Graham guardian., 1918-08-16
A Freak of Fate
By VICTOR RADCLIFFE
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union.


 "Yes, it's clean sweep. I've lost all l have in the world. There's one ray of sunshine, though"
 And what's that2'
 "I have paid for everything had. don't owe cent"
 My brave optimist, you deserve the very best! If you want to rebuild and start over again I'll finance you to the limit"
 Thank you, Mir. Rogers" said Fey ton, but I'm through experimenting, for time, anyway"
 He was splendid specimen of hu. manity, not yet twenty-five, tall, erect, clear-eyed and Open-faced. He and his wOuld-be patron viewed scene of wide desOlation. For us far as the eye could reach was water, the roaring Miami river, and every estuary swol len beyond its banks and shattered houses and barns and great heaps of wreckage where the valley dipped. A flood, followed by bursting dam, had swept to wreck and ruin half a town and its envirOns.
 It came just as Clyde Peyton had perfected his dream of business felicity. He had his fad. It was chicken rais- ing. He had saved up nearly $3,OO0. A poultry fancier and importer had just introduced into this country rare species of what were called cochin pheasants. They were wonderful lay CTS, they were q sport fowl, they were incomparable broilers. PeytOn bought the entire outfit. Then he had leased a few acres of land and had put up some buildings. The chicken quarters were palatial. There was one large shed so comfortably built that 1t had two sto- ries and held over 400 of the blOoded fowl. This had been bodily wrenched from It's mOOrings and mingled with other wreckage.
 You found no trace of the chicken hOuse? inquired Rogers.
 "Yes, parts of it strewn here and there, and such a body of fowls, even live stock, massed up where the river branches ran that I hadn't the heart to look. Poor things!"
 So Clyde Peyton started out on the road, as of yore, as travelling sales. man. He did not even leave an address behind him. He tried to forget his mis. guided speculation. It was during his vacation month that the old love for animate farm nature came back to him, There was a state fair, and he visited 1t,
 His whole interest was centered one day on poultry annex where full line of cochin pheasants wns oh ex: hibltior. At once PeytDn was in his element. He engaged In conversation With the man in charge of the eollec. tion.
 Peyton turned to proceed on his way, he fnced a bright eyed, handsome young lady who evidently had been ap interested listener to all he had said and showed 1t in her intelligent eyes.
 Peyton strolled around to the same place the next day. He found the OK. hibitOr glad to see him. The young lady was there also.
 They became very well acquainted and it was rapturOus week for Clyde Peyton. Together they went the rounds of the fair again and again. One day Clyde narrated his former business venture and the circum- stances of the flood that had beg gared him. Miss Barnett gave him strange glance that he did not observe. Her breath came quickly. It seemed to Clyde as though she was very indul. gent and cOnsiderate with him after that. His heart beat high whenever he recalled all her little kindnesses. The next day his emotions went down conversation, the exhibitor remarked incidentally:
 "Yes, Miss Barnett is heiress to a very large fortune"
 That settles it," soliloquized Clyde ruefully, alone with himself. "The chances of poor commercial traveller for winning peerless creature like that would be decidedly slim."
 He decided to end his vacation and told the exhibitor so the next day.
 "Mr. Peyton is going away in the morning, Miss Barnett" he told the young lady who owned the poultry col lection. 'I happened to refer to your being wealthy and 1t seemed to displrlt hlm."
 Ina looked conscious and her cheeks reddened.
 "1 must see Mir. Peyton before he goes nway," she spoke, almost anxious. ly. "There he Is coming now. Won't you please leave me in charge here7 have some important business with Mir. Peyton."
 Important indeed, and when dlsclos- cd to Clyde he was staggered. It seemed that over 75 miles from their old home his cochin pheasant had es. capped from their wrecked house. and to the number of over 15O had one morning wandered into John Barnett's chicken farm.
 They had formed the nucleus of the fortune he had left to his daughter. He had sought everywhere, but vainly, to locate their original owner.
 And always" said Ina, father ln- sisted that If ever that owner was dis covered, he could be given an equal share of the business that his brood had built up." So, Clyde was no long. CT poor. He was no longer hopeless, either. It was when he visited the Barnett farm, and with Ina by his side, riamed fha rrnnf hrnnda nf hnnitfifil