The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-28
HIS Run Of TOUCH LUCK
OVERSIGHT OF A MUCH-INsUEIaD
= MAN IN THE HEMLOCA
T. BELT
ONLY OVERLOOKED ONE LINE
Provided Against Fire, lightning,
Hurricanes and Explosions
Now He Wants an Earth
i quake Policy.

New York SIN.
The man sat on a stump at the side
of the road just where the road turns,
little way this side of Geeville in TIE
Henlock Belt" said john Gilbert. the
travelling grOceryman. He stopped me
as 1 drove up.
""Cap'n, said he, if you're one of 'em,
and insure ag'in earthquakes. III take
out a policy. right now
''I didn't understand him, and told him
So
Then you amt one of 'em, and I'm
powerful sorry said the man. was
honin' you was one of EN-, and that your
liIle was earthquakes, cause then me and
you could a-done business right on the
: spot. 1 been hayin' the unmercifullest
run o. tough luck, Cap'n, you ever see or
s heered tell on, and if you was only enc
of EN-. with that perticlGr line. l mout
! stand chance of hagn' things more
my way, after all. Don't s'poSe you
ever had any hard luck, Cap'n.%
II told the man 1 had been up against
! pretty hard lines, more than once
81 You don't know nothin about It.:
said the man on the stump. Let Inc give
you little inklin' of how luck can cut
up. here III the Hemlock Belk, when 1t
gifts ageiu' and you'll forgit all the tough
luck you ever had or keerd on. Some
thin like couple o months ago q man
como along by my place, down yonder iE
again fire. 1 told him that bein's as
was a good orthodox Hardshell BAPTIST
! didn't think I'd need it"
No, no.! says ne. YOU mouse.
Your house is liable to bum, ain't it, even
If you ain't?"
Now the fact was, my house was good
IN, but old and dry as finder, bein made
o. pine. When the weather was cal hot
we use to keep wet carpet on the roof,
and I had no smokin' signs hung up
here and there about the house. 1t had
managed to git it out. So the upshot O.
this feller's talk was that let him in
sure the house again fire; and took
down the no smokin' signs, and told
the folks they needn't bother with the
wet carpets any more. guess maybe it
was the next week when another chap
came along a horseback.
az 'How d do?" says he
g I said how d. do
Il want to insure you ag'in wind"
says he.
q" L asked him if I looked like a Teller
that couldn't stand up ag'in book agent
or patent right seller, and he said
but that amt it, says he Your
mouse. Hurricanes Gales O. wind. Hur-
T1ca could take your house away
and never bring it back, couldn't they"
hurricanes has got way o. drop
pin down, around here, sudden and
strong and, to tell the truth, [ used TO
have my house snubbed with ropes to
three or four pine stumps that stood
herself, and make them ropes squeak
and squeal a-holdin' of her down, when
some O them gales o. wind come sur
gin gin her, [ can tell youl So l let
that chap argue me into insurin the
mouse 6g in wind and 1 cut the guy ropes
Don't seem to me that it was more than
ten days later when another Teller drove
in.
Want to insure you agin Hghtnin'
strikin' YOU" says he.
See here!' says l. IT been Waitin'
nine years for that old aunt o. mine to
leave 1t to my counsin Eli, or to my
uncle Jake, or to my Aunt Hammer, or to
the dominic, or to me. You can't tell
where Hghtnins 5: gOin' to strike, though,
and I'm in a state of mind that won't
let me insure ag in it's strikin' me,
says [.
mo, nor says he. Your house.
Forked lightnin' from the sky has been
known to skitter down and strike houses
pretty nigh as good as this I'm o. your n"
says he.
" AS a matter o. fact, Cap'n, Hghtnin'
had struck that house three times al
ready, and ! was actu'ly pinin' that min
ute Tor 4ghtnln' rod pedler to come
along SOS l could git up a dicker with
him fer runnin' some rods UP on her.
conSequ emily, me and this insurance chan
agreed, and he sOcked a policy on her
agln her bein' struck by lightnin' The
hghtnln rodman came along not more n
an hour later. but o. course 1 didn' t
care to dicker with him then
g The woods must a. been full O. them
insurance fellers just about then, for it
wasn't long before up drove anoth her one
clipper as could he.
I've sort O. come in" says he, ito
insure you 3g' in explosions"
Why says l, I'm a widower, and