The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-19
THEY HAD GREAT LUCK.
STORY TOLD BY A YALE GRADU
ATE RELATIVE TO A TRIO.

Each lad Achieved Marked Degree
of Success in Els Chosen Sphere of
Life-And Al OF Them Had Cot Their
Start Through FortGitous Occur
rences of an Apparently Trivial
Character.
From the Nelo York Eooch.
l CHANGED the other day to run across in
New York three college classmates who had
not all met In ten years. They are still on
the hither side of 10. They naturally ac-
copied my Invitation to dine that evening
at the University club, ami to compare exc
periences. One of those classmates is a
Chicago lawyer, another is a professor in a
New England college, and the third is man
aging editor of a leading New York
jjurDai. When the cigars were brought
on, to the Chicago lawyer was given the
first chance to tell how he had reached his
present success-membership in a firm Of
prominent railroad and corporation attor-
neys.
well. fellows," he began, II think you
will laugh when | say that my start, at any
rate, if not my success, | owe to a key-a
plain ordinary brass key. You know when
Chicago found chance to sit at a desk
and do odd jobs III the Office of Jones g.
Robinson, in which | am now an humble
partner. As luck would have it, that desk
was right under the big key to our private
library, which, owing to the borrowing
Dropensities of our brother lawyers in the
building, we kept locked. Whenever
one of them wanted to borrow a
book that key had to come down, the
door had to be opened and locked after
each visit to the library, and a receipt had
to be filed with the principal office boy
Well, old Judge Jones, who lived out ct
Evanston, when he came down in the morn
ing, always made bee-line for the key ne
FIRST thing, and took the books be wanted
out of the library As he came hack
he would give the kew a chuck into
nv desk, as il | were hiss lave. That
went on for week when my pride revolted
l sail to myself that was not an A. Is. TO
hang up keys after any man. So the next
time Judge Jones did it l threw the KEY
upon the floor and continued with
my work. The judge went into his
office, not saying word TO me. 1t seems
he asked the head clerk who | was, aud was
told that was clever sort of young fellow
just out of college who had knack of max
ing after dinner and other speeches | re-
celved message to go in and see the judge,
which | supposed meant that was to be
bounced. Young mau,' he said, L hear you
have the gift of CAB. have an address to
deliver AZ an agricultural dinner oct in
Evanston Tomorrow. l do not know any
thing about agriculture, and l have not
time to hum up anything. Write me some~
thing to say In great surprise went back
to my desk, dropped my law books and
cudgeled my brains l had the copy ready
for the judge when he went home. AS
he told me efterward, the speech took.
When he got to the end Of it they shouted :
Go on, 60 on But l cau't, gentlemen.
said the judge. This speech was written
for me by young maa in my Office. have
reached the end of it and there must stop
all of which created much fun and was a
great hit Well, to cut long story short,
the judge took fancy to me from that day
on end SO did his daughter, for she is
my wife. | opened the gate of success
with literal key. and a beasty brass one
at that
WELL" said the professor. 81 cannot
match that, aud yet had a queer expert
ence to start with. When / came back
from studying abroad loafed around New
Haven hoping that tutorship would turn
up. But 1t dad not turn. One day | took a
long walk with Prof. N. You re-
member NJ He spent three years
in taking any chance equation which came
into his hand, and seeing if he could drs W
its curve at sight, and declared those three
years to be the happiest of his life That
measures his idea OF happiness and
his love of mathematics Well, as |
said, | took a walk with him. and, as
was his way, he immediately started to dis
cues long mathematical problem. NV
thoughts wandered of as they CHANGED to
when finally heard him say, Which gives
us * thought ought to say something,
and so l replied, Does itp What said
Prof. N, doesn't it give us XP And
then his mind Travelled back, lightnlng-like,
over the track OF the long processes it had
Just tTaversed, and IN an instant he slapped
my back with mingled surprise and delight.
You are right, my friend he exclaimed,
you are right. 1t doesn't give us X. IL
gives US y And my reputation was
made. L had unconsciously aud innoceHtlv
caught the old gentleman in a blunder.
That tutorship was soon forthcoming, and
it led TO the professorship enjoy so much. u
my story is shorter than that of either
Of yours, said the journalist. land vet il
fills and rounds them out. perhaps /
had been a reporter on the New York Orb
only week when, by Some strange chance.
was sent to interview Dom Pedro of Bra
I'll, who was then on visit here. | was
modest and unassuming, being green in the
business, and found favor in his ewes. He
wrote to the ditor-in-chief that he had the
IhOst BehILeIuaulJ young man In america
on his statf'-meaning me. The editor-in-
chief did not know me from the office boy.
but that letter caused him to
look me up. He liked me, aud now | have
the best place on the Orb"
And yet, gentlemen" put in, "you are
all clever men, or your various lucky starts
would have done you no good. AS 90 on
IN life | become more and more convinced
that everybody has chance. only many do
not recognize it when it comes"
We all agreed, as a matter of personal
vanity, at least TO look at it that way.
nHAAr mo-. -AH@&