Holbrook argus., 1911-03-28
Such a Thing
as Luck
By NJ. J. PHILLIP S
Copyright. 1911. by Associated Literary Press.)

ana so, WlJlldn AuOlpHuS, Sdlu
Brinkley Aldrich, you're discharged"
You don't mean I'm canned?"
walled William Adolphus MCGUIRE,
otherwise known as "Wad" CAV, say,
Mister Aldrich, give me another
chance"
The lawyer shook his head. No
thing doing. William Adolphus. l
can't bother with you any more.
First, you lost that draft going down
street."
q didn't mean to do it." interrupt
ed the weeping Wsd
And then you struck my mother in
the face with a ball of paper
Il didn't know she was coming;
was showing Snsgs Raymond, the ele-
vator kid, the forward pass"
And now you've banged into Mr..
Collision and knocked him down. The
old gentleman recognized you as my
Office boy, and went away angry. His
business was worth thousand dollars
year to me-
CAV, Mister Aldrich," pleaded Wad;
cant you make 'lowances fer guy
havin' hard luck?"
1t was the wrong thing to say
Since Brinkley Aldrich had graduated
with both scholarship and athletic
honors from college, he had dominat-
ed circumstances. Everything came
out as he planned, because he pos
sessed ability above the ordinary, left
nothing to chance, and was tireless
worker. Luck he regarded as the
excuse of the weak and the indolent
and the stupid.
Hard luck," 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 de
serves the credit, or he alone is to
blame. There are laziness and in
competence and thickheadedness but
hard luck-bahi You know better
! than that!"
William Adolphus did not pursue
the subject further. 81 dunno what
I'll do" he SMILED. 81 can tell the old
lady you gave me two days vacation ;
but if l don't start out to work Mon
day morning, she'll break my back"
Aldrich handed him four silver dol
lars. There's your pay" he observ
ed. I'm sorry for your plight, but you
need a lesson. Maybe a licking from
your mother will drive this pernicious
hard luck idea out of your head
And you'll never be successful till
that happens"
Wad took the money and forgot to
weep. A full weeks pay and two days
vacation were tangible. This being
canned had some advantages, after
all. Say, Mister Aldrich,' he said al
parting, as he jingled the money IL
his pocket, "if you change your mind
send for me, will your
Aldrich promised, with a smile The
earth might stop and begin spinning
backward; the sky might fall They
were possibilities, and it was also pos
sible that he might change his minG
in this matter. But once the evidence
had been gathered, weighed, and a de
cision reached, any of the three
phenomena had an equal chance O
coming to pass.
The young attorney caught an after
noon train for his mothers place
Cornwall-on-the-Lak The roar anC
clash of the city's manifold noises haC
seemed more sharp than ever wheI
he left his Office and walked to the sta
ton. 1t was freezing hard; and there
had been no snow for two weeks. Thar
meant there would be famous skatins
on the lake. His pulses bounded with
pleasurable anticipation.
1t was too early for the homewarC
rush of commuters and the train was
only comfortably filed. 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 hi
was to change to a branch line; tn,
lake was still twenty miles away Al
the train stopped he rose and stretch
ed forth his hand for his bag At tina
precise moment the brakeman opened
the forward door. A cinder sailet
down the aisle, lodged divers and sun
1
| Aldich in the right eye.
1t was a small cinder-not nearl,
so large as the head of a pin. But /
was laden with weighty possibilities
1t was sharp, and 1t cut a bit. jus
enough to become painful Aldricl
sat down, his grip in his lap, and be
gan rubbing the tear-laden and pre-
| testing eve. No use. the cinde
| stuck.
| Other passengers were disembarB
ing. They streamed out the from
door while the incoming ones charge,
on the vacated seats from the rear. A
the conductors warning cry Aldric
got up, still rubbing his eye, and has
ened down the aisle.
On the door 1t occurred to hir
that he had forgotten his overcoat
which would never have haDnene