St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-01
A STREAK OF LUCK.

the adage." That is what Clinton Weldon's
father said, when his son told him of his
purpose to marry Edna Norris, girl as poor
as himself but with those qualities of person,
mind and heart, that would have made wealth
less enviable if she had possessed it.
If Clinton Weldon had followed his fathers
advice, he would not have been his fathers
Son. He had loved Edna, and he believed
that the fifteen dollars week he was making
as managing clerk in a law office, would be
ample to support himself and his little wife,
till he had an increase of salary, or was ad-
mitted to partnership. When he finally
explained the situation to the girl, she
fastened to agree with him, as she would
have done with anything else he might have
proposed, though Clintons opinions were the
only ones she accepted without question.
And so they were married and went to live
in fiat.
Even after the honeymoon was over the
love and faith in themselves and the future
and an inexplicable belief that their happi-
ness would continue indefinitely, made their
life an ideal one, and even the senior Weldon
began to regard himself as false prophet
Mrs. Weldon was to inherit five thousand
dollars when she was twenty-one, and with
this the young people planned to buy house
and become their own landlord. But months
before the young wife reached her majority
she became mother, adding greatly to the
husbands joy, but increasing his living ex-
penses in way he had not anticipated in the
days of his wooing.
Clinton Weldon gave up tobacco, postponed
buying the suit of clothes he had promised
himself, and in other ways denied himself,
the better to meet the demands of his wife
and baby, not forgetting the nurse
At length he plucked up courage enough to
ask the lawyer in whose office he worked, for
an increase of salary, but instead OF getting
it as he expected, he was told that his SER
vices had been very satisfactory, but that
they would be dispensed with from this time
on as the lawyer wished to give the position
to his nephew
For the first time since his marriage, Gin
ton Weldon went home with heavy heart,
but he bravely tried to hide his trouble from
his wife. There WAS nothing at all new in
this experience, but the experience of others
never avails with ourselves. Poverty is never
ightened by the consciousness that there are
others. quite as poor we are. The craving
of another mans hunger.
Mrs. Weldon had what the nurse called
'sset back and the doctor resumed his daily
visits. Clinton's father was as poor as him.
self, so that there was no hope from that
quarter. Every morning at the same hour
the young man went out to look for work,
and returned without success at the same
time every evening, the better to keep up
the impression that he had been at the
office.
Furnishing the flat, such pleasure at the
time, had prevented his getting any money
ahead, indeed, he had less than five dollars that
he could count on, after he left his place, and
most of this went for medicine. The poorer
the patient the more numerous and expensive
the prescriptions the doctors write out.
Although it was still early spring and the
weather raw Clinton went without an over
coat, he left that and his dress suit with his
s'uncle,'' as security for ten dollars. His
watch, given him by an aunt on his twenty
first birthday, and the little opal pin, pre-
sented him by Edna the week after their
engagement, went to the same accommodate
ing relative, but still he was unable to meet the
next months rent and his landlord was a
terror.
''You amt got no place, and there don't ap-
pear to be no chance of your gettin' one,'
said Hardin, the landlord, when Clinton
brought an excuse instead of the expected
rent. Snow, young man, I'm not in this
business for my health, so if you don't pay
this months rent and the next months ac-
cording to contract at half-past three on the
first day of next month, you must vacate the
fat and I'lLtakS measures to get what you
owe me, that's ALL
Clinton told of the many places he was
promised, but Harding had often heard such
stories before. Seeing the failure of this line
OF argument, the young man spoke of his
wife's property, into the possession of which
she would shortly come when he, Clinton,
would buy house of his own, and he would
thank Mr.. Harding if ne kept his eyes open
for q bargain.
The last argument seemed to surprise the
old real estate man, and as we shall see pres
emily, the information saved Clinton in way
he had never dreamed of.
Time crawls when money is expected; his
wings move with electric quickness when
money has to be paid. The month flew past.
finding the young wife still far from strong,
the baby vigorous and vociferous particularly
at night, the money secured from the pawn
shop exhausted and the chances of getting a
place worse than ever
eff you don't raise money by giving a
chattel mortgage on your belongings said a
young, impecunious legal friend, to whom