The Sneedville news. (Sneedville, Tenn.) 191?-19??, 1918-10-18
Lachesis
\ o0
By r. RAY BAKER

Things happen just by accident
sometimes. But does the accident hap
pen by accident? Not while Lachesis
Is holding down that destiny Job or
Mount Olympus.
Lachesis, you know. Is one Of the
three Moerae who NEEDLE in the af.
fairs of mortals from the time they
are born until they pass Into other
realms. Three Moerae. or Fates, have
a room all to themselves In the big of.
fee building of the gods, and they run
things with high hand.
One would think that, In these days
Of progress, Clotho would get some
thing to take the place of that old
spinning wheel on which she spins
the thread of life, and that Atr0pos
could find an instrument less unwieldy
than that long pair Of duh shears
she has been using to cut the thread
when she decides It's long enough.
However, they seem to have got along
so far without modern improvements
ind they ought to know their business
by this time.
Anyhow, this story concerns Lach-
esis, who works without instruments.
She simply stands near the spinning
wheel and dabs veal and woe on that
thread and twists 1t about her fingers
and ties knots In 1t, to suit her own
pleasure. 1t has been said that Clotho
and Lachesis and Atropos are old and
ugly. or course, as mortals reckon,
these fates are old; but years don't
count on Olympus. And as to ugliness
well, I'm willing to allow that
AtrOpos has a hiieOus face, and it's
possible Clotho is not beautiful, be-
cause her back must be lame and her
eyes faded and her forehead wrinkled
from bending over the spinning wheel;
but Lachesls-there's no reason why
she should be ugly. because her job
furnishes lots of variety. Moreover,
she's one Of the heroines In this story,
so she has just got to be beautiful.
The hero is Jack Watson. a mere
mortal who defied Lachesis. She had
decided, soon after Clotho began to
spin the thread. that he should be mar
ried before he became twenty-eight
years old, and she had picked for his
bride n girl named Esther Richards.
They were born In the same little town
in Ohio and had one of those school
kid" romances; and then. when Jack
was only eleven and Esther eight, It
ended.
Jack moved with his parents to Co
lumbus where they resided three y.ars.
Jack and Esther wrote occasionally, as
sometimes carry on corre-
spondence. but they were too young to
about affinities and such |
things. and gradually they forgot about |
each other.
When Jack was fifteen his mother |
died and he moved with his father to |
New York. The boy obtained job as
office boy with broker and held It
two years. Then he was promoted,
md about that time pneumonia claimed
Mr.. Watson.
When Esther was ten she went with
her parents to Vancouver. British Co
umbia. and there they remained until
The was twenty-five.
I.achesis stood In the workroom of
he Moerae one day. holding Jack Wat
IONS thread of life In one hand and
esther Richards in the other. my,
low far apart they have drifted." she
This will never do. /
ave decided differently"
Jack was leaning back I'm his swivel
hair with his feet on his desk, in his
Australia. Was he thinking about
esther? Decidedly not. His mind was
ull OF business. of how to travel still
nrther on the path OF prosperity,
Which he already had found.
Esther was reclining on n lounge In
or home In Vancouver, reading a Red
ross magazine. Did Jack hold any
lace in her thoughts3 No. not even a
mall corner. They had forgotten about
ach other. as have said.
That evening Jack went TO the Mel
ourne Business club for dinner with
hree other prosperous young business
len. all OF them married. When the
zeal was finished the conversation
lrned to matrimony.
"Ilow comes IL you never got mar
led. Jackf" asked George Clifford rs
q passed cigars. You're old enough
nd have enough coin TO make some
irl comfortable and happy"
Jack laughed as he lighted the weed.
Not me-" he said az he pulled plac-
lily. I'll never ret married. I'm go
" TO be- n hermit. DO you know. fell :
,ws. it's n fact that I've never been
iteresicd n hit in the fair sex1 rR !,
n for business. I'm sincerely opposed
, marriage-for myself, at least"
Clifford. who vas FIVE years older.
,oked over the rims Of his glasses
it'll a slight grlmace and inquired:
Don't you believe In lover Don't
ou believe that every one was made !,
VI some oheT-
Another laugh. this time louder and
niger. from Jack.
Il should say not!- he retorted.
no such thing NJ love. Mar
age Is y matter 81 business. When a