The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1884-01-26

quicksand and disappeared; no one
cared about a white mans life, much
less negro's. What was it-what was
fate's revengep
The crowd pressed like madmon about
the pump. Greasy drillers, with strong,
rude motions, elbowed aside less stall
wart men and trod on the toes of finely
dressed spectators from the East.
| Small men went down like straws in the
crush, and were carried out half stran-
gled. Employer fought with workman
for places at the pump.
What new misfortune is thisP' cried
McWilliams, as a man dashed past him.
"They pumped your well dry and"
The runner was gone before the sentence
could be finished. is nsF
The well had gone dry! This was
enough to start with. What next? Nc
Williams forced his way into the crowd
with fierce energy. Men recognized
him and gave him room.
The pump-handle was flying up and
down like a runaway walking beam.
Then McWilliams, crowdiug forward,
suddenly stopped. Something there -
there where his eyes were chained-sent
the blood back upon his heart, and
left his cheeks and lips like ashes. 1t
was oil!
McWilliams' luck had run on to its
uttermost limit; il had done its worst,
and here was the result. McWilliams
had pumped for water and found DILL
The first of the wonderful surface wells
of Pithole had been struck Did Nc
Williams care? No; for in that trying
moment, when the sun threw the ra-
| of hot ,--l Nf Ill
into his staring eyes, the Scotch per-
verseness held its own. He had done
with fate and luck forever.
"'Fore God, Massa," shouted the
negro, as he caught sight of McWil-
liams in the crowd, '1sc po'fuI glad to
see you. pump dis yer thing for de
fire, an de mo- dey frows on de mo- de
fire burns" .#E -F
The negro was right. 1t will be re-
membered that the discovery of the ia
nous surface wells was due to the fire
on Holmden street. In SPECIFICS
amazement the firemen saw streams of
water turn to fire and go blazing heav-
onward. When it became known that
the water well on the hillside was
belching forth a torrent of oil, the fire
lost all attraction except to the hotel
proprietors and persons financially in
terested. For full description of the
scene l cheerfully refer the reader to
the flowing English of the Pithole Rec
ord of February 5, 1866.
McWilliams received this gift of fort
une with sullen thankfulness; much
in the same spirit as that in which an
angry, willful child accepts favor that
it has fought for. He took what was
: given, but there was no concession in
word or thought. 1t was part of his
resolution to take things as they come
he had already learned to part with
them as they 60; which was much the
|, harder.
need not detail the events follow
ing the discovery of the Pithole surface
, wells. Having served their purpose
these wells fell away to nothing. They
, were but the heralds of that greater fall,
in which Pithole itself went down into
material oblivion Flower and fern
bloom and wave over its ruins now.
McWilliams sold his lease when
prices sat on the very summit of their
) wild glory, and following the line OF
, development into other fields bought
: cautiously and wisely. He gained the
} reputation of being a careful operator
IA man who, having nothing tC
= chance, pounded away, until success,
through sheer WEAKNESS, gave up hel
? store of wealth. Fortune tried to play
2 with him once or twice, but gave up in
despair. Nothing could withstand the
careful attention to detail with which
he hammered away at his own ideas.
Mrs. McWilliams returned with the
| intention of setting up brilliant es
Enlistment. She went away again witt
check for five thousand dollars in hel
pocket. In exchange she had given g
written promise never to return. AS
have suggested elsewhere, it was al
easy thing to impose upon McWilliams
A month afterward she was lost in. &
storm, while on her way to Europe.
Last winter, while standing as an idle
visitor in the correspondents gallery il
the House of Representatives ut Wash
! ington, l heard a strong, steady, famil
lar voice deliver speech on the tariff
question. The honorable member wen
at his subject hammer and tongs, anC
) by his logged earnestness claimed tn,
close attention of the whole House
) Something in his gesture, in a forgetfu
mOmenC, spun me DUCK 10 Jne OIL TO
5 gions. 1t was McWilliamsl
AS he finished his speech he saw mt
and fastened up stairs to meet me. Hi
5 grip was stronger and even more per
| sistent than his speech.
"How's your luck, McWilliamsP
: asked, when the first explosion of good
will on both sides were over.
= He laughed.
: "Oh. hang the luck" said he, :"
: never think of it. All the luck there il
| in life is that which you can pound on
3 with your fist. It's hard work anC