Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-01-25


the wife Of an oil prince caused her TO
throw n drag net over the unsuspecting
head of McWilliams. This net took the
shape Of n plausible argument 20 the
! effect that McWilliam's casual meetings
with the young woman were compro-
missing in their tendency, and that I'M
less McWilliams was enough in earnest
TO clear her name of reproach. he should
leave the country until the society Of
Oil City forgot him. This was arrant
humbug. as every liberal-minded wom-
AN in the oil country will attest; but. as
| have said, McWilliams was easily i'm
posed upon. Like n thorough-going
oil man he refused to let anything stand
between him and the oil well of his
dreams. and in n straightforward, hon
est sort Of way. he married the young
woman out of hand.
Mrs McWilliams ought To have been
happy; bat il the unsolicited testi-
mOny of disintcrested witnesses
may be allowed as evidence,
il would seem that she was
in n state of constant dissatisfaction
| and misery. With wariness truly
| Scotch i'm it, origin and tendency. Nc
/ Williams refused to launch into extrav-
/ agance i'm living until the capacity of
/ the PithOlc lease should be known. This
vexed Mrs. McWilliams beyond cndur-
/ ance; and il came to pass early in the
winter. when the lease failed To pro
! duco anything but the driest kind of
/ dry wells. that the indignant wife. de-
/ claring That McWil.iams had failed in
/ his duty toward her. left the oil coun-
/ try to try her fortunes elsewhere After
/ paying his wife's de Il, McNilliams-
/ now penniless anil friendless seated
/ himself on n stump on the hillside above
\ PithOlc and admitted To himself. with n
| dull feeling of satisfaction. that he was
/ down ON his luck.
! McWillams' luck had deserted him
at last! The hopeful man had waited
n long time for fortunes wheel 10 stop
/ in front of him; and now that il had
| stopped Tying spoke had Knocked
/ him down. Most strong AMI healthy
| persons will resent blow. even from
fate. With n Scotch slowness TO wrath
after picking himself up and seating
himself on the stump above the town -
/ McNilliams observed that his luck hal
j treated him cruelty. Sitting there.
watching the busy wells around him,
/ the putfs Of steam that foated away
| like snowy banners from painting en-
| gnes; hearing the rattle of machinery
and the clang of busy hammers. and
noting with sullcn brow the prospcri.y
/ of hundreds Of men beside him. Mo
I Williams gave reign To- his swelling
temper and with sturdy arm aimed
blows nc fate.
The pruccss Of il was altogether I'M
recognized 10y McWilliams. This re-
volt at fate was in another form. hut a
rcuunciation Of n religion, and the uti-
mate issue was neither argued with nor
/ questioned. The subtle sophistry of
unknown argument within him did not
find IL way to his lips. So far n, can
| be- learned his uttcrances were cmphat-
/ ic and communp.a, well. . said he.
81 guess I'm pretty low down now;
mcEs all gone To thunder. and no m =
take. Luck? To the deuce with luck,
! Who said anything about luck? There :
/ no such thing. Hard work makes il -
hard. II ally. pounding work"
The debate within him sent out no
bulletins To the public for several min
| uteS. vt length. when the sun suiTused
his thoughtful eyes with golden ra-
dance from the western hill-tops. Nc
Williams reused himself angrily, and
with little 10 the dickens with
luck!' strobe down To the town.
rate must have paused i'm surprise to
see its grandchild. Luck, so grievously
Haunted 10y hitherto harmless slave.
She must have respected him then. for
McWilliams was beyond her power.
He had taken his destiny into h own
hands.
The morning uf the twenty-ninth dav
Of January. 1866. saw McWilliams at
work with shovel on the edge of his
lease. lie was digging watpr-wcll.
'Most likely find quicksand or coal
bed here, he muttered rrimly.
''Drhled for oil and found saltwater on
the upper cdg'. Things seem 10 90
10y eontraric, with me-. Luck having
mo- come 'tiOn with this well. neither
Pwcksand nor Goals were found. but
water. pure. fresh spring water. in vol
llmc sufficient tO supply half the town.
Later in the day McWilliams Tut into
I the we'll a boN-pump of his own manu-
iacturc. and with the help of dozen
barrels and few lengths of two-incb
| iron pipe established the McWilliams
/ Water Works.
McWilliams was pretty low down on
his luck at thi, tine; for he was less
/ than newer Of wood he was n draw
or o. water. In Pithole i'm lSGj-G6 the
drawing of water was much moro
profitable than il had been i'm ancient
Palestine. I'm dry months wat re-
tailed at ten cents per drink and one
dollar per bucket; but i'm the closing
lays ct january sixty cents per barrel
a lss ;
months there was little danger of a
water famine. for, rs the price OF drink
ing-watcr increased. the demand fell
OF To- such an extent that % Reilly, n
saloon keeper wlrU had come 10 Pithole
with kcgOf liquor on his back and
tn rtecn era 'kcd glasses in h's pockets,
was enable 10 buy a diamond pm as
big as walnut and To run rs the popu-
lar candidate for Mayor At the time
when McWilliams broad ba K beran
To hcavc mp and down with the motion
of the pump handle. water was cheap
enough to drink. and yet not too ev-
penSive Tor an occasional cleansing o.
soied linen: 50 that at the end Of the
hrst days pumping McWilIams con
sidercd himself justified in looking for
ward 10 the time when he might nut i'm
Boiler and engine and steam pump.
At the close OF the second dav Me
Williams was so well satisfied with his
defiance Of fate. fortune and luck
that he determined 10 quit Ibis boarding
place. aad. for the sake Of economy.
take up his residence in an abandoned
engine-hOuse on his lease. The engine
house. was all that remained of his at
tempt To strike oil; the derrick. boiler.
engine and other machinery having
been sold to pay his quondam wife's
debts
With his hands engaged in purely
mechanical labor, the busy mind breaks
away from the mental office of the body
and scars into n worli of its own. The
minimizing hand plOds On. the quiet eve
performs its part: but ths mind. roam
ing at its will. builds castles. towns and
cities, paints pictures in bright array at
close OF day. until ambition. filed with
NUWNN AnNHN