The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1868-08-08

4
speaking In a cautious tone, 4 think I'd sell th
| farm"
Sell the farm calculated the widow.
Yea continued her adviser, more confidently
Being a lone woman, you can't sink wells, an
work the petroleum yourself
| but, Squire PogRm, I'd ought 10 get ih
benefit Of H.
Certainly, the larm is worth moru than
was. shouldn't mind given two, well, thre
thousand dollars Tor Il, and that ls more'n thre
| times what Il would have fetched before"
u don't hardly think want 10 sell u for that
Squire. get my living on L.
'Yes, wldder, but consider what would DO ih'
interest Of three thousand dollars, invested u
government bonds-rven ihiriies, for insiancr
why, u would he more than two hundred dol
lars year"
Yes, Squire, but that wouldn't hardly suppor
me-
I'll tell you what, widder, III give you ihrr,
thousand dollars. and you shall live IN The house
rent free as long as you choose. Come, that's
saying fair, isn't itr
'On the whole. Squire, said the willy widow,
] don'i think l'il decide just yet. Seems TO m'
| the farm ought to hrng more Than three thous
aud dollars I'n obliged To .oa for your friendly
oiIer hut furs- I'd betlrr take time 10 consider
aud, pcrliaI~. consult sonlr other friends
'Widdcr, siil Sqnir Pograni, feeling that the
rich prize in danger ~ slipping through BIZ
grasp, I'm tell ,r what. know It's foolish, hut
as YOU'RE an old fsirnd, won't mind saying
four thousand dniiars. u may he my lOss, bul
I'LL he your gain.
I'm cure yun'te very Kind, Squire Pogram,
aud h'Ir i'm properly grateful for your Kind
inierrsi, but hope you Won't he offended u
don 'ifyi'l, jrsi yet think I'd Leiicr go and
see iaxysr N0tefoss.'
Don go aud see him, whatever you do said
SPUR" rogram hastily, tor he feared that ID,
lawter would ovrr-bid him. 'Prumisc me 10
consider ms offer till afternoon. aud until then
not TO tell living soul about what you W. found
10 the weil
Very well. Squire, III agirc TO that. TIN,
long TO wait ill then
T'll call again a, ihre,. said the SQUIRE 'Dou',
forget your promise
y won't said the widow.
The squire drove out of the yard, mud the v ia
ow, with n smile Of triumph, locked after him
I'm pretty sure 81 being Mrs. Pogr,m. II |
work my cards right, she thought.
Meanwhile the squire drove away in ~ bruwn
study. To think that the prize for which he had
sought should after all have fallen To the IL, of
the widow with her ten poor acres. u was r-r-
tainly strange. Now how should he iind his ow
profit in il ~ he could buy the farm even at
live thousand dollars, he could readily make IL
pay him fif, thousand. The indications we're
that TIN oil spring was rich one. Al any rate
the water he drank smaeked strongly enough Of
OIL
But would the widow sell 2 That wns an im-
poriani question. The more time she had for
thought, the higher probably would her price
advance. II she consulted lawyer Norcross be
might as well give Il up = lost chance. for the
lawyer would hc rs anxious TO secure IL ~ him
self That was not 20 lie thought Of for n moment
But what II Mrs Brown declined his Offer Was
there no other way
II was just at that moment the other way sng-
gested itself lie was widower, Mrs Brown
was widow. by marrying her he would se.
cure the farm, and not be compelled 10 pay down
a dollar beyond the minister's fee for uniting
them. Mrs. Brown WIS not exactly the woman
he had intended 10 marry for his second wife /:
she certainly was not handsome, bat Squire PO-
gram was practical man, and he knew that she
was smart. Practical woman. and would keep
his household in good order. Perhaps IL would
not be a had plan. a, any rate, he c"uld hold
IL IN reserve
Punciualiy at three the Squire ,Ole ur To the
door of the cottage
How about the well. wiider. be asked. Does
Il taste as strong as cver7
'Wuss and wuss Squire. Hers some water
just drawed up.
The squire did not need to taste H. tie could
sec for himself that the proportion Of oil was
greater than IN the morning.
We'll, widder, be said, have you decided 10
take the four thousand dollars I offered you
You see tha, it will save you all trouble and
yon can live comfortable the res, Of your DAYS
Thank you, Squire, said the widow, 'but I've
about made up my mind to send for some man
that knows about these ihirgs, and &c; him 10
attend 10 Il for me. III sec Mr.. Norcross first,
and
This was enough. The squire had made up
his mind.
'widder. said he. I've 20, another plan to
propose. II may seem kind Of sudden TO you,
but 4 We been thinking Of II for some time (how
long squire p and that Is that need a wife.
Things Is getiin' slack q, home, and IL needs a
woman 90 siraighien 'em out. ] amt man Of
words Widder, will on be,ome Mrs Pogram7
~ Sqnirr said the widow, its 20 unexpsc-
ted that IL quite illustrates me. Hut I'm free 10
say that I've always respected your character,
ard thought you man that any woman might
be proud 20 marry
You consent. thsnP
! do, said the widow promptly, and | nm
glad to have this ncw burden OF my shouldcFs
Yes. widdcr, Il ought 10 lie attended 10 at
once. think we'd better marty tomorrow,
as 10 lose no time
Just as you say, Squire. IN BE- ready.
The next day the clrrgyman's services were
called into reqaisiion, and 10 the asiOnishment
aud anger Of all the asPiranis 10 Squire Pogranl's
hand, the prize was carried on By the widow
Brown, who's as ugly as sin goodness knows
what he saw 10 her
The day after, there was another surprise A
company OF workman were seen bnsily engaged
In sinking deeper the new Mrs Pogfam's old
well, and the rumor spread that petroleum had
bcen discovered there. Bat for some incomprc-
hensibie reason, the first strong indications were
not borne out by subsequent discoveries. The
water rcgained all It's old purity, and after sink
ing several hundred dollars the squire was oblg.
ed 10 abandon the attempt In disgust Mrs P0-
gram, now installed In the great farmhouse rs
mistress, bore the disappointment with equani-
nifty. She nj least had 20, what she hargained
for, and was satisfied. Whether her husband
ever suspected her complici,y is not clearly
known. II may be confidently stated, however,
that any gentleman desrous Of starting petro-
lcum company, may obtain the Brown farm on
oil well already sunk.