The southern argus., 1891-10-08
VAGARIES or LUCK


I've Little stories That show Few OF
Its Remarkable Phases
For the benefit OF those who believe
In that mysterious factor called luck
and for the consideration OF those VINO
do not. venture 10 set down these two
true little stories, both OF which came
In my own experience, says Herald
writer:
Mr. and Mrs Smith were q brave.
honest couple, with = steadily -increas-
ing family and q steadily
purse. For the first fifteen years OF
their life together they met with mis-
fortune after misfortune, from death 10
robbery. and last April they found
themselves compelled to move out OF
the pleasantest house in which they
had started housekeeping because they
could no longer afford to pay the rent
They went on any number OF house
hunting trips. but found only one house
that pleased them But seventF-nve
dollars per month was its rental and
that was way beyond the figure they
had set Still the cheaper houses
were denominations in their sight and
they kept looking at their choice until
three DAYS before the first OF May. when
the agent informed them that he had
received orders TO let it go at fifty dol
lars per month for year They closed
the bargain at once and moved IN joy
fully. although they could not help con-
trasting their superaunuated furniture
with the hardwood trimmings and
stained glass Of their new home
One week later the owner Of the
house traded it for Long Island eoun-
try place. and it came into the hands of
q Colorado man who was anxious TO
realize on his eastern investment and
get back home He called on his ten
ants few days later and offered to sell
them the house for eight thousand dol
lars cash The house cost twelve thou
sand dollars TO build. and the Smiths
gasped as they thought of the bargain.
but as their cash capital would not buy
more than one chimney they firmly but
respectfully declined the offer
At breakfast the very next morning
the postman came around with a letter
from Mrs Smiths father. asking her TO
sign a petition for settlement of her
mothers estate, over which there had
been a fierce family squabble for ten
years She signed the petition and an
nounced her willingness to bury the
Ratchet. which brought letter from
her brother offering her three thousand
dollars for her share OF the property.
She jumped at the offer. saw the owner
of the house, borrowed fve thousand
dollars on a mortgage, and held the
title deeds Of her residence in short or
der.
Ten DAYS later she received long.
blue envelope. which contained the
news that an aunt in Kansas bad died
and left her ten thousand dollars When
she recovered from the shock she paid off
the mortgage. bought new piano and
lot Of new furniture to match the
hOuse and opened a nice little bank &C
count. Before the month of June ended
Mr.. Smith secured a patent on an in
venti0n on which he had been working
for years. and was taken in as full part
ner in big manufacturing firm as a re-
turn for the sole use of it.
So inside of sixty days this chain of
events raised the Smith family from
genteel poverty to almost afduence.
Mr.. Jones was an industrious jeweler
who possessed CHEEKY wife, musical
daughter and coy home with only
three thousand FIVE hundred dollar
mortgage on il. One day. about three
years ago. peddler came into his store
with a handful Of lottery tickets. and
Mr.. Jones. for the first time in his life,
bought one When the drawing came
around he found he had won five thou
sand dollars, and went nearly delirious
with joy.
lie cleared off the mortgage and
bought a magnificent ebony-cased
grand piano for his daughter. That
night some one left the water running
in the bath tub. and along toward
morning a section of the parlor ceiling.
together with the chandelier, fell on
the new piano and smashed it into a
hopeless wreck Three days later the
house took fire and burned to the
ground. Mr.. Jones insurance policy
had lapsed a short time before. but he
had forgotten in the lottery ticket ex-
element to renew it. So by making
five thousand dollars in the Iuckiest
way possible he lost the house and
furniture it had taken him years of toll
to secure.
The word luck is still looking for a
comprehensive defnition.-N. Y. Her
aid
A Great Help to Him.