The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-10
THE "GUSHER."

invention, with which to express view
that were strictly individual very EN-
phatic and evidently uncontradictable, fo
everybody agreed with her beforehand.
Their daughter Veronica, or Vroni TO
short, had beautiful blonde hair, blue eye
and a saucy dimple in her chin.
Greasy Joe loved Vroni and Vroni re
turned his affection-Sundays. On weel
days she had no regard for him, though h
boarded with the Rabenholtzes, because h
was very, very dirty. He drilled oil wells
and his working clothes shone with ever.
known variety of grease from crude petro
leum to machine Oil, while odd streak
and patches of plumbago and axle greas
| smeared his nose and cheeks.
On Sunday he disguised himself in clear
clothes and washed his face and hands
Then he was quite presentable, and Vron
| liked him. Everybody else in the oil fields
! liked Joe, because he was honest and goot
natured, and liberal with his tobacco.
Frau Rabenholtz had noticed the attach
ment between the young people, but
| though she did not approve of it, she die
not care to say so in the fear of losing bel
| boarder.
One day, however, she was bending ovel
| the kitchen fire, when Vroni asked her:
'Ma, can 1 drive over to Butler today
Joe wants me to go with him"
Ma knit her brows, placed her arms
akimbo. examined her daughter critically
from top to toe with a sharp, searching
look. and wanted to know "What Joe?''
though she knew well who was meant.
Vroni told her, and she retorted:
''Nein, you cannot 90. Ivant to hat you
,i1ly lo11,
ner nit me. You vas got no time to run
der goundry apout NIT dot greasy Tchoe.
He vas holdings, he hef got holdings, und
ouf you hat der choice for him oder his
boss, you pedder take der Won vat has der
most money. Money alone don't made you
happy onless you vas got some" with
which she handed the wooden cooking
spoon to poor Vroni and left the kitchen
Now it happened that Joe's boss, DRY
Hole Tim" drove up to the house about
ten minutes later and wanted to know "Ef
he could take my O. the folks down Butler
way' Strange enough, Mrs. Rabenholtz
seemed to forget entirely that she needed
Vroni in the kitchen, and insisted upon
her going to Butler with Tim to get some
baking powder and new dashboard.
Vroni would have much preferred to go
with Greasy Joe, and she kept thinking of
him all the way, though her companion
tried his very best to be entertaining She
certainly did not like Tim, albeit he was
very much better looking than Joe, wore
good clothes every day, and wore an inn
mense imitation diamond in his necktie.
But he had the reputation of being a
rogue and of being given to sharp prac-
tices. One of the stories told of him was
that, when informed that well he was
drilling had struck hard sand and no oil,
he said, well, then, the division will be
so much easier, because there are twelve
eighths of this well sold" He had disposed
of an eighth interest to twelve different
men, and in the end, of course, no one re-
ceived any benefit except himself
Fate, however, seemed to be against
Tim, despite his Vaccinations, for out of
seventeen wells which he had drilled no
less than thirteen proved unproductive-
dry holes, as they are called. Hence his
nickname.
Vroni laid her plans for giving her escort
the slip while he was talking, and she did
it beautifully. And Tim saw her no more
that day after once they had put up the
horse at the livery stable
Doc Stewart tells me that at dusk he
met two very happy young people driving
toward the Rabenholtz farm One of them
was Vroni; the other was not Dry Hole
Tim, but might have been Greasy Joe
The doctor does not know the latter when
dressed up, because he had oRly seen him
in working clothes.
When it is stated here that old man Rab
enholtz remained strictly neutral in the
ms
ence, then the foregoing Will suffice to de-
fine the mutual feelings of the actors in
the story which follows.
The Rabenholtz farm of I75 acres was
considered desirable property by oil men,
being situated on what operators call the
oil belt. But the old man had so far re-
Trained from leasing the right to prospect
for oil thereon, until Dry Hole Tim, with
the assistance of Frau Rabenholtz, had pre-
vailed upon him to lease it for considera-
ton of five dollars an acre annually, with
Tim as lessee.
They used to have barrel of-well, they
had barrel over at the farm every Sun
day, and Squire Schaffhouser, of Butler.
made it point of honor to assist in empty
ing the aforesaid barrel.
So one Sunday the old farmer asked him
after dinner to draw up the lease. Tim in
sisted upon the date of the contract being
changed ~ day or two ahead in order to
make it legal. As nobody knew what day
of the month il was Vroni fetched the
Farmers Almanac and Crop Adviser"
from the wall pocket in the kitchen.
The lease was dated Aug. l9, which, &C
cordlug TO the almanac, would be the Tues
day following
Squire Schaffhouser had been rather |
asSiduous in the matter of emptying the |
barrel, and consequently things in gen |
erai, and the oil lease in particular, ap- |
peared TO him utterly frivolous and unim- |
portant. He scarcely knew what he was |
writing, and neither he nor old Raben- /
hoitz. nor Joe, who stood by, noticed that /
the paper read, land agrees 20 lease his /
farm, situate In - township, county OF /
Butler, state Of PENNSYLVANIA. consisting |
OF rs acres, at a rental of five dollars per
annum" instead of five dollars per acre
per annum."
Tim noticed the mistake.
Quick Is fash he revolved the alterus.
i've of losing the good will of the Raben.
or saving money on the one hand
With possibility, though no probability. of
winning Nroni; on the other clear money
'aviu., ot $50. Greed prevailed As soon
Is The lease WAS approved OF and signed
,nd the signatures verified by the squire
Dry Hole Tim folded the document, placed
{ in his breast pocket, buttoned the coat
md handed the asSonished farmer five
iSllsr gold MEGA