THE MAGIC STORY

This is a story by an unknown author which i enjoyed reading. It is the magic story of success. I do hope you enjoy reading...

The Magic Story


            In as much as I have evolved from my experience the one great secret
of success for all worldly undertakings, I deem it wise, now that the
number of my days is nearly counted, to give to the generations that
are to follow me the benefit of whatsoever knowledge I possess. I do
not apologize for the manner of my expression, nor for the lack of
literary merit, the latter being, I wot, its own apology. Tools much
heavier than the pen have been my portion, and moreover, the weight
of years has somewhat palsied the hand and brain; nevertheless, the
fact I can tell, and what I deem the meat within the nut. What
mattereth it, in what manner the shell be broken, so that the meat be
obtained and rendered useful? I doubt not that I shall use, in the
telling, expressions that have clung to my memory since childhood;
for, when men attain the number of my years, happenings of youth are
like to be clearer to their perceptions than are events of recent date;
nor doth it matter much how a thought is expressed, if it be wholesome
and helpful, and findeth the understanding.
Much have I wearied my brain anent the question, how best to
describe this recipe for success that I have discovered, and it seemeth
advisable to give it as it came to me; that is, if I relate somewhat of the
story of my life, the directions for agglomerating the substances, and
supplying the seasoning for the accomplishment of the dish, will
plainly be perceived. Happen they may; and that men may be born
generations after I am dust, who will live to bless me for the words I
write.
My father, then, was a seafaring man who, early in life, forsook his
vocation, and settled on a plantation in the colony of Virginia, where,
some years thereafter, I was born, which event took place in the year
1642; and that was over a hundred years ago. Better for my father had
it been, had he hearkened to the wise advice of my mother, that he
 remain in the calling of his education; but he would not have it so, and
the good vessel he captained was bartered for the land I spoke of. Here
beginneth the first lesson to be aquired: ----
Man should not be blinded to whatsoever merit exists in the
opportunity which he hath in hand, remembering that a thousand
promises for the future should weigh as naught against the possession
of a single piece of silver.
When I had achieved ten years, my mother s soul took flight, and
two years thereafter my worthy father followed her. I, being their only
begotten, was left alone; howbeit, there were friends who, for a time,
cared for me; that is to say, they offered me a home beneath their roof,
- a thing which I took advantage of for the space of five months. From
my father s estate there came to me naught; but, in the wisdom that
came with increasing years, I convinced myself that his friend, under
whose roof I lingered for some time, had defrauded him, and therefore
me.
Of the time from the age of twelve and a half until I was three and
twenty, I will make no recital here, since that time hath naught to do
with this tale; but some time after, having in my possession the sum of
sixteen guineas, ten, which I had saved from the fruits of my labor, I
took ship to Boston town, where I began to work first as a cooper, and
thereafter as a ship s carpenter, although always after the craft was
docked; for the sea was not amongst my desires.
Fortune will sometimes smile upon an intended victim because of
pure perversity of temper. Such was one of my experiences. I
prospered, and at seven and twenty, owned the yard wherein, less than
four years earlier, I had worked for hire. Fortune, howbeit, is a jade
who must be coerced; she will not be coddled. Here beginneth the
second lesson to be acquired:
Fortune is ever elusive, and can only be re- tained by force. Deal
with her tenderly and she will forsake you for a stronger man. (In that,
me- thinks, she is not unlike other women of my knowledge.)
About this time, Disaster which is one of the heralds of broken
spirits and lost resolve , paid me a visit. Fire ravaged my yards,
leaving me nothing in its blackened paths but debts, which I had not
the coin wherewith to defray. I labored with my acquaintances,
 seeking assistance for a new start, but the fire that had burned my
competence, seemed also to have consumed their sympathies. So it
happened, within a short time, that not only had I lost all, but I was
hopelessly indebted to others; and for that they cast me into prison. It
is possible that I might have rallied from my losses but for this last
indignity, which broke down my spirits so that I became utterly
despondent. Upward of a year I was detained within the gaol; and,
when I did come forth, it was not the same hopeful, happy man,
content with his lot, and with confidence in the world and its people,
who had entered there.
Life has many pathways, and of them by far the greater number
lead downward. Some are precipitous, others are less abrupt; but
ultimately, no matter at what inclination the angle may be fixed, they
arrive at the same destination, - failure. And here beginneth the third
lesson:
Failure exists only in the grave. Man, being alive, hath not yet
failed; always he may turn about and ascend by the same path he
descended by; and there may be one that is less abrupt (albeit longer
of achievement), and more adaptable to his condition.
When I came forth from prison, I was penniless. In all the world I
possessed naught beyond the poor garments which covered me, and a
walking stick which the turnkey had permitted me to retain, since it
was worthless. Being a skilled workman, howbeit, I speedily found
employment at good wages; but, having eaten of the fruit of worldly
advantage, dissatis-faction possessed me. I became morose and sullen;
whereat, to cheer my spirits, and for the sake of forgetting the losses I
had sustained, I passed my evenings at the tavern. Not that I drank
overmuch of liquor, except on occasion for I have ever been
somewhat abstemious , but that I could laugh and sing, and parry wit
and badinage with my ne er-do-well companions; and here might be
included the fourth lesson:
Seek comrades among the industrious, for those who are idle will
sap your energies from you.
It was my pleasure at that time to relate, upon slight provocation,
the tale of my disasters, and to rail against the men whom I deemed to
have wronged me, because they had seen fit not to come to my aid.


