Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1902-01-10

~ NthN NhHA1 WIN ahaHt uhu Dd-
vid held the long piece, and his sat
isfaction over it was immense
"Well. it worked, didn't IL? We will
keep the pieces, and they win bring
us good luck. have always had
the greatest faith in wishbone
omens"
Yet it was necessary that it should
fail and strike you before you ac-
cepted its dictnm," suggested Neil
A superstitious man is far more
rabid in his beliefs than one of the
opposite sex, just as a man in love
is very much more engrossed by the
tender passion. David Wilson wrapped
the bone of fate in tissue paper
covering and laid it away carefully
among his cherished possessions. Nell
dropped hers into her glove box,
wished the chicken that owned it had
never been born, rated herself for
fool, and sat down to have a good
cry.
Engaged to David Wilsonl why.
I might as well be engaged to father.
And all Ina doing it for is to show
Ransom Hale that / am not breaking
my heart for him, even II he is wear
ing fine new shoulder straps The
mean thing never to write world
Oh, David, you superstitious, good,
old stupid. how will l get you off my
hands? Seven years of acquaintance
ship ought to count for something
Oh, chicken bone, engine of destiny,
how ! hate you'll"
And the next day, when Capt. Hale
called on Nell and asked her to marry
him, she consigned all chicken bone
wishes to perdition, while she made
clean breast of her affair with -Da-
vid And what the captain meant by
holding her in his arms while he
heard her story can easily be guessed.
Then they went into session as a
committee of ways aud means to cir
cumvent the plans of destiny set in
motion by that wishbone
Capt. Hale was in favor of an clone
ment, leaving David out of the race.
but Nell was much too conservative
for that. She preferred strategy, and
a brilliant coupe de grace.
A week later David presented him
self in a state of abiect depression.
I've lost my luck" he said, in Grape
edged tones.
Lost on a business deal" suggest
ed Nell, warily.
mo Lost my wishbOne. / put it
away carefully and now it cannot be
found high or low 1t has disap-
peared as If by magic.
"And you are sure no one was in
your room2"
mo one but my washerwoman, and
! don't know what she wanted there.
But she would have no object in steal
ing n wishbone."
NO, and there would be no magic
in a wishbone that would let itself
be stolen. Oh, David, that is a bad
omen. We must call our engagement
off until you find it, Bad luck will
follow if we persist in disobeying the
omen. We are up against it now"
81 know it, feel it in my bones"
said poor, victimized David, mourn
fully "Nell, dear, do you think it pos
sible that the-cat-ate-it?
mol" Nell was shaking with laugh
ter, which by a desperate effort She
changed into nervous agitation. 81
feel that it may mean warning, and
we must obey, we cannot throw our
selves against an oracle. You see it
was not intended that we should
marry"
The envoy of fate was never found.
as the wicked girl knew right well it
never would be, for by her own
scheme it was abstracted. So cleverly
did she play on the superstitious ma
ture of David that he not only for
gave her for marrying Capt Hale,
but was himself at the wedding as
best man. But every now and then
he goes on still hunt after that lost
wishbone.-Mrs. NJ j. Rayne, in Chi
cago Record-Herald.