Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1911-07-18
''BUCKING AGAINST FATE"
An Ger True Tale.
BY H. WETTSTEIN.
PART II.

After | had recovered my~1nental
equipoise somewhat ventured back
into the store to recOnnolter to see
if the coast was clear. 1t was. The
destroyer of my whole weeks trade
(according to Hebrew tradition) and
of my consequent peace and happi-
ness had departed, leaving her cross
on the showcase for repairs. | was
master of the situation" - Al
LEAST FOR THE TINE BEING.
1t is said that great events cast
their shadows before" hence nc
wonder that in my sadly perturbed
state of mind | should see in the
great event of that morning shad-
ow that might result in some calam-
ity before the week was out. In
fact | was on the tip toe of eXpec-
tation" that whole Monday for some
catastrophe that might befall me at
any moment. But trade kept on in
the even tenor of its way until about
7 o'clock in the evening after my
clerks and apprentice had departed
leaving me alone, when a rather
rough looking stranger entered who
asked me if | could clean his watch
in time for the $50 train. | told
him | could if nothing untoWard
happened. So | straightWay went
to work, the owner leaving, saying
he would be back at the appointed
time. Now whether from nervous
ness caused by the incident of the
morning and its lugubriouS augury
or some inattention to my work,
dropped the escape-Wheel, one OF
the most delicate parts Of the watch
Now the first thing a jeWeler gen
orally does in such cases is to place
his feet on the rounds of his stool to
keep from stepping On the article
and with a whisk-broOm kept handy
for that purpose he proceeds to
sweep everything that lays around
him on the floor into a little pile
wherein the article is generally
found. While in this position he
dares neither to put a foot on the
floor, nor allow any one to approach
him. Nor is he over-anXious fol
customers about that time In fact
he wants to be left severely alone
until the lost piece is found.
While | was in this predicament
with my feet squatted on the rounds
of the stool in anything but a grace
full or romantic attitude, with no part
of the floor brushed up yet wherein
/ could stand with safety, whC
should rush in with the impetuosity
of cyclone or tornado but the one
eyed beldame of the morning de-
manding her cross right off as her
folks were waiting for her in the
wagon ready to start for home Here
| was in a nice dilemma as | could
not see the cross anywhere within
my reach, and to get off my stool to
hunt for it dared not owing to that
unlucky escape-wheel which | might
smash into smithereens.
Then all at once the situation
flashed upon me in all its horrors.
The prognostication of the morning
was about to be fulfilled in the first
calamity of the week with many
more to follow-PERHAPs. A super
Stitious fear seized me and paralyz-
ed all my energies. Until that mo-
ment nothing had occurred to dis
turb the serenity of the day, and
had already began to breathe
easier, fondly hoping that the first
day of the week would at least pass
without at incident denoting the full
fillment of the evil augury. But
now, ineXorable Fate seemed to
have decreed otherwise, for here
was perched on my stool with no
alternative but to either crush that
wheel in my search for the cross. or
to incur the wrath of that irascible