Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-09-11
eager and interested He examined the soil,

1t be-0H! IL was very unlikely 10 OIL nat
been found near, that she knew of; but still
it was strange.
81 don't think we do be wantin' to sell, sir.
"Who looks after you ?-who is your guar
dian?' asked the man; and Nora told him
Then he wanted to know where Mr.. McDon
aid lived, and went away, hurriedly. But
they seemed to remember themselves and came
back to say that Nora would find some clothes
which they wanted washed, at the hotel. AT
ter they had gone, Nora felt restless and un.
easy. At one moment she was afraid that
she ought to have taken the thousand dol
lars; the next moment she would feel afraid
that they would see Mr.. Mcdonald, and bind
him to a bargain which she could not break
Very soon she decided that, as there was yet
an hour before dark, she would 60 down to
the; hotel and get the washing, and then 60 to
see Mr.. Staynes, who lived near the hotel, and
tell him her difficulties. Mr.. Staynes was
the superintendent CT THERON company. Her
father had been in his employ when he was
killed, and he had always taken an interest
in them. He was man full of business cares,
but Nora was sure of kindly hearing. He
had the reputation of being shrewd but per:
IecCly nODeSC HAL sue kyeW LiltI ulo CouuSol
would be wise and safe.
She met him as she was going in at his gate.
20, little Nora Conelly Well, what is
it?" he said, good-naturedly.
1.-TWO men do be afther wantin' to buy
the place for thousand dollars. Will we
take it, sirY'
$50 they've been after you already, have
they? I've just been to see Mcdonald about
you, and l was going up to your place, the
first thing in the morning. They've struck
oil on the Ramsdell place ?'-got great
flow only about an hour ago.
"It do be good ways from US, sir, an the
hill between" said Nora.
"Yes, but the oil seems to follow certain
track it runs due east; and you are directly
on the track. And there are other signs in
your direction. You will probably be offered
a good deal more than thousand dollars
for the place tomorrow. But there have
been so many failures lately where oil had
been expected, that nobody will be likely to
offer you great price, I made Mcdonald
an offer which he is disposed to accept, but
he will leave the decision to you, who are wise
enough to manage your own affairs. l will
put down we'll on your place at my own
expense. If there is oil you shall pay me for
my outlay, and give me one.tenth OF the
profits If there is no oil, the loss will be en-.
tirely my own" '...
"Oh an the bit place I'D still be our own
whativer way it happened" cried Nora,
joyfully.
Poor little Nora had known the realities Of
hunger and cold, and had become very prac.
teal. The possibility of becoming rich was
too vague and unreal for her imagination to
grasp; it seemed like one of Teddy's wonder
full stories while the possibility of being with
out shelter,-if they lost their little place.
and colder and hungrier than they had ever
seemed natural one. She felt overwhelmed
with gratitude to Mr.. Staynes, although with
that gentleman it was only a business trans
action, by which he hoped to make money !;
the only things for which she had reason to
feel grateful to him were that he was not
taking an unfair advantage, as he might have
done, and that be did feel honestly anxious
that. they might be benefited at the same time
with himself.
Teddy ought to be consulted, but there was
no time to lose, and Nora said eyes" for
both of them she felt sure that Teddy would
be delighted with the project, and she earnest
ly hoped that he would come home that night
that she might tell him Of it.
But nine-ten-eleven o'clock came, and
no Teddy. Before noon the next day boring
operations had commenced, and still no Ted
dy! :.
The Conelly place was thronged by curl.
Gus crowd. Right in the midst Of Teddy's
potato-patch they were sinking the well:
They seemed to think no more of "praties"
than of so many weeds, though the heart of
little Patsy-who had weeded them faithful.
ly-burned. within him at the sight
1t was sad time for the pigs and chick
ems. The pig-pen and hen.coop were almost
buried under the timbers, and pipes, and
screws, and wheels and all the wonderful ap-
paratus that was to force her treasure from
the unwilling earth; the pigs squealed their
remonstrances increasingly, and the chicks
scattered in every direction pursued by their
mammas, with unavailing clucks. The big
rooster alone seemed to take cheerful view
of the proceedings. He cooked his head,
first on one side and then on the other, and
inspected the operations, while they bored,
and bored, until it seemed to Nora that they
must have bored nearly through the earth.
And, when the great tall derrick was set up,
the rooster flew upon it, to an astonishing
height, and uttered an exultant cock.a-doo-
de.doo! that was re-echoed from all the hills
around. And the result proved that he was
a knowing rooster. For, few moments at
ter that, there was "spurt' into the air, of a
dark.green liquid, from which proceeded an
odor like the concentrated essence Of all the
bad kerosene lamps that you ever smelled !!
This was one of the wonderful wells. The
oil did not wait to be pumped; it burst up
into the air like fountain, to the height Of
seven or eight feet There was great ex-
citement. 1t seemed as if two. o.thirds Of the
people in the country assembled there in less
than half an hour.
Nora's delight had great drawback.
Teddy was not there. In all this time she
had not heard from him. He had gone, at
first, to their cousin, but had become angry
with him for saying, when he told the story
of his grievance, that Nora was right; and ne
had gone away from there, nobody knew
where And Nora was anxious about him.
She could not look at the wonderful fountain
of oil for watching for him. Surely, when
everybody was rushing there, he would hear
what had happened if he were anywhere near!
And, at last, toward night-fall when the ex-
element was subsiding little, she espied, on
the edge of the crowd, a way-worn and tat
tered pilgrim who looked like Teddy.
Nora rushed to meet him, and gave him a
prodigal sons greeting: she put both arms
around his neck and cried for joy.
20 Teddy, where were ye!
Owe heen after seekin' NV forchin" said