New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-08-11

prsmely happy. these thrce-tke tan am.
slender young man. the delicate wife, an i
the sunny haired child The little once
happiness was increased, perhaps, whla
81 Aoffat brought her candies and sweets
from the new store. The town had grown
and there We're two stores now.
One morning in June Hayden left his
home, after kissing his wife and prattling
daughter, and. joining Mofat at the post
Office, the two men started afoot for the
location Of one Of their new wells just out
that morning. The derrick stood in little
valley a few hundred feet from the main
road "A wagon load Of glycerine was
already on the ground when the men ar
rived, and a6core of square cans containing
the deadly explosive stood about the der
rick The preparations were quickly made
and the dangerous substance was placed IN
the well Moffat and Hayden and the other
men, excepting one. withdrew, and sat on
the green sward several rods away. The
man who.1emalned alone 1t the derrick was
famous character in the oil country be
was known as the most cool-headed torpedo
shooter in all that region He completed
more of the inofensive-look1ng whitish
fluid into the long tin tubes, and then low
cred them with the aid of 4 reel and line,
quicklv!but carefully, into the depths be-
meath the derrick. One hundred quarts OF a:
most dangerous explosive had thus been
lowered eight or nine hundred feet into the
bowels >of the earth Heavy levers were
then placed over the iron casing, to avoid
any chance of its being blown out Several
barrels of water wero poured into the well,
and all was ready.
The man who was famed for his bravery In
shooting wells quickly cropped the heavy
iron known to oil men as @go-devil" and
quietly walked away. The iron weight was
heard as it went rafting down through the
casing. and the silence of death reigned for
q second. suddenly the earth gave slight
shudder, the nose as Of the booming OF dia-
tant cannon was heard. and all was still
again. Only for an instant, however. A
simmer sof gas was seen rising from the
well, followed by great white column OF
water, streaked with yellow oil, which shot
into the air hundreds of feet with mighty
rush and roar, like the sound of escaping
steam. Dhe earth trembled. and pieces OF
iron and wood were hurled into the air from
the derrick and its fixtures. Amid the noise
and the roar the piercing. plaintive cry Of .
human being rent the air It was the voice
of Tom Hayden. He had left his friends on
the greensward and moved . few steps off to
obtain IN better view of the explosion. A
large fragment Of iron had been hurled from
tho exploded well. striking him ON the fore
head .He7uttered one cry and fell backward.
The cry staEtled the men, and Molfat rushed
through thetdense spray of oil and water a.
It fell to the earth and reached the side OF
his friend and partner. He seized Toms
hands and rubbed them. They were warm,
opened He recognized Moffat in an instant.
Goodbye, 81" he gasped Sim going to
die: Take good care of Mary, Si-and-the-
child"
There was q rattle in his throat, his hands
quivered and his eyes closed again Nohat
placed his rough cheek against the body Of
bis friend, but he could no longer hear the
beating Of the heart Tom Hayden was
dead The sweet-faced Mary was widow
The sunny hatred child was tatherlesA
The oil towns Of Pennsylvania, many OF
In day and fade away in night Five
years later the town of Blgley was lying
there in tho woods as cold and still and silent
rs though it's deserted buildings had never
resounded to the tramp Of hurrying feet or
echoed the clane of the hammer and anvil
The oil had become exhausted, the hotel was
in RUINS and the huge, towering dericka
looked like SO many skeletons as they
swayed to and fro in the wind, often falling
In crumbling heaps upon the ground The
ruins Of buildings were scattered eweYy-
where, and tall grass and moss covered the
decayed timbors and the stone foundations
of once prosperous town. Wild animals
strayed from the surrounding forest through
the deserted streets Tho silence Of the city
of the dead prevailed throughout the town
that was
One afternoon stranger stepped FROM the
woodland into tho grass grown street and
walked past the ruins of the hotel He car
r1ed gun on his shoulder and game bag
on bis arm. Two hunting dogs ran ahead OF
him. barking and causing the crumbling
walls to re-echo their cries The stranger
saw column Of blue smoke curl from the
Of . small cottage near the out
skirts of the village hamlee man stood at
the gateway in front of the house with An az
on his shoulder:
The stranger approached him and opened
SWhy don't you go away from this deserted
placer" he inquired of the man with the ak
AAshadow OF pain crossed his face, and fo1
, few moments he was silent
Icould do better away" at length he said,
@And 'she's'-your wife,"
*oh, no, Mary. Toms wife-his widow, !
mean"
Sand Tom?"
my partner, sir-that ts, he was my part
ner Individuality he is dead now, stran-
ger, an I'm taking care Of his widow and
one child promised him I'd do it and
will He was city chap, you see, and he
came here with a dollhouse flower of wife
an little money. He struck up partner
ship with me, for knew all about the oil
business, an he didn't He got killed at the
well. in 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
mne with the flowers and the white
stone on it She wants to stay here because
they lived here in the first days of their mar
ried life. When she gets over it, We'll 60
away; butswhat she wants want, an 80 we
stay Over by the blasted pine, yonder, is
your way out Goodbye, sir
Honest 81 Moffat was true to his trust
TOMS wife and the sunny haired child were
not withouta friend
Pay of congressman.