The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1911-01-27

had gone so | learned afterward,
was summoned to the house Of Mr..
Van Wybergh, the millionaire, to at
tend member of his family who was
dangerously i'll. The case would have
meant five hundred dollars to me.
And to-day l lost my last five-dollar
gold piece out of hole In my pocket"
We'll, well, let's see," said Brodsky
IF | remember, you fellows at the hos
pital used to be famous poker players
Let's play few rounds" He took a
pack of cards from table drawer and
dealt the hands. l had the king
queen, nine and eight of hearts and
the eight Of spades. / threw away
the spade and drew. Brodsky drew
three.
I had finished in hearts-king
queen, ten, nine and eight. / laid
them upon the table. Then / looked
again and gasped. What l had
thought to be the king was the knave.
| had a straight flush.
That's no symptom of i'll luck"
said the doctor, smiling Suppose
you deal a hand"
This time l dealt myself two pairs.
| threw the odd card away. OF course
full hand rewarded me. Brodsky
had single pair of threes.
We'll, that's the way" l said bitter
ly TITS like the Van Wyberg mat
ter. If we had had money on the
game l shouldn't have drawn any
thing"
That's true" said Brodsky, but if
you will recollect, you thought four
straight flush was a simple flush;
you mistook the knave for the king.
In other words, you are not in a condi-
ton to seize your chance when it
comes to you"
What have l done to deserve this
'streak'?" l cried
MY dear fellow" said the doctor,
there is no such thing as good luck
or bad Everything that happens,
from the fall of kingdom to the stub
bling of ones toe, is the product of in
Vulnerable circumstances. Every event
is the result of some action committed
either in this or in some previous
life; and so the world goes on, intri-
cately interconnected, until the puzzle
picture shall have been put together
and the Karmic law fulfilled.
"The soul is the guardian in each
of us that determines our destiny
In some, it is phenomenally alert to
pick its path clear through the diff
cuities that beset it's charge. In others
it loses for the time this discrim-
mating faculty-and then bad luck
follows. Had your soul been alert,
it would have warned you, by instinct,
for example, not to invest in the stock
market offices until Van Wybergh's
messenger came. 1t would have told
you to put the gold piece in some
other pocket.
But take courage. Every misfor-
tune means that so much the less Ill
luck remains for you. Your luck will
turn"
TITS too late" l answered moodily.
II would rather go through life suffer
ing the normal calamities than have
them heaped upon me like this. Isn't
there any way to change this
'streak'?"
Yes, there is a way" said Brodsky.
You can deceive your soul for awhile,
for the soul is by no means omnipot-
ent. and it is as amenable to sugges-
ton as man in a hypnotic slumber.
For instance, good luck attends the
fiinging of an old shoe after a bridal
pair. Why? Simply because this act,
which Is one that originally symbol
lied the infliction of intense humilia-
ton, suggests misfortune to this
watchful guardian, and automatically
it endeavors to counteract it. So, too,
in the legend of Job, and as in the
Grecian myth of Polycrates and the
ring, good luck brings about a reversal
automatically. Humiliation and alb
lection gave back to Job more success
than he had ever had before. Incl
dentally, have you not seen the gam
bier rise up from the card table and
turn his chair round-an act which
hypnotizes the soul into the belief
that it must bring about some change
in circumstances? "But, though man
can change his fortune. he cannot
permanently affect it. He can draw
upon the bank of success, but after
ward he has to pay back all that he
has taken"
II don't care what happens after
ward" l cried desperately. Give me
two years of happiness and worldly
success; give me back my wife, my
home, my money; then let fate do her
worst to me Can you do that?" I
cried tauntingly.
yes, can" replied the doctor.
but first think we'll what you are
asking. Is your mind resolute?"
at is"
The doctor was looking at me oddly.
His eyes seemed to burn through me,
and felt incapable of averting mine.
Strike that match you are holding"
he said in a low voice.
had taken match to relight my
cigar; obediently lit it and watched
the flame go creeping down the wood.
Come with me-" said the doctor
rising. "You shall have what you