Moreover, I found childish delight in filching from my employer, each
day, a few moments of the time for which he paid me. Such a thing is
less honest than downright theft.
This habit continued and grew upon me until the day dawned which
found me not only without employment, but also without character,
which meant that I could not hope to find work with any other
employer in Boston town.
It was then that I regarded myself a failure. I can liken my
condition at that time for naught more similar than that of a man who,
descending the steep side of a mountain, loses his foothold. The
farther he slides, the faster he goes. I have also heard this condition
described by the word Ishmaelite, which I understand to be a man
whose hand is against everybody, and who thinks that the hands of
every other man are against him; and here beginneth the fifth lesson:
The Ishmaelite and the leper are the same, since both are
abominations in the sight of man, - albeit they differ much, in that the
former may be restored to perfect health. The former is entirely the
result of imagination; the latter has poison in his blood.
I will not discourse at length upon the gradual degeneration of my
energies. It is not meet ever to dwell much upon misfortunes which
saying is also worthy of remembrance . It is enough if I add that the
day came where I possessed naught wherewith to purchase food and
raiment, and I found myself like unto a pauper, save at infrequent
times when I could earn a few pence, or mayhap, a shilling. Steady
employment I could not secure, so I became emanciated in body, and
naught but skeleton in spirit.
My condition, then, was deplorable; not so much for the body, be
it said, as for the mental part of me, which was sick unto death. In my
imagination I deemed myself ostracized by the whole world, for I had
sunk very low indeed; and here beginneth the sixth and final lesson to
be acquired, which cannot be told in one sentence, nor in one
paragraph, but must needs be adopted from the remainder of this
tale .
Well do I remember my awakening, for it came in the night, when,
 in truth, I did awake from sleep. My bed was a pile of shavings in the
rear of the cooper shop where once I had worked for hire; my roof was
the pyramid of casks, underneath which I had established myself. The
night was cold, and I was chilled, albeit, paradoxically, I had been
dreaming of light and warmth and of the depletion of good things. You
will say, when I relate the effect the vision had on me, that my mind
was affected. So be it, for it is the hope that the minds of others might
be likewise influenced which disposes me to undertake the labor of
this writing. It was the dream which converted me to the belief - nay,
to the knowledge - that I was possessed of two entities: and it was my
own better self that afforded me the assistance for which I had pleaded
in vain from my acquaintances. I have heard this condition described
by the word double. Nevertheless, that word does not comprehend
my meaning. A double, can be naught more than a double, neither half
being possessed of individuality. But I will not philosophize, since
philosophy is naught but a suit of garments for the decoration of a
dummy figure.
Moreover, it was not the dream itself which affected me; it was the
impression made by it, and the influence that it exerted over me, which
accomplished my enfranchisement. In a word, then, I encouraged my
other identity. After toiling through a tempest of snow and wind, I
peered into a window and saw that other being. He was rosy with
health; before him, on the hearth, blazed a fire of logs; there was a
conscious power and force in his demeanor; he was phisically and
mentally muscular. I rapped timidly upon the door, and he bade me
enter. There was a not unkindly smile of derision in his eyes as he
motioned me to a chair by the fire; but he uttered no word of welcome;
and, when I had warmed myself, I went forth again into the tempest,
burdened with the shame which the contrast between us had forced
upon me. It was then that I awoke; and here cometh the strange part of
my tale, for, when I did awake, I was not alone. There was a Presence
with me; intangible to others, I discovered later, but real to me.
The Presence was in my likeness, yet it was strikingly unlike. The
brow, not more lofty than my own, yet seemed more round and full;
the eyes, clear, direct, and filled with purpose, glowed with enthusiasm
and resolution; the lips, chin, - ay, the whole contour of face and figure
 was dominant and determined.
He was calm, steadfast, and self -reliant; I was cowering, filled with
nervous trembling, and fearsome of intangible shadows. When the
Presence turned away, I followed, and throughout the day I never lost
sight of it, save when it disappeared for a time beyond some doorway
where I dared not enter; at such places, I awaited its return with
trepidation and awe, for I could not help wondering at the temerity of
the Presence (so like myself, and yet so unlike), in daring to enter
where my own feet feared to tread.
It seemed also as if purposely, I was led to the place and to the men
where, and before whom I most dreaded to appear; to offices where
once I had transacted business; to men whith whom I had financial
dealings. Throughout the day I pursued the Presence, and at evening
saw it disappear beyond the portals of a hostelry famous for its cheer
and good living. I sought the pyramid of casks and shavings.
Not again in my dreams that night did I encounter the Better Self
(for that is what I have named it), albeit, when, perchance, I awakened
from slumber, it was near to me, ever wearing that calm smile of
kindly derision which could not be mistaken for pity, nor for
condolence in any form. The contempt of it stung me sorely.
The second day was not unlike the first, being a repetition of its
forerunner, and I was again doomed to wait outside during the visits
which the Presence paid to places where I fain would have gone had I
possessed the requesite courage. It is fear which deporteth a man's soul
from his body and rendereth it a thing to be despised. Many a time I
essayed to address it but enunciation rattled in my throat,
unintelligible; and the day closed like its predecessor.
This happened many days, one following another, until I ceased to
count them; albeit, I discovered that constant association with the
Presence was producing an effect on me; and one night when I awoke
among the casks and discerned that he was present, I made bold to
speak, albeit with marked timidity.