The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-04-13
s... From the American Agriculturist.
Tim Bunker ON .'StrIking He. 4,

A 2 y
kerr" asked Jake Frink, as he came into. our
house last evening, after long absence.
You see Jake has been mighty shy of our
house ever since my trip to Washington, and
the upsetting of his lighthouse, &c 1t took
some great excitement like the present oil fe-
yer to bring him round
mo, haven't. 1t is the latest news,
neighbor Frink, to see you here. You're
welcome" .,.s-
wal" says Jake, '.they du say that Dea-
con Smith has made five thousand dollars on
lie within the last few weeks" ......-..
s And bow did that happen:'' .....,..
at didn't happen at all. He made it by
speculation in lie stocks. Ye see, he and a
few men in Wall street bought lot Of land
for forty thousand dollars, and then bought
an lie well, jest to sweeten it, and said ont
sheers snuf to come to quarter of a mill.
ion, and talked about working capital Of
handred thousand dollars, and all the work
that capital did was jest tn work money intu
their ewn pockets. and the Deaeon's share of
the spiles was Ave thousand dollars guess
] shall want to hear the. Deacon pray srter
thisr'rr ,...s -s ...,,... .-,-..... O..
/ Hear him pray." exclaimed Sally, taking
off her gold bowed spectacles, Little chance
OF that. Jake, for you. haven't been inside of
"a meeting house in year" ....., s.... e.'
Jake did not heed that shot, but proceeded.
''Now I should like to know, Squire Bum
ker, whether there is anything in this lie
business, or whether it is all bosh. Did Y, u
see any lie when you was in the city?" '
Lots OF it, ncighbor Frink. and heard a
great deal more than saw There is no
kind of doubt that the bowels of the earth is
full Of ila" = s.- e.. .n'.-
"And do you suppose, Timothy, it is pro.
pared for the great conflagration of which
the bible spcaks?' interrupted Mrs. Bun ker
81 couldn't say as to that guess it will
light upa good many parlors and Kitchens
before it will help burn up the world. You'd
into the city from the West, and the quaint
I, that goes out Of it to the East Why,
what change it has made in all our houses!
just think OF the different sorts oflights VIC
have had since we went to housekeeping
! Tsllow candles, with tow wicks that you
used to spin from thd tow from mr. hatchel
dipped in tallow ahsut Christmas; then can
dies With GOTTEN wicks. and run in mouds,
six in bunch; then whale oil lamps; then
p camphen" and burning fluid, and lastly, ker-
tosene, the best Of ALL arT as-s...sls sfa
"Du tell rf Kerosene is the Same thing that
comes ont of the lie well? thought they
called it ketrolum, or some sich namen
e "That is it, neighbor Frink, only keros enc
is Petroleum, after it is purified at the facto-
ries" s7as ''
"Wall meow. du We think there Is any
chance for me to make money easy In these
lie companicss' HsFseasa. -s.5 as,r
II shall have to say yes and no according
To circumstances; just as I.would say about
gold mining. There is no doubt. plenty of
gold in Californis, Idaho, and the Rocky
Mountains in general. But 1t Is my priv ate
opinien, that il all the meney and labor .ex-
pended in those regions had been applied to
the soil irregular farming, or other common
industrial pursuits, they would have pro-
duced more property and more happiness
than be found in those countries now. A
few lucky adventurers have made fortunes,
but the most who have gone thither have
either failed or got a bare support. Thous-
ands upon thousands have lost capital and
labor, and life itself, in the vain pursuit Of
sudden riches."r ia.rs f.ega7 aa.s' q. as5 e5a
"l'm sorry to hear yeu talk so, Squire. Ye
see have tried the plan of slow riches for
mors'n forty years, and it's no go. I've dug
airly and late, and stuck tew my business as
close as the next man, and amt out or debt
yit. And now If you say there is no chance
for sudden riches, I'm done for"
"Perhaps il you had stuck to the farm more
and to the bottle less, the result might have
been differsnt,"s S ierFa
81 don't see that" said Jake eruffy.
"Well, your neighbors do, and it is no use
to try to shift off the faults of the man upon
the farm, or the business Of farming. Moth
ing pays better in the long run. There is
money in lie, just as there is in gold, only
the lie business is not quite so risky. To
those who know the repes, suppose there
isn't risk at all The men who buy the land
and get up the companies, as a rule, make
money. In the present fever beat of the
business, there is no trouble about selling