Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-03-18
Widow Browns Oil we'll,

/ anu tuitIS dItu SHtdiI ldi III Oi Tel
acres in little Pennsylvania town
The humble homestead corresponded
in size to the farm, being one-story
cottage. com prising but three rooms
The land was not very productive, but
Mrs. Brown had only herself to pro.
vide for; and, though her income would
hardly warrant her living luxuriously
oD the other hand there was no dan
ger of the almshouse. On the whole,
the widow might be considered com.
fortably provided for, though her farm
and house together would have been
| dear at a thousand dollars.
| But Mrs Anastasia was not con
tented. She was an ambitious wo
man, and bent on bettering herself il
the opportunity ever presented. To
! q lady under her circums tances sec
and marriage with an eligible party
seemed to be the readiest road to
higher station. But the widows per.
sonal advantages were hardly of a
character to inspire very lively hopes
in that direction. She was tall and
gaunt, and her share of the perisha-
BILE but rather desirable gift of beauty
had been below the average. Beside,
she was now fortv-fve, and, therefore,
of rather doubtful luvenility.
1t Glanced that the wealthiest man
in town was a certain Sqire Ebene.
ger Pogram, who. in addition to an ex-
ceilent farm of three hundred acres,
i had a comfortable sum invested in
stocks and bonds. He was a widow
er, and in the market. His wife would
be the foremost lady in the village
For this position there was more than
one aspirant, 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 shrewd-
ness, assisted her to accomplish it.
A bout this time the petroleum few
er was at its height. There .
wild exc ite.r'cnt general, not only III
the districts where petroleum had
been discovered, but speculation 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 field; and the owners, who had
hitherto found it difficult to earn a
scantv subsistence, all at once found
| themselves rich beyond their widest
dreams Among those who cherished
J IL .
! Squire Pogram. He saw no reason
WHY his own acres might not prove to
| be flowing with oil, and he instituted
preliminary Investigations, which had
only resulted in disappointment
! Though already a man of abundant
means. he was inclined to be grasring
and had no objection to doubling ol
trebling his present property. In
fact, the love of money was the rul
inc passion with the Squire, and this
was not unknown to his townsmen
Mrs. Brown, aware of this fact, de
termined upon a coup detat, if we may
so call it, with view of taking by
assault the hand OF the Squire-fol
his heart she cared little.
One morning the expressmar
brought to Mrs Browns cottage {
keg which was evidently full of som,
liquid.
Fifty cents, widder," he said, a
he lugged it into the back room anC
deposited it in the corner. 1t!
rather hefty."
=. Yes," said the widow, :. molasse
! =. I a1-, -
I Molasses, is it? Wall, now, .
reckon it'll take YOU a mighty lon.
time to use up kegfull of molasses.
I'm fond of it, said the widow
shortly.
.. Yes, ou5 there amt but one oil
II don't know but | shall take
boarder or two, if l can get them,
said Mrs. Brown, lmprovising flo ol
the spur of the moment.
Then you'll have to piece you
house. reckon.
The widow was glad when the eS
pressmau with his intrusive curiosit
was gone. In the country it is yer.
common to comment with the utmos
freedom upon the plans and proceed
ings of ones neighbors, and this some
times has its disadvantages.
The widow did not open the ke
till the next day. Then, instead {
, molasses. she found the contents TO b
petroleum oil. 1t might have bee
supposed that the substitution woul
have proved vexatious, but the wido'
. took it very coollv. She managed t
get the keg down the cellar stair
= where she locked it up IN closet
First however. she filed commo
water pail with the precious liqui,
and going to the we'll deliberatel
poured II down After this rather sl1
d gular proceeding. she looked CAREFUL
h up the road until she saw horse al
buggy approaching, which she we
= knew belonged TO Squire Pogram, wi
always came over the road about tn;
time to visit a small house which
was building for tenants a mile b
vond
The Squire was Just abreast of Il
: cottage when the widow ran out Al
hailed him.
20, Squire Pogram," she sal
ii -.wOn' Won inst drive into the ward