Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-03-27
HIS GOOD LUCK.


with the New Year. DR.. Mason, the
Oldest man in the room, said:
Il will tell you story worth writing
and printing. l see that il is now the
fashionable thing for men and women
VINO have made a little stir in the world
to tell all about the books which infiu-
enced them and the incidents which
turned them into the highways which
led to fortune or to fame. Well, l am
not famous, thank heaven. but perhaps
the experiences of a man who has es-
caped fame may not be without use to
somebody.
/ have always believed in luck. j
don't attempt 10 justify my belief. l
know that l can't hold my ground In
argument against those who say there
is no such thing. L only know that
believe in it. The superstition was
born in me. There is proverb in the
CastilIan tongue which says: He who
expects good luck Will surely get 1t. ,
1 read that before was II years old,
and at once put faith IN 1t. 1t con-
firmed the hope within me, that the
future held something exceptionally
good for me. Perhaps each one of us
has that feeling, but not everybody
evolves it into d faith and regularly
lives by it L did.
1 had a dreary childhood, a difficult
youth and a struggling early manhood.
That proverb helped me to go through
everything with courage Usually /
hated proverbs. My father had stock
of very disagreeable ones which he
showered upon me at all seasons and
hours. Those who know nothing fear
nothing birds that fly high light low,
and others Of equally discouraging
power were ever on the point of his
tongue. But the proverb that promised
good luck simply because one expected
il was both balm and inspiration to
me.
When playing with other boys and
trouble OF any kind was imminent
always took the most cheerful ground,
and assured them that everything would
turn out all right And 1 was terribly
in earnest, too. L felt that all would
go well somehow. Tine result was that
every one took hope and met difficulty
and danger as his master, not his VIC
tim. The boys soon learned to depend
upon me for strength and encourage.
ment, and they stuck TO me with TO.
mantle devotion. l learned then the
wonderful influence one mind can have
over others when it recognizes no such
thing as fear. Call it superstition,
foolishness, what you Will but my faith
| In that proverb was something marvel
! Gus. l will admit, however, that / am
of a credulous nature. When 1 wa:
young 1 believed every assertion L ever
heard or read. l was not a questionel
or doubter. If a man asserted some
thing 1 believed him because 1 sup
hot ha a1a ha
assert. 1t never occurred to me thai
he might lie. Being honest myself
believed in the honesty of others.
L lived in the country and L longed
to live In the city. My parents wert
well TO do; but it was the custom Of
that locality to live simply and bring
the children up to work. Menta
accomplishments did not take high ranH
in the circle in which 1 moved for the
| first fifteen years of my life. L wanted
a better education than L was evel
likely to get. Somehow fancied thai
L would get il, though could not set
how. The holidays always carry mt
back in memory to some OF the mali
events In my life. / believe that for
| tune has a habit of making eXtraordi
nary changes when the Old Year goe!
out and the new one comes. AT leas
it has done so more than once in ny
case; and that is why now tell thi
story TO you younger people, who natur
| ally think OF new leaves or many kind
in connection with the New Year.
was only 10 years old when on
bitter winter 1 took contract to chui
large quantity of cord wood. 1t wa
one of the few ways boys had in tina
locality OF earning little money. L
seems like a rough way to me now; bu
we did not think SO then. j was up a
5 O'Clock in the morning. and by laC
had my break asst, and was in tn,
woods sending the echo of my stroke
far over the hills. l was working 70
a purpose. The winters choppinl
would give me money enough to star
In a small business upon which L hat
set my heart. 1t was nothing less thar
to buy out a tin shop at The Corners,
the nearest village. In imagination
saw myself store keeper, at once
person Of dignity in the community AM
highly satisfactory to myself. L soaret
even higher than that. j saw mysel
living In fine house, growing elderly
pompous and fat, and IN all probabilit,
president of a bank, like Jud @ John
son, for whom L turned off the slide
walk every time L met HIM at 'Th
Corners as every other youth did
because he was SO Tlch and important
New Years day found me in tn
woods, chopping away as usual. Hoii
days were not observed in that commu
nifty, and festivities were as rare a
angels visits. An extra piece of pl
in u y lunch pail and bit of somethin
unusual for supper were all that marke
the day from all other crisp, col
winter days. But 1 thought of ii
being New Years, and dreamed m
dreams while / made the ak hum. tn
luck 1 expected out OF that winter
J work j could scarcely put In sma
kingdom. While l was dwelling upo
this interesting theme something snap
ped far above my head. there was
crash. some binding flashes of hghi
J and them was nowhere, at least col
scIously.
a heavy Hmb OF an old dead tree hs