Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-08-30
his sister worshipped SO faithfully.

naggaru lace, Wnlcn showed ne slept
but little.
To-day" he said to Susie, "it will
be all settled. The Inspector from
New York will be here by 10 O'clock.
In an hour he can tell if there is any
oil on the land. He is an expert you
understand. If there is any, | will
sell and build a house like Squire
Peters's, and then Susie-who knows !
i might marry. 1 am as old as Ben
Scott"
eyes, that is true"
She could not bear to discourage
him by hint of defeat. He watched
nervously by the door for the men to
appear, and when he saw them coming
the New York expert, one or @o of
the proposed stockholders in the new
company, and Squire Peters himself
he snatched up his hat and hurried
down the road to meet them.
Even Susie's heart throbbed fast.
She told herself in vain that it was not
a matter of life and death |; it seemed to
her that her own fate as well as Johns
depended on a 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 10
the right of big red barn, and disap-
peared in the corn patch. After that
they were 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
chaffering for the sale of the farm.
Would they give the money in cash !?
Hundreds -thousands--a million? Her
ideas on the subject of the price of oil
or oil lands was 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. Susie
could not help listening intently for
any chance words she might hear.
"The land for the purpose of cultiva.
ton is worthless, perfectly worthless, "
said the squire.
"Think so, Ell? Now near New
York a man would make it pay gold
to the foot" looking with halfshut
eyes down to the ground.
"How?"
"Berries. Finest varieties Of berries"
and with that they passed out OF sight.
Still John did not come in. At last
Susie put on her sun>bonnet and went
through the garden, the truck patch,
the woods, in search of him.
She found him after a long search,
among the hay mows, lying on his face,
his head covered with his arms.
ooh John what is it?"
He would not answer for a while.
Then he raised his head. "It's my
luck !" he said savagely with an oath
such as never crossed his lips before.
"There will be full yield on George
Harvey's farm, and on nine
"On yours ?" breathlessly.
"Not drop. Now let me alone
l want no pity" and he stalked away
into the woods.
But every cup, no matter how bitter,
is drained at last. Months passed by,
George Harvey received from the COM
pany a sum for his land which TO his
neighbors appeared a princely fortune.
Derricks and mills were built. The oil
poured out like water. A branch rail
road was built from the city to the
"Harvey Mills"
Harvey himself babe the village
goodbye, and went TO one of the East.
ern cities to live. Reports soon came
back of his lavish extravaganza, Of
Partisan clothes, of diamonds, blooded
horses.
"HarveY lives like prince" people
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 morbid,
sullen desnain for ahout q wear No.