Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-12-18

Then Hans slipped the little sack into his
pocket, and set out for the overturned stone
cross where the three roads meet. When he
had come to the place, he looked here and
there, and this way and that, but for long
time he could see nothing at all. At last
after much looking, he beheld little black
beetle running hither and thither on the stone
81 WONDER" said Hans, ''f this can be my
luck ~
So saying, he caught the little beetle be-
twixt his finger and thumb, but very care
fully, for he could not tell whether or no il
might bite him. The beetle stuck to the
stone as though 1t had been glued there, but
at last Hans pulled it away; then-lo it was
not a beetle that he held in his hand, but a
little manikin about as long as tour thumb
and as black as ink Hans Hecklemann was
80 frightened that he nearly dropped it, for It
kicked and screeched and rolled its red eyes
in a very ugly way as he held t. However,
he popped 1t into the little sack and pulled
the strings tight, and there 1t was, safe and
sound.
That is what Hans Hecklemann's luck was
like.
So Hans having his luck secure in the little
sack began to bargain with it. "What will
you do for me If let you out Z" said he.
'Nothing at all, snared his luck.
every well" said Hans, 1--WE will see
abo1t that. "
So he carried il home with him, and threw
sack and all into nasty pot where Catherine
cast the scrapings Of the dishes-the fat and
what not that she boiled down into soap now
and then. There he left his luck to stay UNI
til the next day, and then he went to it again.
''What will you do for me if | will let you
out now Z" said he.
"Nothing at ALL, snarled his luck.
every well, said Hans, 1--WE will see
about that" SO he let him stay where he
was for another day. And so the fiddle play
ed; every day Hans Hecklemann went to
his luck and asked 1t what 1t would give him
if he would let it out, and every day his luck
said nothing and so a week or more passed.
At last Hans's luck gave in.
''See, Hans" it said one morning 'if
you will let me out of this nasty pickle will
give you thousand thalers."
"Ah, no !" said Hans ''Thalers are only
thalers, as my good father used to say. They
melt away like snow, and then nothing is
left of them. will trust no such luck as
that"
81 will give you two thousand thalers, ="
said his luck.
"Ah! no." said Hans; 'two thousand
thalers are only twice one thousand thalers.
l will trust no such luck as that, either !"
''Then what will you take to let me out,
Hans Hecklemanni ~ said his luck.
'Look," said Hans; ''yonder stands my
old plough. Now, if you will give me to
find golden noble at the end of every fur
row that l strike with it | will let you out.
If not-why, then, into the soap you go"
l..
"Done !" said Hans.
Then he opened the mouth Of his sack,
and-puff went his luck, like wind out of a
bag, and-pop! it slipped into his breeches
pocket.
lie never saw it again with his mortal
eyes, but it stayed near to him, | can tell
you. 'Hal ha ha!n it laughed in his
pocket, ''you have made an i'll bargain, Hans,
| can tell you !"
'Never mind, " said Hans, 81 am content
ed"
Hans Heckemann did not tarry long in
trying the new luck Of his old plough, as
you may easily guess. OFF he went like the
wind and borrowed Fritz Friedleburg's old
gray horse. Then he fastened the horse to
the plough and struck the first furrow. When
he had come to the end of it-pop! up shot
il up from the ground with his finger and
thumb. Hans picked it up and looked at it
as though he would swallow it with his eyes
Then he seized the handle of the plough and
struck another furrow-pop up went anoth-
er golden noble, and Hans gathered it as he
had done the other one So he went on all
of that day, striking burrows and gathering
golden mobiles until all of his pockets were as
full as they could hold When it was too
dark to see to plough any more he took Fritz
Friedleburgs horse back home again, and
then he went home himself.
All of his neighbors thought that he was
crazy, for it was nothing but plough, plough,
plough, morning and noon and night, spring
and summer and autumn. Frost and dark
ness alone kept him from his labor. His sta
BILE was full of fine horses, and he worked
them until they dropped in the burrows that
he was always ploughing.
EYES, Hans is crazy" they all said but
when Hans heard them talk in this way he
only winked to himself and went on with
his ploughing, for he felt that he knew this
from that.
But i'll luck danced in his pocket with the
golden mobiles, and from the day that he clos
ed his bargain with it he was an unhappy
man. He had no comfort of living, for it
was nothing but work, work, work. He was
up and away at his ploughing at the first
dawn of day, and he never came home till
night had fallen; so, though he ploughed
golden mobiles, he did not turn up happiness
in the burrows along with them. After he
had eaten his supper he would sit silently be-
hind the stove, warming his fingers and
thinking of some quicker way of doing his
ploughing. For ii seemed to him that the
gold pieces came in very slowly, and he
blamed himself that he had not asked his
luck to let him turn up three at time instead
of only one at the end of each furrow; so he
had no comfort in his gathering wealth. AS
day followed day he grew thin and haggard
and worn, but seven boxes of bright new
gold pieces lay hidden in the cellar, of which
nobody knew but himself. He told no one
how rich he was growing, and all of his
neighbors wondered why he did not starve to
death.
So you see the i'll luck in his brooches pock-
ct had the best of the bargain after all.
After Hans had gone the way of all men,
his heirs found the chests full of gold in the
cellar, and Herewith they bought fat lands,
and became nOblemen and gentlemen; but
that made Hans's luck none the better.
From all this l gather;
That few folks can turn i'll luck into good
luck.
That the best thing for one to do is to let
well enough alone.
That one cannot get happiness as one does
cabbages-with money.
That happiness is the only good luck after
all
AT hotel girl inquired of a gentleman at
the table II his cup was out. ''No,n said he