Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1868-07-18
TALES AND SKETCHES.
WIDOW BROWNS OIL WELL.

Mrs. Anastasia Brown, commonly known
as the Widow Brown, owned and cultiva.
ted small farm of ten acres in little
| Pennsylvania town. The humble home
stead corresponded in size to the farm, be-
| ing q onc-story cottage, comprising but
three rooms. The land was not very pro-
ductive, but Mrs. Brown had only herself
to provide for, and though her income
would hardly warrant her living luxurious
ly; on the other hand there was no danger
of the almshouse. On the whole, the widow
might be considered comfortably provided
for, though her farm and house together
would have been dear at a thousand dollars.
But Mrs. Anastasia was not contended.
She was an ambitious woman, and bent on
bettering herself if the opportunity ever
presented. To a lady under her circum-
stances q second marriage with an eligible
party seemed TO be the readiest road to
! higher station. But the widows personal
advantages were hardly of a character to
inspire very lively hopes in that direction
She was tall and gaunt, and her share of the
perishable, but rather desirable, gift of
beauty, had been below the average. Be-
sides she was now forty-fye, and therefore
of rather doubtful eligibility.
1t chanced that the wealthicst man iu
town was certain Squire Ebenezer Pogram,
who in addition to an excellent farm of
three hundred acres, had a comfortable sum
invested in stocks and bonds. He was
widower, and in the market. His wife would
be the foremost lady in the village, For
this position there was more than one aspi-
rant, but among them all, none, apparently,
stood so poor a chance as Mrs. Anastasia
Brown. But none the less the widow laid
her plans to capture the citadel, and cir
cumstances, aided by her own shrewdness,
assisted her to accomplish it.
About this time the petroleum fever was
at its height. There was wild excitement
generally, not only in the districts where
petroleum had been discovered, but specu-
lation was rife in the commercial capital,
and companies with flaming prospectuses
were daily springing into existence. Farms
which would be considered dear at twenty
! dollars an acre, all at once enhanced in value
| to fifty, or even a hundred fold, and the
owners, who had hitherto found it difficult
to earn scanty subsistence, all at once
found themselves rich beyond their widest
| dreams.
Among those who cherished hopes of
| wealth from this sources was Squire Po-
gram. He saw no reason why his own acres
might not prove to he flowing with oil, and
be instituted some preliminary investiga-
tions, which had only resulted in disap-
| pointment. Though already man of abun-
| dant means, he was inclined to be grasping,
and had no objection to doubling or treb-
| ling his present property. In fact, that love
of money was the ruling passion with the
! Squire, and this was not unknown to his
townsmen.
| Mrs. Brown, aware of this fact, determin-
ed upon coup d. etat, il we may SO call it,
with view of taking by assault the hand
of the 'Squire-for his heart she cared but
little. One morning the expressman brought
to Mrs. Browns cottage a keg which was
evidently full of some liquid.
Fifty cents, widder," he said as he lug.
| ged into the back room and deposited it in
the corner. ''It's rather hefty."
| "Yes," said the widow, "molasses is hea-
vier than most anything else" A
''Molasses, is it 2 Wall, now reckon it'll
take you mighty long time to use up q
keg full of molasses."
"Pm fond of it," said the widow, shortly
"Yes, but there amt but one of you."
s'I don't know but shall take boardeI
or two, if can get them," improyising O
fib on the spur of the moment.
"Then you'll have to piece your house,
reckon"
The widow was glad when the express
man with his intrusive curiosity was gone
In the country it is very common to com
ment with the utmost freedom upon the
plans and proceedings of ones neighbors
and this sometimes has its disadvantages
The widow did not open the keg until
the next day. Then, instead of molasses
she found the contents to be petroleum oil
1t might have been supposed that the sub
stitution would have proved vexatious, bat
the widow took it very coolly. She man
aged to get the keg down the cellar stairs