Evening journal., 1912-10-01
The
Power Of Luck
By BENJAMIN BERKHALTER

"Can you direct me to the works of
the Loon Gulch Gold Mining com
panyY' l asked of ragged man, at
the same time drawing rein to receive
his reply.
Fright around the speer of the
mountain; take the right hand road
after crossin' the creek. You can't
miss It. It's the only lot o, buildin's
there is around there. Fine property.
sir"
$50 have been told. I have also
heard that it was built up on strik
ing piece Of luck"
"You bet; the goldanedest luck that
ever happened to a prospector."
"What was it,"
"Why Hawley. he come out yere
matter Of fifteen year ago. fur to see
If he couldn't make a FORUM by a
short road. I been tryin' to do that
myself ever since / was TWENTY-FIVE
year old. and just look at me-my
clothes in tatters and nothin' in my
stomick Where one man strikes
payin' dirt thousands spend their lives
workin fur nothin' Ten year ago if
you'd "a seen Hawley you'd "a seen a
man list about like me. He was wan
derin' aboU' we're with a pick and
shovel on his shoulder, ragged, nothin
IN his stomick and nothin' In his
pocket
I'm wrong there; he had ten pounds
o. bastin' powder. and that was ali
the property he had In the world ex-
cept his pick and shovel. He had a
pair o. shoes on his feet. but there
want no soles on EN-. I'm wrong
ag'in about his property. He had one
thing more, and that was a magni-
fyin' glass he used to examine quart
with to see II there was any gold in e
Zone day he was walkin' around over
there where be. could see up the gulch
He'd been to Antelope. where the post
Office was then. and had got a letter
from his wife in the east sayin' she'd
been turned out O. the house she'd been
Twin in. the children was sick for want
o proper food and the bottom had
dropped out o. everything. Hawley was
clean discouraged. He thought he'd
find a place so hidden that he'd never
be found ard would kin himself. He
hadn't nothIn' to kill himself with ex-
cept the blagtin' powder. and he hadn't
the good luck 10 have any matches with
him OF any other means O. settin It off.
''He walked up the gulch a ways or
rather staggered up it, for he was weak
-
He left the road by a path and. cemin'
to the end of the path. walked on no
where. Comm to a lonely place among,
some trees and bushes, he sat down
and tried TO think Of a way to set of
his blastin powder. Purity soon he
struck an idea He hung his msgnif.
In glass on a twig and put the powder
on the ground so that the focus OF the
suns rays would strike 1t.
"But he didn't want to know fist
when he was agoin to be blown TO
atoms. so he moved the powder a few
inches, keepin' it in the course the To-
cused sun spot would take, SOS Il
would pass over the powder after
awhile. This would leastways give him
time to say his pra'rs.
"When he'd got it fixed SOS the sun
spot was sure to strike It he lay down
few yards away with his back TO the
powder and waited. It warn't cheer
full condition, was it,"
IT should think not" I replied
II dunno how long Hawley waited.
never hearn. But bimeby there was
a big explosion. Hawley didn't know
for awhile whether he had been killed
or not, he was so stunned. But he
wasn't even hurried. The force O. the
explosion was all upwards.
IT dunno II be was disappointed OF
not. | never heered that nuther. But
he rolled over and looked into g hole In
the ground made by the explosion. 1t
was Jest ike a prospector TO look to
see what was in the hole instead o.
thinzin' where he might "a been If his
irwin 10 Kill hisself hadn't failed. Then
he looked for his msgnifytn' glass.
He remembered hearin' somepin drop
list after the explosion and, gitttn' up,
went where he'd heered the sound.
The glass was layin' near by on the
ground. He TUX it up and. gittin' down
on his stomick. looked through It into
the hole. Then be picked up piece o.
quartz and examined that Then he
got up and danced all around by his
self like a crazy man.
''Diggin' out some pieces o. quartz
from the hole. be tux 'em TO Antelope,
- a, aceouar ord had