimes "money's tIghtish." ana then
there's an end of that .
And yet il one noticed the beauty OF the
autumn IN the valley it was Peggy Brantwell' II
pretty girl accmatized too much Out-Oi-dOor occu
patton with her grandfather's pigs and poultry TO
look after. and two cows to mix: ana her grand
father TO keep in good temper. and make sure that
his poor Old legs took HIM up safely 70 bed IN the
early evening before sight OF candle l'gn' was
had been a beauty IN her day for she was seven
and twenty now: She was fayorlfe with felSpar
folk, who thought her grandfather was hard upon
her and put upon her. like an old curmudgeon as he
was. they said, old Brant wei beng a. generally dts
and are better of than their neghbors. Why
Peggy had grown mp So amable and lovable little
woman under the guardianship OF Matthew Brant-
we'll no one exactly could make ont, aud why when
IL was rumOred he was not KIND u her. ana sad
hard things, and TAINTED and suspected her ana
threatened her even with turning her out OF house
and bOnr she did not take him at his word and get
OOp and GOT o. it, the Felspar community did not
understand But the Felspar community was not
0nick of comprehension: they were IN ~ certain
Peggy could have done better for herself thnn re-
naming all these years her gTandIathIer uru1ge-
that Lady Glide up at the Hall would have been
glad long ago to have had her for lady'smald, AMI
Trained her fos ladvs-maid they did net think 1t
fitable raspins ungeneruus old hunks WIN gave
nobody good word she might be waiting tor hrr
gtandfatherS mOncy-whiCh with his usual spirit
OF cOntrariuess he would lie sure To leave else
Where-but Twas impossible % say Nhat she rus
waiting for Uness-she was waiting Tor Luke
Stands which we may say ~ once was exactly the
fact OF the ease.
lerhap. to put it more politely it would have been
graceful to say Luke Stands was waiting for her
but ~ they waiting for each other IT matters
not great dor. aud lucking at 1t either way Is to
look al - IN he right light
Must i.p
In tho right light at all they were waiting tai ho
was dead. he said ho VIVA SURE they wot" waiting
till he was dead and gone hut y" want n-eo'ns To-
die to Ohligc either al them llS iHtci hhd hNtu
till ninet iour. and he Oul seventy three ne&
bean fcnst and bnr his cuss,d legs. Ice was IA good
man ~ any in frlSpar. aud IL they we're waiting
for his death aud his money never were two people
See # they wuuldn't rabbit rm itf selfish nFsr1'
waiting greedy parl
Bnt We nre not waiting for your death. grand
father Peggy mll on the autumn day to winch
We have alrrnly nlludcdi shall be only too glad
q shouldn't Ice surprised n ! did.'
aNu" eiid Peggy laughing.
There's been sumo wonderful ages ~ ms lami1.
don't frr anything tu laugh at "a the idea' said
on rou'fr not m old man yet grandfather"
said prssv As shp hustlrl about Tee iuur preparing
ths nnltnoan tp, iuf hpf relative "lh,ie AZ
tlnntt 30 lpsrnf plhrf than YOU and plenty
ieunaat Whu lnuk 80 old already a.
bpruan they npVpi tuuh thip ~ thpmsplVra.' lac
said " bat sittui away thuii tinn 81 tlu FunitY
loo ani at ~ til ~ 10, nshi aft"i nishi lh"
~ marital hniTv 60 go tea over hruight r.
-Nhu d question - said iegg, buaLiy "ls u
any taritI q
1irs good BIT earlier" said her ohsrrVaut grand
father. tho shadow atiuss tho iour wac longer
yeserlai afternoon hy fourteen nohoa aioro The
- didn't notice the shadow" SAID Peggy.
Bui u vas
Indeed ~
Very wclI--t was, then. Aud it was later ia the
afternoon, q course. Aud you know 1t was later.
And you have for it's being later yesterday.
earlier to-day, and IT'S 40 use trying 10 trick mo-,
= am not trying to trick you grandfather"
sles. you are You had "a reason"
"Weil-l had felSon.' Peggy confessed.
You're a-gOng out"
~Ne--for "A little while
"TO meet that Luke. You know you are"
@No, I'm not gong % meet that Luke" replied
the granddaughter Pm not thinking Of such
thing
Oh amt you ~ exclaimed the irritable old man.
bringing bis broad brown hand with - formidable
slap INTO the teatray, and causing considerable
cOminutlon among the crOckery IN consequence.
Then why caut you be lair and straight. and say
what gOlOg to dol Why can't you tell me
the dinner down my throat, and tn put me INTO bod
again afOre Pm hardly got ont of i, OF 1t had time
10 cool hate such artful ways"
Grandfather. what has disturbed YOU to-dayp
amt disturbed"
You are not very often like this
Yes. / am
Not often quito as hard as this. think" said
Peggy i'm calm half wondering way, which, If it
had bot been natural, would have boon very az
gravatlng. But Peggy was really surprised by the
extra energy which her grandfather had coutriVed !
to throw int" the oonN ersatioa that afternoon.
shall be harder soon. If that's any comfort to
you, the final remark of this amiable old gen
tleman attn which lac went to bed though the sun
wa, still shining and It half hour before his
usual time Indeed, the aiacrity with which hc |
had Iaken himself of would have aroused the al,
PIGEONS of most folk but Peggy not n,istrust
ful-on the contrary, very, very truStful-Or she !
wOud not have waited all this while for Luke !
Stands. and Luke Shandss luck. which gcncr- |
ally going the wrong way To- Inch lac was
Five IN mites alter her grandfather had to !