The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-01-19
a Victi11l of Luck.
BY WYMOND ADDERLK

Aunt Maria Is Is = dsvoat : woirshipper a
| ING shrlne OF the Goddess Luck. lfnagint
| nine, Aff
Aunt Maria is fat, fair and 50. with q
| Weil-endowed purse and eccentric; tn
| the bosoms OF her relatives, particularly
| as she y q widow and childlcss.
r, 1me day last month when funds were t,,,
of importunatc people who expect to have
ahe vIsit BUS u paid thossht Tint perhlan,
ence 70 the expenses of the the season season might
reap lts due reward. j fiattcred myself
! was her fayorte nephew. and 30 In my
myself on her doorstep one morning aud
INQUIRED of John Thonnas II Mrs smith
BToWll-Jones was at home.
ried name is Smith, but az we have I'LL
has b ASS! superasdded her maiden name u
plete her mothers maiden name.
Aunt Maria was busting down the stairs
why, Arthur, this is luck she ex-
claimed, y am Just Eoing of 10 do u
days shopping. hate shopping alone
and shall be so glad 10 have You witt,
1 feIgned n delight was very far from
feeling. and meekly followed my respected
relative down the steps,
AS We bowled round the corner Aunt
Maria turned to me with a faco OF dis.
may .a,.;,ara :. ,.,.... ,,-u,,,,u -. 49,. !,
she said: well am an Idiot.
did not, of course. contradict her, but
merely suggested we could easily. return,
and seized the check string to call James
attention, but my aunt grasped my hand
firmly and said:
couldn't possibly turn back Arthur;
your"
! 1 pulled out neatly all IN, my worldly az,
~
l Ing j. nd hSS i: We'll. You have your
NO said, hurricdly. Ter never
oh, well, it doesn't matter; can
where / deal. I'll send YOU a check TO- To-.
morrow for this; at least not tomorrow,
OF course, that's Friday. and Il possible
never write IL check on Friday, II is
such an mnlucky day. You shall have 1t
Saturday"
d1v {"s a i would Sdn be much annssier
resolved TO stick to Aunt Maria til / saw
her safely inside her door again when
should have a chance of getting my
money.
We proceeded comfortably for some dis
tance when the carriage was blocked a
little. In an evil moment my .aunt.s eagle
eyes glancing out of the window deserted
a horseshoe OF huge size just dropped by
some passing gray horse.
oh Arthur" she exlained. In tones OF
ttStuNyt illuSt IliNt lUdI lovely uOESc-
shoe. You can easily slip out while we're
blocked and pick II up for me-.
reluctantly opened the carriage door
and descended into the mud.
OF course tho moment l left the car
riage the block broke up and was en-
quilted in q roaring tide OF destruction.
Bus drivers swore at me, rubber-tires
spattered me from head 10 toe. and as /
graSped the .iuck -bringer,s rufftan who
was also. making for 1t snntched IT from
my clutch.
felt quite ashamed of myself as /
gained the carriage, with James ana
Thompson grinning and with the pristine
beauties of my garments sadly dlmmed-
Aunt Maria never glanced at my dis
heveled appearance.
Where Is the horseshoe. Arthur" she
say that you havn't got 1t when l parti-
cularly asked you to-.
II am sorry" 1 said sulkily Il sup
posed you would not wish me TO steal II,
that would hardly be lucky"
well, l don't know said Aunt Maria,
stolen coal is one OF the
luckicst things. always make point
one else's scuttel and carrying It about
with me. ! shouldn't wonder II a stolen
horseshoe might not be the fuckiest of all.
Ii was really most tlresome of you not to
bring H. should probabl have had the
most unprecedented luck
At Twenty-thlrd Street we got out and
sent the carriage home.
Walking down Broadway, my relatives