The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1883-01-19
"God will be toryou in any case,

"God Will be foryou IN any case
John," said Susy gently.
| But "luck" to John Alden which
came in visible good fortune of dol
lars and cents or even praise, was a
much more real thing than the un-
seen power which his sister worship
ed so faithfully.
He rose next morning with hag-
gard face, which showed he slept
but little. .
"To day." he said to .Susy, cit will
be all settled. The inspector from
New York will be here by lo-o'clock.
In an hour he can tell if there is any
oil on the land. He is an expert you
understand. If there be any I will
sell and build house like Squire
Peters, only larger. And then, Susy
who knows FL might marry. !
am as old as Ben Srott.''
Eyes, that is true.''
She could not bear to discourage
him by q hint of defeat. He watched
nervously by the door for the men to
appear, and when he saw thernscom-
ing-the New York expert, one, or
two of the proposed stockholders in
the new company, and Squire Peters
himself-be snatehed up his hat and
hurried down the road to meet them.
Even Susy's heart throbbed fast.
She told herself in vain that it vas
not a matter Of life and death; il
seemed to her as though her own
fate as well as Johns depended up
on few words. to be spoken In the
coming half hour. ...~
The hour passed. She had seen
the groups of men passing from point
to point of the farm, until they
turned to the right of big red barn
and disappeared in the corn-patch
After that they we're lost to sight.
Noon came! One O'Clock The
dinner was ready, but she dared not
sound the horn.> The inspection was
no doubt successful, and they were
now chafferine for the sale of the
farm. Would they give the money
in cash ?-Hundreds-th
million? Susie's ideas on the subject
of the price of oil lands were very
unsettled.
Two o'clock came at last, and the
dinner, do what she would, was dried
to crisp. just as the clock struck,
Squire Peters and the stranger from
New York rode past the door. Susy
could not help listening intently for
any chance words she might hear.
"The land for the purposes of cul-
tivatlon," said the squire, s'is worth
less, perfectly worthless"
''Think so, eh? Now, near New
York, a man would make it pay gold
to the foot" looking with half shut
eyes down at the ground.
"How?"
"Berries. Finest varieties of ber-
ries;" and with that they passed out
of sight.
Still John did not come in. At
last Susy put on her sun-bonnet and
went through the garden, the truck
patch, the woods, in search of him.
She found him, after long search,
among the hay-mows, lying on his
face, his head covered with his arms.
&C. John, what is it ?'' ..z.5
He would not answer for a while.
Then he raised his head. Its my
luck!" he said savagely with an oath
such as never crossed his lips before.
''There will be a full yield on George
Harvey's farm, and on mine"- 8
.'sOn yours?"-breathlessly.>
"Not a drop. Now let ME alone!
I want no pity;" and he stalked away
into the woods.
But every cup, no matter how bit
ter, is drained at last. Months passed
by, George Harvey received from
the company sum for his land
which to his neighbors appeared a
pr!ncely fortune. Derricks and mills
are built. The oil poured out like
water. A branch railroad was built
from the city to the Harvey Mills
Harvey himself bade the village
goodbye, and went to one of the
Eastern cities to live. Reports soon
came back of his lavish extravaganza,
of Partisan clothes, of diamonds,
blooded horses.
Harvey lives like prince" peo-
pie SAID to John Alden. "He does
credit to his native town.
If there was no sarcastic emphasis
on the pronoun' meant, John fancied
it. AS for himself, he was in a NOR
bid, sullen despair for about year.
Nobody would buy his land except
for oil. 1t was an elephant on his
hands.