Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-01-25
McWILLIAMS' LUCK.


into the future. Neither do / wish h
10 be thought that he had been n victim
of continuous ill-luck. for such, I feel
bound To say. was not the case. His
had been an indi1e Ont. mungrcl sort
OF luck, scarcely equal to sudden flights
Of reckless sublimity. nor mean enough
To- sink Ca n comforting level of actual
mental misery. a positive lurk a
either complexion might have been con-
sistent. but an Indifferent. ucglectful
lucl, was dishcartsning. giving the de-
pressing feeling that the man was
not 10 be- thought Of even for a play
thing of fate. fOr some time 4 has been
matter of conjecture with mo whcth.
err or not McNiIliams would have sue
cocdcd better in early life had he recog-
nizcd the Indifference Of his luck, and
30 set fate nc defiance. Fate i hound
u respect the man that strikes for him
self. and II the battle be- well fought
she will hestOw upon him the sweetest
smiles of her daughter Fortune.
McWilliams. unfortunately, never
recognized this. lie lad lived with the
holi-dclincd notion that fortune some
day would turn in his favor. and that
he would achieve enduring success,
without much effort ~ his own. lie
followed this belief with, n Singleness
ct purpose which. had il been applied
IN "a moro practical direction, would
have brought his expectations To- rrali-
zntion. A blind faith in fortune. or
luck. even when fortune is Kind. i
more injurious than most people
imaginc Like young woman with a
tno-constant lover, fortune grows tired
oil her tdolatruus follower and plays
him scurvy tricks without limit.
Luck bad played v.llainous pranks
with McWilliams time out of mind.
and McNilliam- had taken them so I'M
complainingly and so good nalurcdlv
that 90 all fuir-mindcd persons Il
seemed n distressing case. II McWill-
Jams had known what pranks were be-
ing performed upon the br dge of his
own nose. he would have thrown the
tickle tiirt over his shoulder without
hesitation; but he didn't know. and he
Kept straight along. with annoying per-
sistencc. making luck into n sort Of
secondhand religion. There was no
missionary to convert him, and he
swarmcd along through early life
halt-envclOpcd in u cloud Of doubts
and barharic beliefs And hc was
eNasperulinyly good-na'urcd and court
eous: almost any one might impose
upon him. tfhis was illustrated nj the
battle of the Wilderness. when McWill-
Jams, after fighting with uneNamplcd
bravery nj the head of an assaultinr
party. rushed gallantly Ia haul down
the stars and bars that ilonted above the
redoubt. lie kept the enemy at bay
with his sword, while with his olsen
gagged hand he tried to haul down the
har. He hat nearly succeed. when
some one call Il u him: Let TIC
Colonel cut diwn the nag With the
instructive courtesy ~ his nature Me
Williams stepped ASIDE to see his SUI
pcuor officers. CLEANING sword sever
the cord that held the Tag. OF course
the Colonel rot crcdit for the deed.
whlc McNilium-. who hul Won the
ground 10y hard igh('nr.was unnoticcd.
As ! haze said. almost ANYBODY could
impose upon Mon lIiams.
In saying that VI William WIS down
on his luck Wish tO suggest that nj
tho time NJ which we make his a.
quiiniancr he was in The proud ,undi-
ton at having been noticed Gin an nd
verse wavl 10y furtulc II seemed "A Z
though ill-lurk. having tomahawkcd
him for his own QoJd. hal scalprd him
n cure aga ust further cunccit. II
was nighttime ~ identity. that the troll
den worm should turn s.n s,rpcnt and
swallow itt tormcntor Even worm
that has spirit enough tu turn ga.ns the
Tear Oi some aud TIE respect of every
body Fate would much rather notice
spiritel Worm than clWarllv lion.
The favored spot ut which McWin-
Jams was down on his luc% was Pithnlc.
MI Americans. and great many for
eiguers, that were alive In the summer
ct 1876. will remember Pitholc. II was
at that time, and for n year aftrrward.
the ''cighth wonder Of the world. !" an
eNcitablc. crratic city. built I'm n daV
worshiping the grcep food oi pctrn-
lcum that flowed up from holes in the
earth, and baptized IN mud a fathom
deep There has been nothing like IL
In all tho romantic history 81 the oil
country since. OH was discovered on
the llolmdcn farm early in the year.
and. before summer closed. the wooded
hills upheld an eager city. third i'm
postal Importance i'm the great State OF
pennsylvania. II rose in night. and
Ike its heavenly prototype, the comet.
blazed forth foe lricf season, and
then went Out. Perhaps there was a
touch of destiny in the name. IL was
Just after the war. when good names
were scarce, and the new town was al
lowed To namo itself A natural nit. or
hole. In the rocks ON the summit of "A
neight Or,ng mountain, furnished ma
terial for title. and the town, with
registering indifference, adopted the
suggestion.
The day on which McWnliams adj
mitted Co his inner consciousness thar
he was down on his luck was January
- 1905. 10 was something of com
Tort To him. even In that condition, To
know that fortune had dcigncd TO notice
him. lie had driftei 4 ON that stream
OF men fresh from the trenches Of the
hostile South. aud. In common with his
neighbors, had invested his savings i'm
what was then mere speculation. He
had leased n small tract of land on the
hillside above the town, and started 10
drill for oil. This was in the early sum
mer, or spring, Of is6S. Developments
In the immediate neighborhood were so
uniformly successful that McWilliams
was looked upon as lucky fellow and
future oil prince. From the awakening
Of this sentiment 1 date the beginning
of McWilliams' run Of ill-luck. for at
this time he was shanhefully imposed
upon BY ayoung woman IN Oil City.
The young woman was good enough
in her way, but her way. unfortunately,
was a lrtls ont of the orthodox line.
Personally, snd SO far as any one knew.
she stood without reproach. but her
ideas Of LIE, / grieve to say. were some
what warped. She was anxious (but.
for the sake Of euphemism. let US
say ambitious) to get a husband. I
am inclined 10 the belief that she did
not expect 10 love her husband when
she got him. for she had had time
enough on her hands 70 love two OF
three husbands. II would have been an
easy matter for her 10 get married bad