The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-10-16
HE FOUND A FORTUNE
A YOUNG MANS GOOD LUCK AFTER
YEARS OF MISFORTUNE.

for Successive Seasons, Then Various
Members of His FamiIy-Father Dies on
the Day of the Sons Great Luck.
"People may declare their disbelief in
luck as frequently as they like, but for
all that, luck is the most potent factor
in shaping the success or non-success of
a man." said citizen of Detroit who
had been sojourning in Escanaba for
several days.
81 was born in Pennsylvania village,
and came west with my parents when
was a lad. We located on farm in the
lower peninsula of Michigan, and from
that hour on bad luck seemed to dog my
father in whatever he undertook to do.
when he left Pennsylvania he had
$4,000. He put $4,000 of this in bank
and invested the other $4,000 in farm.
The bank broke. Then drought came
and ruined his crop His house took
fire and was burned with all its con-
tents, and we were left homeless on the
verge of winter.
"Father succeeded in mortgaging the
farm, and then suddenly my mother
died, and a few days later my sister fol-
lowed her into the unknown.
CONTINUAL HARD LUCK.
1.-THE following year my father had a
medium crop, and after he had sold it
and paid the interest on the mortgage
he had just enough left to carry us
through the winter. He had lost conf
dence in banks. so he kept his money
hidden in the house. One night we had
a visit from burglars. who took every
cent he had in the world.
"He was compelled to clap a second
mortgage on the farm, but his crop
failed and we hadn't penny to tide us
over until the following spring.
"One day that will never forget l
started out hunting, and had to bor-
row gun, for | had sold my own to
provide us with bread. Game proved
very scarce, and my aim very poor.
1t was nearly night, and l hadn't
even bird to show for my long tramp
through the woods, so struck out for
home. Just as leaped the fence that
let me into our farm again | saw a
squirrel scurrying up the dead trunk of
an old tree. popped away at the little
fellow, missed him, and then started
back with a cry of surprise.
"My bullet had hit the tree, and just
where it had struck | saw something
that shone like fire in the last rays of the
setting sun. Running to it, whipped
out my knife and began cutting into the
hollow trunk of the tree. Suddenly
handful after handful of gold pieces be-
gan to run out Of the hole upon the
brown sod at my feet.
II began to count. The sum ran up
into hundreds-into thousands-and l
fairly screamed for joy.
WEALTH AND DEATH.
mo more poverty for us! No more
living on crustsl No more dressing in
ragsl
II filed my pockets as full as they
would hold. buried the balance of the
coin and tore for home.
Opening the door ran in. Father
lay on the Observation-Disclosures with
apoplexy. He was the last near relative
had in the world.
81 told no one of the treasure | had
found, and after the funeral of my ia
Their went to Detroit and placed it in
a bank. went to college at Ann Arbor
until | graduated; then embarked in
business, and my luck has been as good
as that of my father was bad"
This story demonstrates that the opti-
mists are wrong when they utter the fool
declaration that "This world is what we
make it," 1t is not what we make it,
by any manner of means.
In the case Of the father who figures
in this romance of real life, he certainly
tried his best to make his family and
himself comfortable, happy, successful,
but he failed-not through any fault of
his own, but failed through the infamy
of bank officials; through a drought that
destroyed his crop; through the burning
of his home; through burglars; through
the death of his wife and daughter;
through other agencies over which he
had no possible control, and, to finish up
his bad luck, he was stricken dead on
the very day that his son found fort
une.
On the other hand, it was simply a
stroke Of good luck that led the son to
the particular tree that held the gold,
and all the circumstances of his find
were the merest accidents of Fortune
Escanaha Mirror