Gunnison news-champion., 1916-09-08

-She came back looking frtgnleueo-
have called she said. aud run:
his bell many times. but he docs not
answer
i knew where his sleeying room
was kearny and pushed by her an
weni TO it. put my shoulder against
the thin door and forced II open
In an armchair by great table GOV
cred with maps and books sat Don Ra-
fael with his eyes closed. touched
his hand He had been dead many
hours. On his head above one ear was
wound caused by q heavy blow. II
bad ceased to bleed long before.
Il made the old woman call q mozo
and dispatched him In haste to fetch
Herr Bergowitx
He came. and We stood about as II
We were half stunned by the awful
shock. Thus can the letting Of q few
drops Of blood from one mans veins
drain the life Of q nation.
Presently Herr Bergowitx stopped
and picked up darkish stone the size
OF an orange which he saw under the
table. He examined It closely through
his great glasses with the eye Of sci
ence.
"A fragment said be. of q detonat
ing meteor The most remarkable on:
In twenty years exploded above this
city little after midnight this morn
Ing
The professor looked quickly up at
the ceiling. We saw the blue sky
through a hole the size Of an orange
nearly above Don Rafaer's chair.
Il heard a familiar sound and turned.
Kearny had thrown himself ON the
noor and was babbling his compendium
Of bitter. blood freezing curses against
the star Of his evil luck.
Undoubtedly Phoebe had. been femi.
nine. Even when hurtling on her way
to fiery dissolution and everlasting
doom the last word had been hers"
Captain Malone was not unskilled In
narrative. He knew the point where a
story should end. sat reveling In his
effective conclusion when he aroused
me by continuing:
"Of course" said he. "our schemes
were at an end. There was no one to
TAKE Don Rafaels place. Our little
army melted away like dew before the
sun.
"One day after had returned to
New Orleans related this story to a
friend who holds a professorshIp in
| Tulane university.
ssWhon 7 bsd Nplchoxa ~, 1nrch.d - .
asked whether I had any knowledge
Of Kearny's luck afterward. told
him no; that I had seen him no more.
but that when he left me he had ex.
pressed confidence that his future
would be successful now that bis un.
lucky star had been overthrown.
"'No doubt said the professor. he
ID happier not to know one fact. II
he derives his bad luck from Phoebe.
the ninth satellite of Saturn. that ma.
licious lady il still engaged in over.
looking his career. The star close to
Saturn that he imagined to be her was
near that planet simply by the chance
Of it, orbit. Probably at differen,
6hes he has regarded many othel
stars that happened to be in Saturn'i
neighborhoOd as his evil one. The rea
Phoebe il visible only through q very
good telescope
About year afterward," continued
Captain Malone. II was walking dowI
a street that crossed the Poydras mar
ket An immensely stout, pink faced
lady in black satin crowded me from
the narrow sidewalk with a frown
Behind her trailed little man lader
to the gunwales with bundles and bag
Of goods and vegetables.
ut was Kearny-but changed.
stopped and shook one of his hands
which stu clung to q bag Of garli'
and red peppers
"'H0w is the luck, old companerol
l asked him. had not the heart I,
tell him the truth about his star.
"'Well.' said he. 7 am married. a
you may guess
Francis called the big lady Il
deep tones. are you going to stop Il
the street talking all day?'
~ am coming. Phoebe. dear SAT-
Kearny. fastening utter her"
| Captain Malone ceased again.
after all. do you believe in luck?
I asked
"DO yOu?" answered the captain
with his ambiguous smile shaded b,
the brim of his soft straw hat.