The Republican., 1899-09-28
WILL GIVE LUCK A CHANCE.
A Man who Tried Hard work with
wells and Lightning Rods
and WindmilIs.


81 used to think that hard work
counted for more than luck" said the
man who had a thrown-down appear
ance, but after bucking against the
idea for ten years I've had to give up.
I'm out of a job and dead broke, but I'm
going to walk around on my uppers and
see what luck will do for me.
Il went into drive wells few years
ago. he continued, as he jingled three
or four cents in his palm. bought the
right for four counties in Kansas and
could see $4,000 profits year. Put in
my last dollar Sld started out to drive.
In driving a well for farmer you may
calculate on hitting water within 80
feet. That's what you base on when
you figure on the job. a farmer won't
pay by the foot. It's so much for well
yielding all the water he wants. put
down SO feet of my first well and only
struck dust. l went down 60 feet and
could smell little dampness. The pipe
was down Il full hundred feet before we
got water. put down IA wells and was
teetotally busted. had picked out the
counties myself, but they were the
dryest in the state. | drove $40 feet of
pipe for the last without getting any
water.
'Then | turned to lightning rods. [
got an agencS and an outfit and started
out to do the farmers of Illinois. Say,
you may not believe me, but out of ten
barns which | protected in one town
| ship eight were struck by lightning
| during one storm. The farmers got
after me in a mob, and, besides having
my leg broken and my nose knocked
out of plumb, | was hauled into court
and broken up in business.
'As soon as | could limp around again
| got the agency of windmill for part
of Indiana. The only one put up was
for an old farmer who wanted it to drive
a saw for cutting wood. | had TO war
rant so much power, you see, and he
had his saw ready as soon as the wind
mill was up. All the time we were put
ting up the mill it blew gale, but no
! sooner had we finished than the gale
| dropped to zephyr. Say, now, well for
| IS straight days there wasn't wind
enough to rutfie a duck pond, and the
farmer declared my mill fraud and
made me take it down.
after I'd been out of a job for year
an old uncle started me in the chicken
business. Ever figure on it? Bless
your heart, but the man who cant fig
ure out clear profit of 50 900 a year
has no business to live. There are so
many hens, so many eggs, so many
chickens. Easiest thing in the world to
figure on, especially where an incu-
bator goes with it. | leased five acres
of ground, got an incubator and 200
hens. and for a few days | had my hat
on my ear. Did you ever hear of the
chicken disease called pip? Well, it
broke out among my hens, and they
went pip! pop! till the last one turned
up her toes. l didn't get two dozen
| eggs out of the whole lot. Then | fell
back on my incubator to hatch and
grow a new lot. Hatched out $50 little
chicks, and then-please excuse my
emotions. One day that incubator blew
up with bang and scattered my hen
farm all over the county and laid me up
in bed for three months.
Il have been offered patent churn,
a washing machine and a hay fork
agency, but have respectfully declined
No more hard work for me. I'm walk
ing around looking for lost pocketbooks
and big rewards. and | count on luck to
uncover gold mine or notify me of a
legacy. N. Y. Sun.