The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-11-25

blame but. oh, l don't knnw-I cannot tell
and II makes not on" inIa of difference now"
and he turned his eyes down over the range
Of hill, 20 tn crims on clouds III the western
sky.
"Bu., stranger" he continued, turning
Z 1m the picture slowly, you must want to
know why | talk like this. Come closer and
wave that shngle that Tom has made into
fan end I'll tell you. A few years ago /
came to the oil country from as good home
as a young fellow could wish and started in
business with bright prospects of success. l
was quiest and steady going and took sen
sble view of life. | was thinking strongly
Of getting married. and was making favor
able progress to that end with the daughter
Of a well-knnwn Of producer who had drill
ed wild cat" wells until he was in debt
from he'd rock to crown pulley. There was
absolutely no hope Of ever making another
cent as a producer, and to earn bread and
butter for his famiiv he was forced to act as
superintendent Of leases for a com panv Of
oil men. | was not the only vnunG man ny
any TPans who paid attention to the young
lady hut it was pretty generally conceded
that had the best chance. I loved her as
never thought man could love a womBn,
and was confident that she returned the
affection. NV strongest rival was a Young
oil producer who had a larger purSe than
andwho was nearly without scrupes so lnng
as he accomplished his end I DON'T hpIieve
that money had any weight in the girls eyes.
hut it had in her fathers. and he did his hest
to influence her, arguing that money would
help him make fortune in oil wells.
"Then was resolved on desperate step
l determined to stake the largest share Of my
property on one single throw and work the
oil market for what it was worth. My rival
knew of NV intention. and resolved on still
more desperate plan to bankrupt me and
win the brown haired. blue eyed prize val
upd above all things on earth. On a certain
day went long on the market thousands
of barrels, fully confident that prices would
go up at least fifteen cents a barrel Next
day rumors came from the bacSwoOdS that
a two-hundred barrel well had been struck
miles away from any develOpment, and so
sensitive was the market that prices fell away
/ during the forenoon SESSION Of the Exchange
SpecuIatnrs' scouts Immediately started for
the mysterious well, but as it would take
them two days To reach it through thp almost
looked for inside four or i've DAYS. What
hours of suspense those were. | scanned IL
crow old in dav, and the agony I suffered
was terrible. The second day a report came
in that the well was larger than at frat sup
posed and before the deliveries were made
that afternoon prices had weakened another
five cent notch.
Il rushed fr im the Exchange aluluSf De
Iirirus for knew | was ruined and would
Iusp the only treasure | held dear in lfs
For week 'ay sick in a hotel, ard when I
was able to be about ] met the young lady
on the street, and, mercful Heaven. would
YOU believe it, she would not recognize me
That drove me wild. and l thought Ter as
/ false as sin, and just a. fair. ! didn't know
then what a great wrong had been done me-
and all the good that WAS in me sremed to %
out. with no prospect of return. | don't
know what | did or where l went for the
next six months but one morning picked
up a paper and read OF the marriage OF my
rival to the onlF girl l ever loved. oh, |
can't tell YOU the feeling that swept through
me, a. | sat and felt the sunlight aud beauty
float out through the window beyond hope nf
human recall | learned then that nv rival
J
on purpose To ruin me and further his own
schemes There was no new well and as
soon as the brokers found it out prices went
up again with rush. Then he, curse him,
who bought up all my oil when the crash
came, unloaded at high figure aud made a
heap of money. lie told her had lost all
my.money in gambling. and she believed him.
"Revenge is sweet! Oh, so sweet" he
continued, rising himself on pillow of halt
burnt coats, land I've drank my fill, unit
the draught has become bitter sweet yes
bitter SWEET
The man drank great gulpS Of water from
the pail which one of the drilers had filed
at the tank and sank back exhausted and
gasping for air. Slowly the shiugle waved
10 and fro in the sitting twilight, brushing
back from the broad forehead wavy brown
hair that hal once been mothers pride
and a sweetheart's toy. He spoke again af
ter a long interval of silence.
81 am going soon. The shadows ar,
creeping closer and closer and l can hear
yes oh yes, can hear-the dip Of the oar.
in the river of death They are coming
nearer and nearer, and when the bnatmaI
= calls l cannot stay. But, stranger, l wan
to tell yo1 the rest before 1 60. l want Il
= tell you that was bad after that awful day
f and in less than a week / became al be
came-yes T. say it--I became a moonlight
: er. 1t wasn't the money l wanted, tor haC
enough to live on comfortably, but l wanted
8 revenge on the cause of my wTetchedness
He often wondered after he got married tina
he never prOspered as he did before, and on
t da, | told him that no man could prnspe
with unlawful gains. He called me foo
or liar or something and I knocked hin
down and rubbed his nose in oil and mud
: 1 could have told him why all his wells re
fused to produce oil, but never did. Nitro
: glycerine is the best thing to make well
flow, hut it Is also the very best thing to stOl
the flowing. 4 charge of nitrO-glycerine ex
ploted half way down the hole will blow
well all to pieces 80 that she would never b
good for anything. Do yoI see ?''
looked at the man in surprise.
. ooh, you need't look incredulous, for it
a fact. / was pretty low down in the seal
of morality then, and l used to go around a
night and blow the fellows wells out of ex
istpnce as producers of oft. II was mea
thing to do, but he played mraner trick O.
, me. All his wells stopped flowing after
while and then he began to go down hill
, Inside of year hr became a common drunk
ard and separated from his wife. His rela
tives wouldn't have him about and | don
know what has become of him. Dead,
guess.
/ ''His wife then cot one or two wells up i