Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1916-05-24
"she came back looking frightened.

"She came back looking frightened.
az have called she said, and rung
his bell many times, but he does not
answer
81 knew where his sleeping room
was. Kearny and 1 pushed by her and
went to it. I put my shoulder against
the thin door and forced it open.
''In an armchair by a great table Gov
cred with maps and books sat Don Ra.
fael with his eyes closed. I touched
his hand. He had been dead many
hours. On his head above one ear was
a wound caused by heavy blow. 1t
had ceased to bleed long before.
II made the old woman call a mozo
and dispatched him in haste to fetch
Herr Bergowitz.
''He came, and we stood about as if
we were half stunned by the awful
shock. Thus can the letting Of a few
drops of blood from one mans veins
drain the life of nation
presently Herr Bergowttz stopped
and picked up a 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 he, of detonat-
ing meteor. The most remarkable one
in twenty years exploded above this
city little after midnight this morn
ing
'.The professor looked quickly I'D at
the ceiling. We saw the blue sky
through a hole the size Of an orange
nearly above Don Rafae1's chair.
Il heard familiar sound and turned.
Kearny had thrown himself ON the
floor 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 hurting 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:
'tOf course" said be- "our schemes
were at an end. There was no one to
take Don Rafael's place. Our little
army melted away like dew before the
| sun.
Zone day after l had returned to
New Orleans I related this story to a
friend who holds a professorship in
Tulane university.
| "When I had finished he laughed and
asked whether I had any knowledge
| of Kearny's luck afterward. l told
him no; that had seen him no more,
but that when he left me he had ex-
pressed confidence that his future
| would be successful now that his IN
lucky star had been overthrown.
No doubt said the professor, he
is happier not to know one fact. If
he derives his bad luck from Phoebe
the ninth satellite Of Saturn. that ma
| liciOus lady is 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 its orbit. Probably at different
times he has regarded many othel
stars that happened to be in Saturn's
neighbOrhOOd as his evil one. The rea
Phoebe is visible only through a very
good telescope
"About year afterward," continued
Captain Malone, II was walking dow1
a street that crossed the Poydras mar
ket. An immensely stout, pink facet
lady in black satin crowded me from
the narrow sidewalk with a frown
Behind her trailed a little man ladel
to the gunwales with bundles and bag
of goods and vegetables.
''It was Kearny-but changed
stopped and shook one of his hands
which still chung to a bag of garli
and red peppers.
allow is the luck, old companeroi
l asked him. | had not the heart t.
tell him the truth about his star.
"'Well,' said he. I am married, a
you may guess
Francis, called the big lady i
deep tones, are you going to stop i
the street talking all day?'
81 am coming, Phoebe, DEAR sal
Kearny, fastening after her."
Captain Malone ceased again.
"After all, do you believe in luck?
I asked.
"Do your answered the captain
with his ambiguous smile shaded
the brim of his soft straw hat.
"EngIish as She Is Spoke"
Writing in the Autocar, an Englis