The Raymer enterprise., 1919-10-30
JOHNS LUCK
BY JAMES 6. JOHNSON


10 hurry. Still he almost Invariably
seemed to be lucky. He was large
boy. or rather bis face gave the I'm.
preston Of largeness; Just as his
waistcoat does now. In those days he
had pendulous cheeks and his legs
buised al the line Of his shoe tops. SO
that the other boys called him
Fatty"
When he went on an errand he
never hurried himself about 1t, of
course, but his luck had given him
lndulgent parents. SO that instead Of
giving him the licking most boys would
have got. they gradually refrained
from sending him unless they were
In no hurry themselves. II goes with
out saying that he was never In a
hurry to get up In the morning There
was one Fourth Of July that he did
get up at four O'Clock. but he was so
leisurely about his dressing that the
other fellows went of to fire their
cannon without him. John arrived on
the scene just In time to 60 back and
tell his people about the accident. He
vas the only one Of the SIX who was
not hurt.
Another time he went out with
crew OF young reprobates to loot the
orchard of particularly cross, grained
farmer. He was up In the tree when
The alarm was given. but he calcu.
lated that there would be time to Sc.
cure few more apples before the
farmer arrived.
Get move on you. Fatty" sung
out fellow criminal below. LIES
a-startin' to rum"
Jaw What's the hurry7" said John,
reaching for an outlying limb There
was no reply TO the question. for the
boy had fed The farmer saw them
stringing out 10 the direction of The
fence, overlook and cornered them
From his perch In the apple tree John
witnessed those unfortunates come.
one by one. beneath the horny palm Of
the farmer, and saw them hoIstcd IN.
tremendously over the fence. AS their
howls died AWAY In the distance, John
quietly descended and made off the
other way.
John got through school somehow.
but he was no forced plant. He was
In no hurry about going to work. but
eventually took clerkshIp In the local
grocery His employer dispensed with
bis services at the end of month.
and suggested to his father that 30.
lltical influence should be exerted to
secure the young man q position In
some claim department In Washington.
where his peculiar dilatory talent
would be appreciated. Johns father
thought the Idea was good. but he
didn't happen to have the political In.
hnence, so be set his son to studying
law with conservative practitioner.
II was intensely aggravating to the.
brilliant and energetic young men of
the community. those who rose early
and worked late and moved around
as II they had some object In life. to
see Vanderpoot. who had no brains to
speak Of, no burning ambition to dis
tinguish himself becoming one OF the
solid" element. He drawled IN his
speech and he dawdled through what
he called his work, but all the good
things seemed to come his way
He married. Of course. He was In
no hurry about 1t, but he got the pref
test and brightest young woman in
the state. What she saw 10 him II Is
hard to say.
One evening John was loaiing In his
office when Dave Hinsley broke In.
breathless and hatless and gasping
"Firel"
AT your house, judge" he added
Your wife told me to hurry down and
get you. don't reckon there'll be
stick saved II somethIn' apr done
pretty soon."
John took one foot down from his
desk
is the hose company thereT
Yes, but there aln't no water"
In that case. Dave. guess the
only thing we can do Is to lei ci
burn" And he put his foot up again.
OF course he was heavily insured
Johns title Of Judge" was purely
honorary. but there is no doubt that he
would have attained judiciary honors
in course Of time-h he was 10 no hurry
If II had not been for his investment
in Guayqull Central stock Thai would
have been his limit, however Beyond
The bench he would have been found
out. Guayquil wns down to pretty
low ebb and u friend Of Johns who
had inside Information. urged him to
buy at once. as II was certain to rise.
John said he would, but he deferred
his purchase from sheer inertia until
il went down still lower OF course
II would 90 down. As soon as he had
bought II began to RISE That was be.
cause John. like the idiot he was. had
put every available cent he had In the
world into It. One day the friend with
inside information wired him to sell
nj once The stock had gone up he