Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-09-24
VAGARIES OF LUCK.
Two Little Stories That Show a Few
Its Remarkable Phases

Two 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 who
do not, venture to set down these two
true little stories, both of which came
IN my own experience, says a Herald
writer:
Mr.. and Mrs. Smith were brave.
honest couple, with a steadily-increas-
ing family and a steadily-decreasing
purse. For the first fifteen years of
their life together they met with mis-
fortune after misfortune, from death to
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 Seventy-fiye
dollars per month was it's 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 superannuated 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 coun-
try place, and it came into the hands of
a Colorado man who was anxious to
realize on his eastern investment and
get back home. He called on his ten
ants a 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 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 a 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 five thousand
dollars on a mortgage, and held the
title deeds of her residence in short or
der.
Ten days later she received a long,
blue envelope, which contained the
news that an aunt in Kansas had died
and left her ten thousand dollars When
she recovered from the shock she paid off
the mortgage. bought a new piano and a
lot of new furniture to match the
house and opened a nice little bank ac-
count Before the month of June ended
Mr. Smith secured 4 patent on an in
vention on which he had been working
for years, and was taken in as full part
ner in a big manufacturing firm as 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 affiuence.
Mr. Jones was an industrious jeweler
who possessed a CHEEKY wife, a musical
daughter and a coy home with only a
three thousand five hundred dollar
mortgage on it. One day, about three
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 deliriou
with Joy.
He cleared off the mortgage an'
bought magnificent ebony-caset
grand piano for his daughter. Tha
night some one left the water running
in the bath tub, and along towar'
morning a section of the parlor ceiling
together with the chandelier, fell Oh
the new piano and smashed 1T into
homeless wreck. Three days later tn
house took fire and burned to tn
ground. Mr. Jones insurance polio.
had lapsed a short time before, but h
had forgotten in the lottery ticket eN
element to renew it. SO by making
five thousand dollars in the luckies
way possible he lost the house an
furniture it had taken him years OF tol
to secure.
The word luck is still looking for
commemorative definition.-N. \. Hei
aid.
Specter Photographs.