The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-29
THE FOOT OF A RABBIT.
a Man Who Carried One for Good
Luck and Had Many Misfortunes.
From the Wash ington Post

| A Man Who Carried One for Good
Luck and Had Many Nisfortunes.
From the Washington Post.
If man ever tells you there is luck in a
rabbits foot. believe him if you want to,
but don't let him, under any circumstances,
| present you with one as a souvenir TO carry
for luck. If he attempts it. be sure it is
because be has a grudge against you, and
desires to get even in a roundabout manner.
There may be good luck in some rabbits
| feet but the particular one which this story
concerns was the quintessence Of misfort-
une, and its pOssessor is a hOilow-eyed
picture of despair, whose every movement
has bsen productive of calamltous results.
Two weeks ago the owner of the charm
was in the best of spirits and on good
terms with himself and the world, and
prospecting. For a week the nightmare of
ill-luck has chung to him with the grasp of
the old man of the sea, and cannot be
shaken off.
He came into the possession of the furry
article which wrecked his happiness in a
somewhat peculiar manner. 1t was pre-
sented to him as an emblem of luck by one
of his friends, and he carefully tucked it
away in a vest pocket. A third friend who
was standing by remarked at the time: IF
| were you | would throw that cursed thing
luck. am usually not superstitious, but
wouldn't carry one for thousand dollars. u
The pessimist was heartily laughed at
for his foolishness, aud ridiculed as q
prophet of bad luck. "Wait, and see," was
his laconlc response to the others badinage.
Had that friend been listened TO and his
advice taken, this story would never have
been written.
1t was Saturday evening when the gift
mi
pened that day. When the possessor of the
talisman went to bed, he began to think of
the words of warning he had listened to,
and it began TO trouble him. lie could net
sleep for a time, and when he finally fell
into fitful doze it was only to see big and
little rabbits feet obstruoting him and bar
ring mis- progress in whatever direction he
turned They seemed to overwhelm him
and crush him down, and when he awoke
with start it was TO hear his wife calling
him to breakfast. He arose, haggard and
worn out. Sleep had been a burden rather
than rest, and in consequence he was
snappish and out of humor
the breakfast was succession of growls.
He grumhled at everything until finally
his wife, who was uuaccustomed to see him
angry, anxiously inquired what was the
matter. He gave her curt reply that sent
the tears to her eyes and her lips to culver
ing, and left for his office without his usual
farewell kiss, something he had never done
before since his marriage
1t was Sunday, and, of course none of
his clerks were at work. He could not
find any of the correspondence he desired,
and this made him more angry. Finally
he thought again of the rabbits foot. at
must be that" he soliloquiZed, "but III
keep it just for spite, and see how far it will
work its SPELL
Coming down the stairs from his office,
he slipped and fell, and badly sprained his
wrist
When he reached home, his wife was sick.
and so the doctor had two patients instead
of one. Sunday night was but a repetition
of the previous one, filled with bad dreams,
and when the morning dawned the posses
sor of the emblem was thoroughly fatigued
in soul and body. He determined to get rid
of the rabbits foot, and when he reached
the street, threw ii on the sidewalk In a
moment he felt like a new man, and his
former buoyancy of spirits returned. But,
alas fate had more misfortunes in store for
him, and he had not proceeded half square
before a colored urchin touched him on the
arm and, holding the fatal rabbits foot to-
ward him, said. II seen you drop it, sir, and
l thought you might want it.
There it was, confronting him like a
nemesis. 1t would have been easy to have
told the boy to keep it, but he did not do
this, and moodily walked down to his office.
The day was a succession of unlucky events.
He did not receive a considerable sum of
money he confidently expected, an i'm
portant case in which he had large con-
tingent fee was decided against him, and
his clerk was taken i'll, so that it became
necessary for his employer TO have to do his
own work, which he managed to get
through at late hour with the assistance
of stenographer and typewriter.
His wife was considerably worse when he
returned home, and he was compelled to
remain up all night with her. The rest of
the week was repetition of the two days
he had passed. When Saturday came he
was careworn, fretful and anxious about
his wife's health, for she was dangerously
i'll, and there were grave fears as TO her re-
covery. His business had gone wrong, and
everything he did seemed to turn out ex-
actiy opposite to what he desired.
Then he determined to get rid of that
Internal rabbits foot Its influence had
undoubtedly contributed great deal to his
noroseness, and he was well nigh ill. Into
the stove he threw the foot and watched it
burn with considerable pleasure. He was
rid of it at last.
Strange to relate, his wife began to i'm
prove He felt on better terms with him
self, and his life returned to its normal
channels. 1t may be that a rabbits foot is
not unlucky, but there is one man in Wash
ington who will never carry one again for
good luck.