Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1903-11-07
The Luck OF
RIaCkfMd Hdnni9dn

Hannigan was down on his luck.
Blackboards of the right kind were
scarcer and scarcer and the Novem-
Der air had a way of nipping the ears
and nose which wos not pleasant Han
nigan was a wandering painter. He
had once been proficient as de-
spoiler of scenery, as many of the
legends which now adorn the Buck
eye landscape and proclaim the mer-
its of pink pellets and condition pow
ders will testify. Rum had got the
upper hand of Hannigan. His hand
was no longer steady enough to fol-
low the confguration of letters, even
when they were chalked out by stead
Ter fingers, but Hannigan could still
paint blackboards. There was time
when around the walls Of every dis
trict school in southern Ohio there
was painted a dark dado, on which
the pupils worked out their arithme-
teal salvation.
Mr.. Hannigan as he strobe along
the tracks was muttering to himself
about the perversity of fortune. He
had spent nearly his last cent for ma
terial. He had been to three school
houses, and in each he had been con-
fronted with slabs of smoothly pol
tered wall. The agent of a Chicago
school supply company had preceded
Hannigan and had done him much in
jury At the last schoolhouse the
teacher had smiled pityingly when
the decorator talked of the evil which
had come upon him. She had I'M
clasped from a long chain which she
wore a silver mounted rabbits foot
and had insisted upon the astonished
painters accepting it.
Now that Hannigan was alone again
his thoughts went back to the little
schoolhouse, and the more he thought
about the duplicity of the trustees and
the slate blackboards the more angry
he became. He drew from his pocket
the fuzzy fetch which the teacher had
given him and in the half darkness
contemplated it with a look of fine
scorn. Hannigan was walking on the
railroad track with the measured tread
common to the experienced wanderer
who avails himself of that courtesy
of the company known as the "tie
pass
Luck" muttered Hannigan. "Jim
Hannigan walking the track with not
a thing in his pocket but a rabbits
foot has a run of luck, hasn't he?
Where's that fool thing?"
Hannigan took the talisman from
his pocket and threw it on the track.
1t dropped near rail, where the CLINT
from its mounting revealed it's sres-
ence. Hannigan stopped as though
to Pick it up again. Then he recon
sidered.
No" said he; don't want it; won't
have it. Let some fellow find it VINO
wasn't born to be unlucky."
Hannigan heard a shrill whistle and
the rumble of wheels. He stepped
aside in a mechanical way just in
time to evade a train. He stood for
a moment contemplating the two fiery
eyes of red which were diminishing in
front of him. Then he looked around
him
Il was crossing the long trestle, and
I didn't know it" said Hannigan
Now, by gum, that is what 1 call
iuck-crossing the trestle with no
chance in the world to get off it and
spikes on the sides of the track to
make it uncomfortable for US hoboes;
crossing the trestle, by jing! If
had jumped 1 would have been
drowned in twenty feet of water. and
If had stayed they would never have
sawdust cocktails. Jim Hannigan, you
are an ungrateful cuss. That rabbits
foot saved you, and you threw it away
This is where you see a crayon en-
targement of Jim Hannigan going back
to find the only thing which ever
brought him luck"
He went back over the ties, lodging
the spikes, looking for the rabbits
foot. He could see no trace of it, He
glanced up in time to see two bullying
eyes of red which were growing big
ger with every second. James Han
nigan jumped and shrieked The
Cannon BALI was backing down on
him, and he was in the middle of the
trestle. He threw himself on the
track. rolled over, clasped the end of
tie in his arms and swung himself
OFF just as the express whizzed over
his head. Above him was the roar
of the train, and beneath him the
waters of the Hooking were greedily
tapping the wooden piles
Talk about hard luck" muttered
the trembling painter of blackboards.
"Queered for life by a rabbits foot
and schoolmarm's smile'
The trestle was vibrating beneath
the weight of the train. Hannigan.
with his right arm within six inches
of the rail over which were rushing
the wheels of the Cannon Ball." felt
shiver through every nerve of his
body He yelled curses, and the rails
gave back hooking sound He felt
the dull pain of WEAKNESS in his arms.
Twenty feet of water below