Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1898-08-18
MOST LUCKY Nah.
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marry it. Best returns for the small
est Investment"
"This is a bad season." returned
his friend.
Last hundred thousand just en-
gagged. Not much left-yes, Brand il
deucedly lucky"
Brand was young artist and poet
Of refined tastes and agreeable man
ners, but no money-except what he
earned by his brush and pen-and
that was little enough. He had the
good fortune to meet Miss Virginia
Oldham at a social function. VINO
straightway fell in love with him.
Miss Oldham was heiress to half
million-hence he was the envy Of
his friends when he distanced all
competitors and won her hand.
The silver thread Of intimacy that
had connected our two third-foor-
back rooms in T'hirty-fourth street,
lost its continuity when Brand was
led In golden bonds of wedlock up
Fifth avenue. So for several months
! did not see him.
l heard of him, however, as NOV
ing in a distinguished circle, sur
rounded by every agreeable circum-
stance that beautiful, accomplished
and devoted half million could COM
mand; in short, he was q favorite of
fortune.
Imagine my surprise one evening,
after tap at my chamber door, a
figure entered which | should have
at once recognized as Brands ghost
had he not grasped my hand with
such vigor that | was forced to be-
Ieve it flesh and blood.
johnson" said he, 1--WE come to
you for sympathy"
Sympathy for such a lucky dog?"
I cried in establishment.
There it is again! You, too-every-
body-everywhere l go dining it IN
my ears! it's unendurable!"
Pardon my violence he said after
a pause. "You-happy fellow, have
never been lucky. You, doubtless, do
not know that lucky man is a syno.
nym for miserable wretch"
begged him to explain.
Can a man be happy by becoming
. nobody?"
l thought it doubtful.
Can he enjoy life without friends!"
/ admitted that he could not.
"Can he be otherwise than wretch
ed without love?"
l thought of Arabella and said no."
Then I will relate some Of my ex-
perience.
1.-THE first thing I realized after my
luck was that | had lost my identity,
and have never got any other in its
stead. II any man can dispute my
claim to champion featherweight in
the social arena, | should like to see
him. have no mission. My muse
has deserted me. No longer inspired
by board bills, | cannot paint, I can
not write. would gladly assist in
managing my wife's business affairs,
but am no business man, and she
is. She has even made large sums by
speculation in stocks. OF what use
am / then? | am an appendage! a
household ornament! pet!
Driven to desperation by there re-
Elections one day, thought | would
make myself useful by keeping my
wife's accounts. got possession of
her books in her absence. The first
page was headed, Household ex-
penses for October read, taxes
so much, Servants so much, Horses,
30 much, and so on down the list I'M
til near the bottom | came to 'Hus-
band, two hundred dollars. | dashed
down the book and rushed out to pur-
chase arsenic, but was deferred from
doing so by reading in imagination
the item, Burial of husband SO
much.
AS matter of course, in losing
my Identity, | lost all my old friends.
Smith cut me at once; others by con-
stantly reminding me of my changed
condition, compelled me to cut them.
| might have endured all this had 1
been solaced by love, but what has a
matrimonially fortunate man to do
with love. l love Virginia, it is true
But somehow her half million is an
impassagle barrier between us. She
loves me, and manifests it by the
kindest treatment. One morning.
shortly after our marriage, | was
seated in her boudoir She was re.
gally beautiful in her simple morn
ing dress and I looked into her ewes
and experienced an irrepressible gus
OF tenderness. took her in my arms
telling her of my love, and calling
her enuearlng names.
NShe seemed touched by this spon-
taneous expression Of affection, and
gave me a heavenly smile and kiss
and then presented me with five
hundred dollars! Here he groaned.)
Since then l have been haunted.
have in dreams at night seen vir-
ginia before me, queenly brilliant,
adorable, and when have FASTENED
to embrace her, have found in nv
grasp only bundle of bank bills!
Then throng Of people have sur
rounded me, exclaiming in chorus:
oh, most lucky man!
by day have been the victim Of
strange optical illusions. Instead Of
my wife I have seen a fantastic flp-
ure with real diamonds instead Of
eyes, golden thread for hair, pearls
Tor teeth, and an ample dress com.