The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-10-27
HIS GUN OF TOUGH LUCK.


\ TIC h1l'ItF 49,"
New York Sun.
The man sat on q stump at the side
~ The road. lust where the road turns, a
rtfle way this side m G%ecviilo, In thc
uemlock helt.' said Jnhn Gilbert, the tray
cling croccryman. "IIe stopped me as
drove up.
Cam. said nc, II you'rc one Of en-
aud insure agIn earthquakes. IN take out
d policy right now
II understand him, ard told him 50.
., Then Won amt one Of EN- and I'm
poUorrully sorry said the man. was
hopln' YOU was one Of EN- aud that your
line was earthquakes, cause then me and
YOU could a done business right on the
spot. have been hayjn' The numerelfullest
run o. tough luck, cap'n, you ever see
or hecrd tell on, and II you was only one
Of en- now, with that pertic'lar line, /
mout stand a chance OF hayln' thugs more
my way q little, after all. Don't s'pose you
ever had any hard luck, cap'nY'
81 told the man ] had been up against
pretty hard lines, more than once.
" You don't know nothln' about itr said
the man on the stump. Let me give you
a little luklin' Of how luck can cut up.
here IN the Hemloclt belt, when it gifts
agoin' and you'll forglt all the tough luck
you ever had or heerd on. Somethln' like
a couple o. months ago a man come along
by my place. down yonder Ia Gceville. He
said he was tnsurin' folks agin ire. | told
hlm that beln's as ] was a good orthodox
Baptist, / didn't think ia need IL.
NO, nor says be, Your house.
Your IT, no use + liable to burn amt IT. even
''.Now. the fact was, my house was a
good IA, but old and dry as finder, helm
made o. pine. When the weather was real
roof. and / had $40 smokln" signs hung
NJ here and there about the house. 1t had
been on IRE nine times, but we always
managed to git IT. out. So the upshot o.
the house, aglin IRE; and took down the
No Smokin signs, and told the folks
they needn't bother with the wet carpets
any more. l guess maybe 1t was the next
week when another chap came along a
How'd dor says he.
~ said how'd do.
says he. ~
81 asked hin If / looked ike a feller
that couldn't stand up agin a book agent
or a patent right seller, aud he said no.
+" but that amt it,n says he. '-Yonr
house. hurricanes. Gales o. wind. uur.
ricanes could take your house away aud
never bring Il back, couldn't they r"
ANR hNA "a way uIbnflu
down around here, sudden. and strone.
and, 10 tell the truth, | used to have nv
house snubbed with ropes TO three or four
pine stumps that stood nigh, and I've sgen
her groan and lift herself, and make them
ropes squeak and squeal a-holdln' OF her
down, when SOME o. them gales o. wind
come surgin' ag'ln her. ! can ten yonl
So let that chap argue me into lnsnrin'
The house agin wind and | cut the guy
ropes. Don't seem to me that Il was more
than ten days after when another feller
drove In.
"''want to Insure you agin lightnin'
strlkin' you" says he.
"''See herel" says !. ~ been waItin'
nine years for that old aunt O. mine to
die. and she's worth 5000. She may leave
IL 10 my Cousin Ell, on 10 my Uncle Jake,
OF my Aunt tanner, or 20 the 0minie or
10 me. You cant tell whore llghtnln's go
In to strike, though, and I'm In a Stale
o. mind that won't let me insure ag'in It's
strikIn' me-" says T.
"'"No. nor says he. Your house. Fork
ed ilghtnln' from the sky has been snown
TO skitter down and strike horses pretty
nigh as good as this un o y~oar'n,'' saws he.
d'As n matter o fact. eap'n. 1ghtnln'
had struck that house three tunes already
and ! was actnly pinin' that minute f0r
Il Ightnin' rcd peddier 10 come along sos
/ could get up a dlcker with him for ruD-
MN some reds uD on herr consequently,