People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1899-02-03
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A MOST LUCKY MAN.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,


est investment"
'This is a bad season." returned
Bis friend.
''Last hundred thousand just en-
gagged. Not much left-yes, Brand is
deucedly lucky"
Brand was young artist and poet
vf refined tastes and agreeable man.
sers, 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
Btraightway fell in love with him.
Miss Oldham was heiress to half a
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 Thirty-fourth street,
lost its continuity when Brand was
led in golden ponds OF wedlock up
Fifth avenue. So for several months
/ did not see him.
heard of him, however, as NOV
ing in a distinguished circle, sur
rounded by every agreeable circum-
stance that a beautiful, accomplished
and devoted half million could COM
mand; in short, he was favorite of
fortune.
Imagine my surprise one evening,
after a 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 l was forced to be-
keve it flesh and blood.
Johnson" said he, 1--WE come to
you for sympathy"
sympathy for such lucky dog?"
I cried in establishment.
There it is again! You, too-every,
Sody-everywhere l go DINING it IN
nay ears! it's unendurablew
Pardon my violence" he said after
q pause. "You-happy fellow, have
never been lucky. You, doubtless, do
not know that lucky man is a syno-
aym for miserable wretch"
begged him to explain.
Can a man be happy by becoming
. nobody"
thought it doubtful.
Gan ne enjoy life without friends?"
admitted that he could not.
Can he be otherwise than wretch
ID without love-"
thought of Arabella and said mo"
Then | will relate some of nv ex-
Perience.
The first thing I realized after nv
luck was that | had lost my identity,
and | have never got any other in its
stead. If any man can dispute nv
elaim to champion featherweight in
She social arena, | should like to see
ann. l have no mission. Ny muse
mas deserted me. No longer inspired
by board bills, cannot paint, l can
not write. l would gladly assist in
managing my wife's business affairs,
out l am no business man. and she
Is. She has even made large sums by
speculation in stocks. Of what use
am l then? I am an appendage! a
household ornament! pet!
Driven to desperation by there re-
Aectlons one day, I thought l would
make myself useful by keeping nv
wlte's accounts. | got possession of
her books in her absence. The first
page was headed, Household ex-
penses for October ! read, taxes
90 much, Servants so much, Horses
so much, and so on down the list nm
III near the bottom | came to HIS
oand, two hundred dollars. I dashed
down the book and rushed out to pur-
ehase arsenic, but was deferred from
aolng so by reading in imagination
Ae item, Burial of husband, so
much.
AS a matter OF course, in losing
any identity, l lost all my old friends
smith cut me at once; others nv con-
stantly reminding me of my changed
condition, compelled me to cut them.
might have endured all this had I
Been solaced by love, but what has a
narlmonially fortunate man to do
with love. l love Virginia, it is true.
eut somehow her half, million is an
mpassagle barrier between us. She
owes me, and manifests it. by the
nndest treatment. One morning.
shortly after our marriage. WAS
seated in her boudoir. She was re,
saily beautiful in her simple morn
ing dress and / looked into her evas
ana experienced an irrepressible gus
Oh tenderness, | took her in NV arms
eeiiing her of my love, and calling
Aer endearing names.
She seemed touched by this snon.
nneous expression of affection. and
gave me heavenly smile and a kiss
and then presented me with five
hundred dollars! Here he groaned. !
Since then have been haunted
nave in dreams at night seen Yir-
gina before me, eueenly brilliant
adorable, and when have fastened
% embrace her, have found in INV
grasp only bundle of bank billsi
Then a throng of people have sur.
rounded me, exclaiming in chorus.
oh, most lucky mani
BY day have been the victim Of
strange optical illusions. Instead n
my wife have seen a fantastic f;p-
are with real diamonds instead Of
eyes, golden thread for hair, pearls
Tor teeth, and an ample dress com.
posed entirely of crisp bank bills and
displaying a well-filled purse. It IS
she figure of the Half Million-mv