The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-08-20

tne we'll Motrat and Hayden and tho othes
men, excepting one. withdrew, and sat o.
the green sward several rods away. The
man who renamed alone at the derrick was
famous character in the oil country. He
was known as the most cool-hesded torpedo
shooter sh in all that region. He completed
the work of preparation by pouring still
more of the MISUNDERSTANDING whitisa
fluid into the long tin tubes. and then low
cred them with the aid Of reel and line.
quickly but carefully, into the depths I >
meath the derrick. One hundred quarts o
lowered eight or nine hundred feet into tn.
bowels of the earth Heavy levers were
then placed over the iron casing, to avoiL
any chance of its being blown out Several
barrels of water were poured into the we'll
aud all was ready.
The man who was famed for his bravery in
shooting wells quickly dropped the heavy
iron known to oil men as sko devil" and
quietly walked away. The iron weight was
heard as 1t went rafting down through tbs
casing. and the silence Of death re'gnel f"r
u second. Suddenly the earth gave sligh,
shuuder, the nosr as OF the booming of dir
tant cannon was heard. and all was still!
again. Only for an instant, however A
simmer of gas was seen rising from the
WELL followed by great white column oil
watsr, streshed with yellow oil, which sho,
into the air hundreds Of feet with i mighty
rush and roar, like the sound of escaping
steam. The earth trembed. and pieccs OF
IRON and wood We're hurled INTO the ar from
the derrick and its fixtures. Amid the noise
and the roar the piercing p!aiatiVe cry of q
human being rent the air. 1t MAS the voice
OF Tom Hayden. He had left his friends on
the greensward and moved a few steps off 10
obtain better view of the explosion. A
large fragment of iron had been hurled from
the exploded well. striking him on the fore
head. He uttered one cry ana fetl backward
The cry startled the men, and Motfat rushed
through the dense spray of oil and water as
IL fell to the earth and reached the side OF
his friend and partner He seized Toms
hands and rubbed them. They We're warm,
and the eyes of the injured man parity
opened He recognized Moflat in an instant
Goodbye. ST" he gasped. I'm going to
die Take good care OF Mary, Si-and-the-
child
There was rattle in his throat, his hands
quivered and his eyes closed again. Motfat
placed his rough cheek against the body Of
his friend, but he could no longer hear the
beating OF the heart Tom Hayden Was
dead The sweet. faced Mary was widow
The sunny haired child was fatherlcss.
The oil towns of PENNSYLVANIA, many o.
them, are like mushrooms They grow "
In day and fade away in night. FiND
years later the town of Bigley was living
there in the woods as cold and still! and slen,
| as though its deserted buildings had ncve.
resounued to the tramp OF hurryiug feet or
| echoed the cang of the hammer and anvil.
| The oil had become exhausted, the hotel was
in ruins, and the huge, towering derricss
| looked like SO many skeletons as they
swaved to and fro in the wind often falling
IN c,umbiing heaps upon the ground. lha
runs OF buildings were scattered every
where and tall grass and moss covered the
| decaved tlmberS and the stone foundations
| OF 4 once prosperous town. Wild animals
strayed from the surrounding forest through
| the deserted streets. The silence of the city
| OF the dead prevailed throughout the town
| that was.
One afternoon stranger stepped from the
| woodland into tho grass-groHn street and
| walked past the ruins Of the hotel Ee car
| rled gun on his shoulder and game bag
| on his arm. Two hunting dogs ran ahead OF
hun, barking and causing the crumblin,
| walls TO re-echo their cries The stranger
! saw column of blue smoke curl from the
| chimney OF small cottage near the out
| skirts of the village hamlet. A man stood II,
| the gateway in front of the house with an ak
! on his shoulder.
The stranger approached him and opened
| conversation.
! "Wnv don't YOU 60 away from this deserted
| place." he inquired of the man with the AK
| A shadow OF pain crossed his face, and fol
| few moments he was silent
II could do better away" at length he said
but cantgo she wants me to stay
And she's'-your wife?'
sOn, no, Mary Toms wife-his widow, ]
| mean"
Sand Tomg"
My partner, sir-that is, he was my part
ner until-until-but he is dead now, slran-
ger, an I'm taking care of his widow and
one child. l promised him I'd do it and
will He was y city chap, you see, and ha
came here with a hot-house flower OF WIFI
an little money. He struck upa partner.
ship with me, for knew all about the oil
| business an he didn't lie got killed at the
| well. i'll the saddest way, and as he was dyin
promised to do the square thing by his
| widow. That's his grave over yonder on the
| hlll-the one with the flowers and the white
| stone on it. She wants TO stay here becauss
they lived here in the first days OF their r,ar-
ried life. When she gets over it, We'll 20
away; but what she wants | want, an so we
stay, Over by the blasted pine, yonder, is
your way out Goodbye. sir
Toms wife and the sunny-haired child Were
not without q friend.