Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-06-16
WASN'T VERY LUCKY

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was an actor h hls YOUTH He peayea with
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there are . number OF Detrvat foihs now
f1ixing in Washington. who reansuber his
! essays In the realm Of the drama
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MI BauysAs drasaAsae sffssnpts - y
q narrative OF caui.
Mr.. Bsmyea told the story himself at a
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| exceemnsty MINOR roles. WIN me Deefof1
s.ad "a cAanee-ff rcx.d ran II = chance
to 20 cut with q travelling company came
rny WY / was less than twenty years OF
age q tAs time. The travelling company
/ to which / attached rnyseH was 4 Box and
| Coz. sort 81 III outiit ahgut 10 ysnsnre ,ipon
| a TOUR al the correr ss1d lumber country e.
| northern Michiknn. This outflt was carded
% psl.H : ,s tlo nsn and
Ten Nights in Bas Room.' I was prom
| Used some good parts. and when they gave
/ me this promise / was on the Job.
| "When + vent home and told my STEP
1 mother. q very. ioyebie old fady with whom
I'd always rot aaOae NEST Ausieably. that
1 1 was ,g'ying uh-w'y from there she
| looked very serious. was her fayorite
step SON being the youngest and she right
| fully regarded an expedition into the wilds
! of Michigan as a very solemn and danger
Gus matter for 20 young Q chap az II then
| was But I told her that was deter
mined to 10 and she had to give her re-
! luctant consent
! "On the evening before was due to
| start out with the company my stepmother
called me into her room
Son. she said, do you know that you
were born luckyr
1T told the good lady that hoped so. I'd
1 been hustling for q living at pretty good
4 clip since I'd put on long trousers without
| falling into any very startling amount Of
| luck, but, II 1t pleased my good stepmother
1 to imagine that I was born lucky. had no
objection.
| Yes, she sNid, you are bound to ne
| lucky throughout your life. Are you aware
| Of the fact, my son, that you were born
with caulT
Now, / had but the vaguest NOTION at
| membered having heard. as part OF the
/ family Legendary, that I'd come Into the
! world fitted with SUCH an attachment
| IT behave I was, said 1 TO my step
mother. There Is superstition that people
| born with oaals have luck all their ives
isn't there? Don't sailors cherish cauls on
| account OF ehat supefeutaon.
No superstitlon At All, my son-not
| bit OF It. said my efepmotner- III proved
and solemn truth tnat foiks oorn with cauiS
| always have good luck I've watched 1t all
my life ana seen 1t proved
We'll. I'm glad OF that, said l. nope
| fully. Maybe I'll be playing leading parts
inside OF few years, when get Digger
| and more seasoned.
Now, iisten.' said my step-motnef. We
sewn that caul In the inning OF the right
| sleeve of your best coat. You'll always
have luck as long as you carry that caui
with you.. It 10 not necessary that you
wear the coat all the time to have the
| luck. You are only to have 1t among your
| effects. and have sewn 1t in the lining OF
| your best~coat SO that thereil be no posi-
| bility OF your losing It. NOW. you may
know that it is there. but you must never
| look at It. That 10 ono OF the pecuiarlties
of cauls-they are never to De looked at oy
| their possessors II the luck is to continue
! to the last. OF course. you Will have to De
| sober and honest and faithful to yourself
and everybody else IL you are to have the
| luck the caul calls for. but II you behave
| the caul will always help you through
The good old lady's belief In the emcacy
of the caul as a luckmaker was 50 firm
and at the same time. in the circumstance.
| so affecting. that I received her words
with proper soiemnity. Indeed. she almost
succeeded tn convincing me- In way. that
there really might be something In the caui
business. 1t didn't seem reasonable to sup
| pose that an elderly and experienced wo-
man, and rather q clever one. who had
raised two large families OF children. could
and SO when 1 put on that best coat OF
| mine and felt the caul there l WASH near
| iy so skeptical about the caul business as
1 I had thought myself to be when she
| preached the matter to me.
'The next day, wearing that best coat
| with the caul sewed inside. started OF
| with the theatrical company.
| IF I got three full days rations during
| the next two miserable months of slam
| whanEing around bleak northern Michigan
| with that unspeakably bum dramatic or
| ganization. l didn't know 1t at the time.
and I don't know 1t yet. Il passe eggs and
Invalid turnips and carrots were eatabie,
| we might have eked out on those things,
| for we got plenty OF them. tossed at us In
| the most rollicking spirit In the world by
| our hilarious audiences. But we couidn't
see that kind OF eking, hungry as we gen.
orally were and every other day or SO /
| took a fresh one-noteh reef in my surcingle
and wondered when that caul sewed inside
OF the right sleeve of my best coat was
| going to get busy and give me some action.
| But the action never came. The COM
| pany busted, and I walked home from
| Alpena II you don't know where Alpena
| is just take a map of Michigan and find
| out. and then you'll be able to figure out