Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-07-15
HIS UNLUCKY PLANET.
It Proved to Be a Lucky One
After All.

"Oh, yes, know it's all my own
fault" Charley Cleve said. Whose
else should it be? But Pm disinherited.
all the same. I've no more chance of
coming into that fertile farm land than
than yonder Italian organ-qrinder,
who is turning the crank so persever-
ingly under deaf Squire Homer's back
kitchen window"
'Oh, Charleyr' said Bess, clasping
her hands despairingly together.
II didn't expect much else, went on
MIR. Cleve, in a rollicking, light-hearted
| sort of way. 81 was born under an
unluclxy star, Saturn, or Mars, or one
| of those planets that never bring fell
| low any good. You can't expect a star
to reverse its order on my account, can
youp" ;
but Charley"
Just wait until you hear the full &C.
count of my atrocities. ! wasn't so
much to blame for treading on the cat
anyone might have done that
don't think she laid that up against
me. And when broke down the old
cherryw wood chair that had belonged to
her grandfather-that was n mere
question of weight And 1 mended it
| for her, too. But when the broiled
ham for breakfast had such a queen
taste to it and 1 had to confess that
1 had been smoking up the chimney.
where it hung"
"Oh, CharleyI'
"How was 1 to know that she made
a store-house of the back-room CHM
ney? Folks in Philadelphia don't do
that sort of thing. And she wouldn't
tolerate tobacco in any shape-she leb
me know that, at the very outsetp'
Bcss shook her head mournfully.
You know I told you, Charley -"
she began.
YES, my dear little guardian angel
but l give you my word, I'll contine
| myself to cigarettes for the future, and
| never smoke one within n quarter of a
mile of the house. But listen. The
next thing did was to upset her whole
churning of cream. 1t hung half way
down the we'll, don't you see, and when
I came home, famished with thirst, and
| ierked the bucket down-we1, the
first thing heard was Cousin Sarepta
screaming like mad rs it burglars?'
| said 1, Selling my blackthorn stick,
'or is it fire?' And l had plunged into
the house, and put my foot-literally,
not metaphorically-in the old lady
baking of custard pies, that she had
set on the cellar floor to cool, before
she could make me understand. But
the last straw that broke the camers
back was the old gray goose"
"'The old gray goose Charley
Surely, nothing has happened to
thdtr'
Mr.. Cleve shook his head.
1.-THE very worst has happened" said
he. 1--WE shot it!'
"Oh, CharleyW
The young man laughed bitterly, and
spouted the lines:
"'Why look st thou SOY With my crossbow
shot tho albatross!'
Yes, did. Out wild duck hunting in
the marshes. l thought it was rather
mammoth specimen, when 1 leveled
the trigger; and when Don brought it
to me my heart sank to the very soles
of my boots l had half an idea OF
burying the creature out among the
salt grasses, and saying never a word.
But that would have been sneaking
sort of dodge. The Cleves can dc
plenty of shabby things, but they never
lie outright So 1 brought it home
with the string of wild birds. I'm
very sorry, Cousin Sarepta,' said 1,
| j
place it with the finest pair to be had
in Salt Inlet Replace itP says She
and then, to be sure, there soGS a scene.
She set good deal of store by that old
gray goose, you know"
Eyes, know" said Bessie, resigned
ly. at was nearly twenty years old.
She raised it herself in basket by the
kitchen fire, and it ate corn daily out
| Af ~ hn In haT
taken twenty dollars for that ole
goose. No, nor fifty, do believe"
$50" added Charley, with particu
larly expressive shrug of the shout
ders, 'sshe has turned me out of doors.
She called me a loafer and a shiftless
ne'er-do-weel, and dare say she was
right. Icouldnt contradict her, SO
didn't try. She recommended me to &c
I about my business, so l did. AND
here 1 m. I've telegraphed to Philf
!, delphia for the taxidermist That was
:, all could do Do you suppose, Bess
a your father would take me to board
for eight daysp I've just eight day.
g left of my vacation, and there'll be
such lot of questions asked if
come home in advance of time.
wouldn't advise you to have a word t.
say to me. dare say 1 shall set fir
to the house, or poison the family, o
shoot somebody by mistake. Wha
can be expected of a fellow that wa
born under an un:uclzy planet?"
Bess Warden laughed cheerily.
Father will risk it, am sure" salt
she 1--WE haven't a great deal of spar
room, but mother will make you up
cot bed in the room with the boys, ant
if you can put up with our plain wa.
= of living"
He stopped her mouth with kiss.
You are an angel, Bess!" said he.
The kindly Warden family did thei
best to console old Miss Sarept
Smiths discarded relation and to max
% the last portion of his vacation q trif
pleasanter than the first had been. Blu
DIR. Warden shook his frost-white head
' 81 don't like long engagements" sal
he. "And Bess can't marry q man o.
any twelve dollars a week"
IL I4AA a.