The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-22

NO, SIT, wouldn't. Not for an IN
stant."
"H-hum," said the colonel. musing-
ly. ALLOW me to congratulate you,
Mr.. Smiley. Er-by the way, we
haven't seen much of you lately over
at the ranch. Where have you been
keeping yourself?"
live been-er-somewhat busy"
stammered Smiley.
Boring for Oil? Yes, I understand:
but you don't want to neglect your
social duties.' went on the colonel,
with sudden burst of cordiality. "All
work and no recreation won't do. Drop
over and see the-er-folks once in
awhile and stay to tea"
All right, will, thank YOU" said
smiley; and he more than kept his
word.
He dropped in at the Brandon ranch
thereafter not only once but twice in
awhile, and even oftener: and the
strange part of it was that the more
frequently he came the better Rer-
tha's father seemed to like it, and as
for Bertha herself-well she was as
happy as a girl generally is during the
rose-colored days of courtship espe-
cialiy when the course of true love is
running Unexpectedly smooth.
But one day puzzled look came over
her face and she said:
L wonder, Jack, what makes father
so wonderfully good, nowadays? Have
you hypnotized him?"
That's all right, Bertha" responded
Smiley. in a lordly, off-hand way
I've got him fixed all right, and all
you've got to do is to take things for
granted"
But how did you do it?" persisted
she.
"Oh, that's little secret between
ourselves. 1 don't think your father
would like to have me tell it, said
Jack, neutrality-suspicious. is, of course,
to anyone except my wife"
"Oh, dear" sighed Bertha. have !
got to wait two whole weeks to find
out?"
Looks like it," said Jack. calmly,
unless you change the date"
We'll, l shall not do that-unless ]
postpone it for a month just to punish
you. think you need discipling in
some wav."
you couldn't be so cruel as that,
could you, Bertha?"
'Yes-er-no, I don't believe 1 could
even II you do deserve it."
Several weeks later, when Mr.. and
Mrs. Smiley got back from their bril-
dal trip, the pleased colonel made over
a fair-sized fortune to the happy cou-
pie, and then began inquiring in a cas-
ual sort of way about Smiley's oil
strike.
"Of course" said he, pleasure
comes under the wire ahead of busl-
ness at a time like this, but it seems
to me you ought not to be neglecting
your new oil well any longer"
MY new oil well?" echoed Smiley,
innocently.
"Why, yes; didn't you tell me you'd
struck oil some weeks ago-the day
met you over on the creek road?"
81 believe l did" acknowledged
Smiley, with a guilty blush, but
didn't tell you the kind, or where
struck it, You see. when l met you,
had just been over here and proposed
to your daughter and been accepted
and / felt as If 1 were swimming in
the oil of gladness up to my ears
couldn't help it very well after winning
a girl like that, with the prospect of
having the biggest ranch owner and
leading citizen of the county for my
father-in-l aw-so when you asked me
if 1 had struck oil couldn't very well
get around admitting that I had
Couldn't, eh?" said the colonel,
with a fatherly-sort of Spartan faith
erly-smile. well, 1 guess you struck
oil all right, that time, Mr.. Smiley, and
SSetIS DGIlIld 10 ooAASAlCQ suppose VIC
may as we'll let by-gones be by-gones;
but 1 say, young man, don't you think
you'd shine to better advantage as a
lawyer, or a congressman, or an opera
tor in Wall street, or a railroad presi-
dent, or a trust magnate, or some such
position as that? Rounding up cattle
or boring for oil is altogether too pro-
sale and commonplace a business for
a young man with your Napoleonic
tactics and talents"
mo doubt you are right, father" In
terposed Bertha, shyly; but then, you
see, can't spare Jack from the ranch
not even to make railroad president
of him."
That's so: I came near forgetting
that you have the first claim on him, .
and the colonel's smile softened some
what. well, l guess We'll have to
consolidate the two ranches and make
Jack general manager of the whole
outfit. That will keep him pretty toll
erably busy, / guess, for six or eight
hours daily, and I'll depend on you to
keep him out of mischief the rest of the
time. Eth. Bertha?"
"All, right, dad: I'll take the con-
tract" said Bertha, throwing her
arms around her fathers neck and
sealing the bargain with a kiss.
And the matter was settled to the
complete satisfaction of everybody. in
Guiding the colonel.