Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-04-18
THE "GUSHER."

Old man Rabenhollz was n good naturcd
German, who ownnl farm In the oil
country. and ho talked mostly with hl.
hands, because he did not have q ready
command II words. His frau on the
contrary, planted her fists IN her sides aud
kept them there when she had anything
10 say, which was tho Gaze most Of the
time The old man once told Inc conf.
dentiAlly thu, she even talked In her sleep.
She used the German and tho English
idiom In n grotesquu mixture of her own
invention. with which 10 express views
that were strictly individual. very EN-.
phsfic. and evidently uneontradi6tablc. for
everybody agreed with her beforehand.
Their daughter Neronika, or Nroui Tor
short, hld beautiful blonde hair. blue eyes
aud a saucy dimplc In her chin.
Greasy Joe loved vroni and vroni re-.
turned his affection Sundays. ON week
days she had no regard for him, though he
boarded with the Habenholtkc.. because he
was very. very dirty. lie drilled oil wells.
and his working clothes shonc with every
known variety Of grease, from crude pctro-
leum TO machine oil, while odd strcaks
and patches Of plumbago aud axle grease
smeared hi. nose and cheeks.
On Sunday he disguised himself In clean
clothes and washed his facc aud hands.
Then he was quite prc-sntablc. aud vroni
liked him. Everybody else Ia the oil field.
liked jos, because he was hoiS'st aud good
naturcd, and liberal with his tobacco.
Frau Il,bcnholt1 had noticed the attach.
ment between the young people, but,
though she did not approve Of it, she did
not care TO say 10 In th. fear OF losing her
boar,ier.
ons day, however. she wns bending over
the kitchen fire, when vroni asked her;
MA, can | drive over To butler today
Joe wants me 10 20 with hun"
Ma knit her brows. placed her arms
akimbo. examined her daughter critically
from top TO toe with sharp, searching
look. and wanted TO know "whAt Ioef"
though she knsw we'll who was meant.
Nroni told her, and she rrtort.di
"Nein. you cannot ~, iyanl ~ hat YOU
ride away quick here To hollup cook der ain.
ner init me. You vas got no time 10 run
der goundry apout init dot greasy Tchoc.
He vas noddings. be Def got nOddlngs, und
ouf you hat der ~ cc Tor him oder hi,
boss. you pelder tafr der Won vat has der
most money. Money alone don't made YOU
happy onle-a you vas got some" with
which she handed the wooden cooking
spoon TO poor vroni and left the kitchen.
Now II happened that Joc's boss, "Dry
Hole Tim,N drove up 10 the house about
ten minutes later aud wanted 10 know "Ef
he could take my o. the folks down Butler
way Strange enough. Mrs. RAhonholts
seemed 10 forget entirely that she needed
Nroni In the kitchen, aud insisted upon
Der going To Butler with Tim 10 get some
baking powder and new washboard.
Nroni would have much preferred TO 20
with Ureasy Joe, aud she kept thinking OF
him all the way, though her oompAnlou
tried his very best TO be entertaining. IN.
certainly did not like Tim. nlbolt he was
very much batter looking than Joe, wore
good clothes every day, and worn an i'm.
ioense imitation diamond In his necktie.
Hut he had the reputation OF being "a
rogue and Of being given 20 sharp prnc.
ties. One OF the stories told Of him was
that, when Informed that "a we'll he wa.
drilling had struck harl sand and no oil.
he said, well, then, the division will lie
M much easier, because there are twelve.
eighths Of this we'll sold" lie had dlsposod
OF an eighth Interest TO twelve different
men, and Ia the end, Of course, no one re-.
cciycd any benefit except himself.
Fate, however, seemed 10 be AGAINST
Tim. despite his Vaccinations, for out OF
seventeen wells which he had drilled mo-
isS than thirteen proved unproductiye-
dry holes, ~ they aro called. Hence his
nickname.
Nroni laid her plans for giving her escort
the slip while he was talking, aud she ala
u heautifully. And Tim saw hor no mora
mat day after once they had pat up the
horse At the livery stable.
Doc Stewart tells Ine that at dusk he
met two very happy young people driving
toward the RabenholtE farm one Of them
was vronl, tho other was not Dry Hole
Tin, but might have been Greasy Joe.
The doctor does not know the latter 4, h.n
dressed up, lscauss he had only seen him
In working clothes.
When II ia stated here that old man Rab.
ehholt] remained strictly neutral In the
matter concerning his daughters prefer
ehee, then the foregoing will sullicp 10 do.
me the mutual feeling, Of tho actors 10
The story which follows,
The habcnholtz farm Of if5 acre. VIVA
considered desirable property by oil men.
o,ing situated on what operation call tho
OIL Hlt' nut the old man had 70 far 10.
FRAMED from leasing the right % prospect
Tor OIL thereon, until Dry Hole Tim, with
the assistance Of Frau Rabenholtz, had nm.
vailed upon him To lease II for u consldera.
Won Of ilvo dollas an aero annually, with
TIN as lessee.
They used TO have n barrel of-well, thoy
had barrel over ut the farm every san.
day, and Squire Schaiihouser, Of Butler.
made II polnt Of honor to assist in empt,'
ing The Aforesaid barrel
30 one Sunday the old farmer asked him
after dinner TO draw up the lease. Tiut In
sisted upon the date OF the contract Rim,
changed TO a day or two ahead In orl,r ~
make II legal. As nobody know what dny
Of the month II was Vroni fetched tbs
Farmer Almanac aud Cron AdyI.erii
from the wall pocket In the kitchen.
The lease was dated Aug. 10. which ,,.
eording 10 the almanac, would bc tho rp,..
day following.
Squire Schnfihou~r had been ,,,h..
sslnnous In the matter Of cmntyinp tbe
barrel, aud consequently thlna, In s, 'Hs
erai, and the oil lease In particular an.
ye.rd to him utterly frivolous and ,lnim.
~rsan" He scarcely knew what he wa,