The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1868-03-03
MISCELLANY.
Widow Browns Oil Well.
A TALE OF PETROLEUM.

Mrs Anas;asia Brown, better known as
The WidO& jruwn, owned and cultivated
small farm Of ten acres in little PENN
Sylvan'a town. The humble homestead
rorresponded in size to the farm, being Il
one story cottage. comprising but three
oopF. The land WAS not verv produc-
tive. bnt Mrs Brown had only herself In
provide for, and though her income would
harIly warrant her in living luxuriouSly,
on the other hand there was no danger of
the alm,hou>c. On the whole the widow
might be considered comfortably provided
ior, though her fam amt house together
weuld have been dear at Il thousand dol
lars
But Mrs Anastasia was not conicnted.
She was an ambitious woman, and bent
on bcttering herself il the opportunity ev-
ei presented. To II lady under her cir.
'ligihlc party seemed to be the readicst
road 10 higher .taliuti Put the widow =
personal advantages were hardly of IA
character TO Inspire very lively hopes in
that direction. She wasliJl and gauui,
and her share of the periShahe but ralh-
er desirable elf; of beauty had BEEN he
low the averag'. BESIDE, sac was n)w
forty five, AMI therefore Of doubtful iuve
nlii'y.
1t chanced that the wealthicst man in
town was a certain Squire Ehcncztr Po.
gram, who, in addition 10 an excellent
farm of three hundred acres had Il COM
Portable sum invested in stocks and bond.
lie was widowrr, and in the mark Il.
liz wifi. would BE- the foremost LAZY in
the Village For this position there wa
inrre Than Cne aSpir'nt. hut among TIA IN
all none "ppnr nilv -iooi :, poor "a chance
rs Trs Anaias,, Brovn. But none the
less The widor laid her plans 10 capture
the rindrl, anl circumstances, ri ted hy
her own shrr~dn">s, assisted h'r t. ac-
complI>A it.
Ahunl til, time the petroleum fever
was at i,s blight. There WIS n viii cx
citrmrn: = neral MT only in the dist irt
whore p.Hrrlrum hid been discovered.
nnt sp cal,tiun WAS rit' in T." romm,r>
',al c'Wial, and comrani = wI'h Il mlna
lr~prctn-rs were Il duh sprlnsns lnto ex-
,-i"nre FrnS which wunld have b., n
'"nS'derrd dear al tNcn y dollars nn acre.
ali 1T once rnhnnc,d in value ity
or even AN hundred fold, and the owners.
who have hilhrrio found it difii.ult tn
-arn scanly subsistence, all at enc
tprnl themselves rich beyond their wild.
est dreams.
Among ihosc who cherished hopes Of
wealth from this source wis Squire Po
gram. lie saw no reason why his owi
trr might not Prove 10 lac Il 'win5 viii
nil. AMI he instituted some prrlinin,r,
Investigations which had only resulted it
disappointment. Though already a mar
of abundant means, he was inclined TO b,
erasping, and had no objection to duub
ling Or Ireblng his present property L.
fact the love nf money was the ruin.
passion with the squire, and this was no
unknown
Mrs Brown, aware of this fact, deter
mined upon comp det,d. if we may 81
call it, With "a view of taking bv assaul
the hand of the squire-ior his heart sh'
cared little.
One ,norninG the expressman brough
TO Mrs Browo's cottage keg, which wa
full of so".e liquid.
Fifty cents, widder,' he said, as Ia
lugIed il into the back room, and depusi
ted il in tie corner. lis rather hcfy.
Yes said the widow, 'mula-ses i
heavier'n must anything else
'Molasses, is III Wall, now, reckon
iI'll take yon mighty lohg lime to Us,
up u keg inl Of mons.es
I'm fond of it,, said the widow in 1
tesiy manner.
Yes. bnt there ain't hat one on ye'
Il don't know hut l shall take bmrl
er, or Two il en- set Ihem, id Mr.
Brown. improvising fib on ibe spur o
the moment
Then you'll have to piece out you
house
The wi.hw wa. glad when the ex
pressm,n with his intrusivc curiosity wa