Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-01-31

lCopyright 1884 by Bachelor, johnson &
Bacheller.l
He got in at Ipswich with seven diff
ferent weekly papers under his arm.
noticed that each one insured its reader
against death or injury by railway &C.
cident. He arranged his luggage upon
the rack above him, took off his hat
and laid it ON the seat beside him,
mopped his bald head with a red silk
handkerchiefand then set towork stead
lily to write his name and address
upon each of the seven papers. | sat
opposite to him and read Punch. al
ways take the cid humor when travel
ing. find it soothing to the nerves.
Passing over the points at Manning
tree the train gave lurch, ancl :.
horseshoe he had carefully placed d
the rack slipped through the nettinR
and fell with musical ring upon his
head.
he appeared neither surprised nor
angry. Having stanchcd the wound
with his handkerchief he stopped and
picked it, up, glanced at it with, as
thought, an expression of reproach and
dropped it gently out of the window.
Did it hurt you?" l asked.
1t was foolish question, told my
self so the moment | had uttered it,
The thing must have weighed three
pounds at the least; it was an excep-
tionally large and heavy shoe. The
bump on his head was swelling visibly
before my eyes. Anyone but en- idiot
must have seen that he was hurt. /
expected an irrita BILE reply. | should
have given one myself had | been in his
place. Instead, however, he seemed to
regard the inquiry as natural and
kindly expression of sympathy.
at did, a little" he replied
What were you doing with it?" I
asked. 1t was an odd sort of thing for
a man to be travelling with.
at was lying in the roadway just
outside the station he explained; 81
picked it up for luck"
He refolded his handkerchief SO as
to bring cooler surface in contact
with the swelling, while / murmured
something genial about the inscrut-
ability of Providence.
Yes" he said; I've had deal of
luck in my time, but it's never turned
out well.
II was born on a Wednesday," he
continued; (which, as l daresay you
know, is the luckiest day man can
be born on. My mother was widow,
and none of my relatives would do
anything for me. They said it would
be like taking Goals to Newcastle help
ing boy born on Wednesday; and
NY uncle, when he died, left every
penny of his money to my brother
lam as slight compensation to him
for having been born on Fiday All
I ever got was advice upon the duties
and responsibilities of wealth, when it
arrived, and cntreaties that I would
not neglect those with claims upon me
when came to be a rich man"
He paused while folding up his va
rious insurance papers and placing
them in the inside breast-pocket of his
coat.
Then there are black cats" he went
IN; they're said to be lucky Why,
SHcIC utNCl was piaNhSA Ssto thoAi Vac
one that followed me into my rooms in
Bolsover street the very first night ]
sook them"
Didn't he bring you luck?' ! in
luired, finding that he had stopped.
A far-away look came into his sad
yes.
"Well, of course it all depends" he
answered, dreamily, maybe we'd
never have suited one another; you
IAN always look at it that way Still.
i'd like to have tried"
He sat staring out of the window,
and for awhile ! did not care to in
.. uue upon mis- evidently painful mem
ories.
"What happened them" I asked
however, at last.
He reused himself from his reverie.
"Oh," he said, nothing extraor-
linary. She had to leave London for a
time and gave me her pet canary to
take charge of while she was away"
but it wasn't your fault" urged.
"No, perhaps not" he agreed; but
it created GOODNESS which others
we're nOt SLOW W udhC Az ahtus5 ~ va
81 offered her the cat, too, he added,
but more to himself than to me.
We sat and smoked in silence. ! felt
that the consultations of stranger
would sound weak.
'Piebald horses are lucky, too" he
observed, knocking the ashes from hi. /
pipe against the window sash. Il had /
one of them once"
What did it do to you?' inquired. |
Lost me the best crib | ever had in /
nv life" was the simple rejoinder.
1.-THE governor stood it good deal I
longer than had any right to expect;
but you can't keep man who is al
ways drunk. 1t gives a firm a bad |
name"
1T would, agreed
"You see he went on, 81 never had I
the head for it. To some men it would |
not have so much inattered; but the /
very first glass was enough to upset /
me. I'd never been used to it.
bat why did you take it?' per-
sisted. 1.-THE horse didp's make you /
drink it. did hep
"Well. it was this wav. he explained.
continuing to rub gently the lump /
which was now about the size of an /