The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1897-02-15
STORIES OF THE DAY.
Some Incidents Illustrating What The
World Calls Luck"

UtUsc utNc uluOC tLS SupCIStltlOuSy tuc
beliefs and the ~bogyboos Of the past ap-
pear curiously humorous to this age.
We laugh at the people who are afraid
of certain numbers and those i'll whom
We observe the touch of the mariner by
their adherence of Friday. We smile
indulgently as we read of the beliefs of
past generations and wonder how people
that appeared in every other way to be
intelligent could have treated such
weird nonsense seriously. Charms and
spells have faded into fables. The
witches have vanished, and with them
their craft. In this age even the oldest
and most disheveled bag fails to do mis-,
chief with her most violent curse.
But in spite Of all the education, dis
coversas of science and thought which
have dispelled the illogical things of an
old civilization there is still a force
which even the most learned mind does
not understand or explain. 1t goes by
many NM To the religious it is 1.-The
workings Of an all wise Providence
Again, it is fate or destiny. But to the
world it is luck.
1t is a curious thing which cannot be
depended upon, for those who trust to
luck seldom have aught but a humdrum,
miserable existence. Its workings are as
uncertain as the lightning. 1t makes a
stroke here and there for good or i'll and
passes~oo, leaving the thoughtful mind
to blink at its mysterious Hastings.
A man works and struggles. He gives
himself no play spells, but in spite of
his constancy to his task he barely lives.
Another man with no more ability be-
cause he happened to turn a certain cor
her or crossed a street succeeded.
Two men once had bachelor apart
ments together. For the same evening
they had two invitations to house par
ties. One man wished to accept one in
vitation, his friend the other. Neither
could induce the other to attend the one
he favored. Each went his way, and on
that evening met for the first time a
woman whom he afterward married.
The marriage of one and his latter life
has been ideal. The other found he had
been mistaken and died by his own
hand within the year. :
A man once stood at a ticket office in
o railway depot. He had just secured
the last lower berth in the sleeping car
and was putting the ticket in his pock-
ct, when a man rushed up and asked for
O lower berth. The agent informed him
that the last one had been sold. "I'll
give s. for a berth" said the man.
The man who had bought the last
one, feeling that he could not make So
3 easier, sold the man his ticket and re-
turned home to wait until morning.
The train vas wrecked, and the man
who paid S. for, the ticket was killed.
A man had been invited to enjoy q
trip on u private sailing yacht. The
hour for the departure of the party was
10 O'Clock in the forenoon. Being late
III finishing up some important bust
ness, ne hired "a cab to take him to the
wharf. He explained that the time was
short, and that the driver Of the cab
must hurry. In consequence the cab
colllded with a street car, and a police
man arrested the driver. The OCCUPANT
Of the cab made every effort to have the
driver released. He offered the officer
SAN anna HIH NGi't tS u AItb tIt |
driver would appear, but all in vain.
He then ran all the way to the wharf,
but the yacht had gone. She was lost,
with all hands on board.
A child who lived with his parents
near IA river, finding the gate Unattached,
toddled off toward the docks. He walked
upon an old wharf and stumbled through
a hole into the water beneath. The oc-
cupants Of a rowboat passing a mement
aftcrward, seeing something which
looked human rise to the surface, reach
cd out a hand and pulled the youngster
into the boat. Had he found the gate
Unmatched 30 seconds sooner he would
have SUM for the last time-30 seconds
later the boat would have passed.
A man walked into a building which
was being raised a story and rebuilt to
watch out of idle curiosity the men at
work. He was smoking a cigar. "A man
who was employed in the building
looked up, and, seeing the man smok-
ing, IT reminded him that he wanted TO
smoke. His pipe was in his coat in a
toolboX on the opposite side of the street.
He dropped his tools, walked out and
had reached the middle of the street
when the building collapsed. The stran-
ger was killed. while the workman,
who at any other momen in eight hours
would have been there to meet the same
fate, stood scarcely 20 feet away, white
to the lips as he realized his escape.
A man once walked into a hotel with
the intention Of looking over the regis
ter to see if a friend, whom he had ex-
pected for months, had no arrived. The
man was starving. He reached the door,
walked half way to the office and stop
ped. he had been there many times be.
fore, and probably imagined that he
was considered an intruder. The friend
for whom he was in search stood at the
Office desk talking to the clerk. He saw
the man approaching and turned to the
clerk TO ask if that was not the man
who had inquired for him. The clerk
nnrn ~" boo