The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-01
THE EVENING STORY
Such a Thing as Inck.
(Ry M ]. Phillips. \

10y M z
And SO, William Adolphus,' said
Brinkley Aldrich, you're dis
You don't mean I'm canned ?"
walled William Adolphus Mcguire
otherwise known as .sWad." Jaw.
chance"
The lawyer shook his head moth
ing doing, William Adolphus. II
can't bother with you any more.
street"
Il didn't mean to do it" inter-
rupted the weeping Wad.
And then you struck my mother
In the face with a. ball of pepper
Il didn't know she was coming;
was showing Snags Raymond. the
elevator kid. the forward pass"
And now you've banged into Mr..
Coiiiston and knocked him down. The
old gentleman recognized you as my
office boy, and went away angry. His
business was worth a thousand dollars
year to me-"
law, Mister Aldrich," pleaded wad; |
cant you make 'lowances fer guy
nav1n' hard luck ?''
It was the wrong thing to say. Since
Br1nkley Aldrich had graduated with
both scholarship and athletic honors
from college, he had dominated cir
cumstances. Everything had come out
as he planned, because he possessed
ability above the ordinary, left nothing
TO chance. and was a tire1ess worker.
Luck he regarded as the excuse of
the weak and the indolent and the
stupid.
Hard Iuckl" he snorted now.
Hard luck! There's no such thing
as luck. William Adolphus. A chap
either does things-or he doesn't, He
alone deserves the credit, or he alone
Incompetence and thickheadedness,
but hard luck-bah! You know bet
ter than thatI"
William Adolphus did not pursue
I'll do, he shifted. "I can tell the
old lady you gave me two days vaca-
ton; but if don't start out to work
Monday morning she'll break my
back"
Aldrich handed him four silver dol
lars There's your. pay he OBJ
served. I'm sorry for your plight,
but you need a lesson. Maybe lick
ing from your mother will drive this
pernicious hard luck Idea out of your
till that happens
Wad took the money and forgot to
weep. A full weeks pay and two
days vacation We're tangible. This
after all. Say, Mister Aldrich,' he
said in parting, as he jingled the
money in his pocket, eff you change
your mind, send for me, will you?'
Aldrich promised with a smile.
The earth might stop and begin spin
ming Backward; the sky might fall
They were possibilities, and it was
also possible that he might change his
mind in this matter. But once the
evidence had been gathered, weighed,
and a decision reached any of the
three phenomena had an equal chance
of coming to pass.
The young attorney caught an af-
ternoon train for his mothers place.
(to--,, L. MI =
clash of the city's manifold noises
had seemed more sharp than ever
when he left his Office and walked
to the station. 1t was freezing hard;
and there had been no snow for two
weeks. That meant there would be
famous skating on the lake. His
pulses bounded with pleasure BILE an
ticipation.
It was too early for the homeward
rush of commuters and the train was
only comfortably filled Aldrich Sc
lected seat half way down the day
coach and stretched out his long legs
His bag went into the rack overhead;
his overcoat was disposed over the
back of the seat beside him
A two hours run and Cornwall
Junction came into sight. There he
was to change to branch line; the
lake was still twenty miles away. AS
the train stopped he rose and
stretched forth his hand for his bag
At that precious moment the brake
man opened the forward door. A Gin
der sailed down the aisle. lodged
divers and sundry other passengers,
and struck Aldrich in the right eye.
1t was a small cinder-not nearly
so large as the head of a pin. But it
| was laden with weightv possibilities.
It was sharp. and it cut a bit. just
enough to become painful Aldrich
sat down his grip in his lap. and
began rubbing the tear laden and
protesting eye. No use; the cinder
stuck
| Other passengers were disembark-
ing. They streamed out the front
door while the incoming ones
the rear. At the conductors warning
cry Aldrich got up, still rubbing his
eye, and fastened down. the aisle.
On the door it occurred to him that
he had forgotten his overcoat, which
would never have happened had it
not been for the cinder. He turned
back to get it, He did not know that
his seat had already been pre-empted
by young man who had dropped
suitcase and bag into it and placed
a strikingly pretty young woman be-
side them with the words:
| Keep watch of the truck, sis. while
see if there's a parlor car
Aldrich almost forgot the hurt in
coat and said: 81 beg your par
DON
He got no further The gloved
hands of the girls closed on the
whisking garment. what are you
doing with my brothers coat?" she
asked, coldly.
| But it isn't" replied the surprised
lawyer. TITS mine, please" he added
| as the engine bell tol1ed.
The girl simply frightened her grip.
'T suppose those are yours % indfcat-
ing the bags which had rested against
the coat
mo; 1 have my bag But 1 forgot
/ the coat"
He jerked gently. The train had
started to move.
His antagonist, who was more than
twenty, braced herself and jerked in
turn. Aldrich, caught unaWares,
banged against the metal arm of the
seat. other passengers began to
Inotica the cnnfrnversv The Iaurver