The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-04-15

Noah Rawson tells me he expects
N start in on his new barn to-mor-
row." said Isaac Grose, interrupting
nrotracted discussion of the tariff
question.
what, Friday" exclaimed Uncle
'Bijah Neal, rousing himself from
the doze, or perhaps reverie, in
which he had been indulging.
And why not on Friday?" de-
manded young Abner Harmon, ready
enough to drop the tariff for some
other subject of controversy. 81
hope that you don't hold to the no.
ton that Friday is an unlucky day?"
u haven't said that l did," replied
the old man, meekly.
That's one of those old supersti-
lions that sensible people outgrew
long ago." persisted Abner.
Just what told Mother Gleason
one Friday long before you were
born" said Uncle 'Bijah, his face
lighting up with the glow of remin-
iscence. 81 guess I shall never for
get that particular Friday, and the
kind of luck 1 had," he continued,
with a clearing of the throat that
the company assembled in Lufkin's
store had learned to recognize as the
precursor of some simple tale of by
gone days.
MY wife's mother was visiting lis
at the time. Mother Gleason was an
excellent woman, and sensible in the
main, though suppose she was hard
ly up to Abner's standard, for she
had her superstitions that she held to
like Gospel truth. used to laugh at
her some, but all the time 1 had
balf-feeling that there was something
in her notions. Most of 'em weren't
new to me, anyway, for my aunt that
brought me up was as full of signs
herself as the Old Farmers Almanac.
We'll, one morning my next neigh
Dor brought me a letter from the
postoffice, and come to open it, it
was from the Widow Lincoln over to
Pottertown. She wrote that she was
thinking serious of selling her wood
lot, and if l was a mind to come over
and see her, maybe we could trade.
Il was good deal pleased, for I'd
been trying to dicker with Mis- Lin
coin for that wood-lot for more than
two years; but the widow was indie
pendently rich, for those parts, and
kind of crotchety, and l hadn't
seemed to make any Roadway.
so now 1 made up my mind not
to let any grass grow under my feet;
and l told the women-folks that 1
was going to hitch up and drive down
to Pooduck Centre and draw my
money out of the savings-bank, and
then go over to Pottertown in the
afternoon and see if couldn't close
the trade right up.
But Mother Gleason spoke up,
and she says, I guess you've forgot
ten what day of the week it is, Abb
jah. You wouldn't start in on any,
thing as important as that on a Fri
day says she.
That was kind of a wet blanket
on me at first, for I'd forgotten about
its being Friday; but in less than
jiffy my mind was made up.
That's just what I'm going to
do I says. There's other folks
would like that wood-lot, and I'm not
going to risk losing the best chance
I've ever had to make some money on
account of an old superstition that no
sensible person really believes in
says.
81 didn't mean to hurt Mother
Gleason's feelings, but you see had
to put it pretty strong for the sake
of keeping my own courage up.
Well, says she, terrible solemn,
4 only hope you won't regret it, and
it kinder sounded as if she rather
hoped l would.
However, I harnessed up and
drove down to the Centre and drew
all my money out of the bank. 1t
was along early in the spring and
pretty hard travelling, and coming
back, old black Charlie slipped on
patch of ice and went down on all
tours, barking his knees and break
ing one of the shafts. l patched it
up and got home as best I could, and
1 tried to make light of it to the
women-folks; but when I let on that
l meant to foot it over to Pottertown
that afternoon, Mother Gleason she
warned me again.
You take my advice and give it
up for to-day says she. It's one of
the surest signs of i'll luck even to
dream of a black horse down, let
alone actually seeing one tumble on
a Friday says she.
But l wouldn't hear to her, and
after I'd tended to old Charles
knees and eaten a late dinner, /
started off for Pottertown-- good
six miles.
After I'd gone a piece, I thought
OF a path through the woods that
would cut off quite little of the dis
lance, and then wished had taken
my gun. OF course I wasn't really
afraid to go through the woods with
That money in my pocket, but /
thought that the gun would kind of
be company for me.
So I went back and got it, but l
was most sorry did SO, for it gave
mother Gleason chance to expatiate
on another of her signs. She said 1t
10 aIr 90 f,vr