The Washington herald., 1921-11-13
SEE APIN, PICK
IT UP;;ALL THE
DAY YOU'LL HAVE
Tale of a Superstitious
Youth Who Didn't Know
When to Stop.

Jack Harrington was .supersti-
tious.
Nobody denied Il.
lack himself admitted II.
The opal with Its ominous por-
tent. the ladder. the pin, and the
stubbed toe which meant disap-
pointment II he did not 60 back
and retread the course meant much
to him. Some Of his friends hu-
mored him good naturally. The
others who knew him better would
amazingly agree with him that to
pick mp . pin was lucky II II was
opsls were unlucky II you missed
an opportunity 70 get, one free of
COST or that to stub your toe and
not retread your course was sure
disappointment IL the pretty girl
with whom you had an appointment
rallied to keep her tryst. and so on
ad infinitum. as highbrows say
when they say II.
Fate strenstAs,ea Belief.
But what cared Jack7 The cannI-
bal makes q luscious meal of the
over solicitous missionary. the
Buddhist Mohammedan laugh him
to scorn and neither of them IL
the more convinced for 1t all. Jack
was neither cannibal nor heather.
but his mental recesses were closed
and guarded by Q stronger wall
than China ever built against the
missionaries. Who might seek to
dispei his fate in the intangible gu
perstidons?
And fate was with Jack In
strengthening his belief. Not only
was he sure to meet with luck II
he picked up a pin but fate would
lead him out of his regular course
10 that he might not miss the op-
portunity Of seeing the pin.
Summer Did Not Help.
Even the balmy. dreamy early
summer did not help. A pin was a
pin and that was all there was. to
it. said he as he stopped to pick up
a 100-for-a- nickel wire pin one
morning. He knew II meant luck,
but his hopes were chilled when he
reached his desk and found on IL "a
summons from his employer. With
fear and trembling he raped upon
the door of his chiefs sanctum and
was greeted by the customary gruff
voice from within.
Jack" gruffed his employer. you
place during the year"
Yes" replied Jack for . con-
fused lack of a better reply.
You may have a vacation at the
firms expense"
Thank you. sir" said Jack. nm
gering the pin which he had re-
Gently placed In the lapel of his
coat Thank you kindly. SIR" and
with that he left the office with
that grand and glorious feeling
which only a cartoonist can depict.
Fastened to shore.
that fashionable Eastern summer
never cease to blow and where
women wear summer furs. But this
Is not a treatise on furs or summer
resorts; It IL q tale Of a supersti-
tious youth who nearly came to
grief.
While Jack was wandering list
lessly through the town he came to
a house that was being freshly
painted. Under the ladder where
the workmen were using all dill
gence to make q dirty house look
like new, Jack spied-a pin
Here was q dilemma: to pick up
a pin. but to walk under a ladder to
get 1t But there was no time to
be lost for the charming and
pretty owner Of the pin had already
emerged from the entrance of the
house and was walking toward the
ladder to get II. Jack, the victim
of an enhancing smile, picked 1t
up and handed 1t to its fair owner.
OF course, a curtsy was in order
and the sweet. smiling. Thank
you" almost made Jack believe
that he would walk under q dozen
ladders for another.
mo trouble at all, am sure" he
said. tipping his hat and walking
on
Debates Question.
Then came the tug of war; Greek
had met Greek; a lucky pin under
an unlucky ladder, but Jack was
hungry, so he went into nearby
restaurant to partake Of a tempt
ingly served meal.
We will not follow him through
his dinner but will follow him in
the late afternoon as he sauntered
absent-mindedly on the street that
had caused him such mental con-
fusion earlier in the day. There
stood the ladder. The workmen
were Just finishing their work and
the sidewalk was blocked except
under the ladder. As he stood there
waiting for the sidewalk to be
cleared the charming acquaintance
of his mornings experience came
from the other side Of the house.
walks Under Ladder.
Hello" she said cheerfully.
Are you coming this way?"
Jack looked at the ladder, at the
smiling face, at-was he going
that way? Actions speak louder
than words, and with the express
sion of a doomed man who receives
an eleventh hour pardon Jack
walked under the fated ladder.
As days passed their friendship
increased and just as Jacks vaca-
ton was nearing an end he re-
ceived a message from his employer
telling him to take charge of their
new factory adjoining the summer
resort What could be better?
where He Slipped.
One day while they were out
walking they saw a ladder they had
to pass. They had frequently
ouarreled about this matter but
never seriously. To humor him.
the girl agreed to walk around the
ladder, and as they were walking
$hA loAdar noaafno