The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-08-06
TONY'S
SACRIFICE.
A Deal In Oil Lands That
Proved Disastrous.
BY Marguerite Stabler.

4 BY Marguerite Stabler. 4
0xo*e*0*o#0*0*oxo#0#0*0xO*G
Lambert of the Original Oil oligarchy
tucked his telegram into his breast pocket
with a loving little pat. This was the
moment he had been working and living
for all these months. veterinary daffo-
dill jinks," it read, and, translated by his
private cipher code, it meant he was to
go ahead, buy the whole tract and draw
on the company for the first payment.
The burning August sun beat relent-
lessly upon his unaccustomed head, his
collar took on the hue Of the road, his
face was blistered and his eyeballs scorch-
ed by the heat, but so absorbed was he
in the schemes that unrolled themselves
before him that he forgot to fume because
of his discomfort. He chuckled gleefully
to himself Notwithstanding the act in
volved the breathing of a mouthful of
Kern county dust, for this was the eli
max he had almost despaired of reaching.
Although he had never for moment lost
faith in the richness Of this little strip of
foothill country, the company had never
until now been willing to raise the money
for the first payment and the erection Of
the works necessary for its development,
and he had come to realize that of a
verify faith without works is dead"
His company was not rich; Lambert,
its heaviest stakeholder, was worse than
poor, being heels over head in debt.
There were plenty of people he did not
dare to meet because Of overdue notes
several clubs he could not go near on ac-
count of delinquent dues and numberless
underlined tradesmen who made his life
a burden. But in the success of this deal
he saw the end of all his troubles.
The loungers around the little hotel
eyed him curiously as he drove up and
followed at his heels as he made his way
into the Office, for such a turnout was
not often seen in that part of the country.
Lambert pushed his way through the
crowd without seeing them and drank
champagne to his rising fortunes as the
uncooled beer trickled down his dusty
throat. The name of johnson of the
Mammoth Mineral monopoly on the regis
ter made him open his eyes a trifie wider.
OF course there was no reason why John
son should not be there if he chose, but
there was a GOODNESS between the mem
bers of the two companies, especially be-
tween johnson and himself.
The county records showed the title Of
the land to be vested in one Antonio
Maria Lopez, so early the next morning
Lambert started off to find her. But once
out on the county roads, in the wastes of
brown stubble fields, the directions he
had received at the hotel became con-
fused. No one seemed to know anything
definite about the distance, and it had
been variously estimated at from "'bout
10 mile" to 20. After following for several
hours a road that seemed to have no
turning he looked about for some one of
whom he might inquire the way, and the
first sign of life that came in sight was
the figure of a woman walking toward
him. But when he was almost near
enough to address her she stopped. drew
her sunbonnet over her eyes, tucked her
skirts into one hand and scaled the four
rallied fence as neatly as a boy might
have done. Then, looking over her shout
der toward the dust cloud down the road,
she slipped behind a bowlder and waited
for the wheels to pass. AS the dust en-
veloped her in binding cloud the smart
trap was brought up short with a clank
ing of chains and silver mountings.
"Could you tell me whether or not this
is the road to the Lopez place?" Lambert
asked.
The sunbonnet jerked forward in an
affirmative nod.
''Then perhaps you will be so good as
to direct me to it," Lambert continued.
"Yep," answered the girl. Its right
here"
A pause followed, while the man in the
cart looked over the girls head at the
abomination of desolation epitomized in
the prospect before him-the tumble
down fences, the Imprinted, half finished
house, the rickety outbuildings-the at
the fororn little figure beside the bowl
der. His eyes sought hers for further in
formation, but the bonnet had closed
down over her features like the shell of
an oyster.
''Then, perhaps, you are Miss Lopez"
he ventured, "the heiress to the estate?"
"Nope," returned the bonnet, I'm
Tony Lopez My folks are dead, and
this here ranch won't be mine till I'm of
age; that's ALL
1t was evident, Lambert told himself
as he followed the girl to the house, that
the purchase would be an easy matter,
for she certainly had no idea of the value
of her scrawny acres. Lambert's repu-
tation was that he had ga way with wom-
en-" whatever that may mean, but GER
tain it is that when his gray eyes looked
straight out from their black lashes the
object they rested upon, provided it was
of the feminine gender, felt herself for
the moment the center of the universe,
and many a wiser girl than Tony might
tell you so. Perhaps that was the reason
she stammered and blushed, slipping her
ehinela on and off at the heel in embar
rassment, when he said, Have you ever
thought of selling your property, Miss
lopez"
Miss Lopez, to his surprise, he found
noncommittal to the last degree. All his
cross questioning elected nothing more
than a laconic Nope" Then Lambert
deliberately trained his gray eyes upon
her and smiled down into her little free
kled face, with the result that she told
him the whole story.
"Ye godsv' he calculated inwardly as
she explained that johnson of the Nam
moth Mineral monopoly had made her an
offer at figure that the Original Oil
oligarchy could never touch, much less
outbid. So this was not his own exclu-
stve scheme, after ALL The new debts ne
had incurred on the strength Of his pros
poets arose before him as he stared blank
ly at the wall Johnson's company was
rich, backed by substantial business men,
while his was worse than poor, It's heav-
lest stakeholder a miserable spendthrift
I'D to his ears in debt, his one hope now
shattered by Johnson's rivalry. john
sons ea2erness to get the land was only
another proof of its value. he must have
1t. he simply had to have it, and he would
have it, he was saying to himself, wnlle
Tony, her tongue once loosened, babbled
on, telling him the terms of Johnson's
proposition and ending by saying he had
pledged her to secrecy as to his part In 1t.
Lambert smoked long and furiously
that night over this new phase Of his
difficulties, and as the smoke wreaths
grew denser they evolved the vision of
rosy girl, with laughing eyes, who had
promised to share his fortunes, however
great they might be. Tony's little free
kled face, he remembered, always beam
ed with pleasure from the depth Of her
bonnet when she saw him, and Tony,
with q rich oil well back of her, and for
eign travel, private tutors, Paris gowns,
might in time become like other people,
but here the laughing blue eyes arose
through the smoke wreaths to mock him.
He drew the difference between this love-
" creature, the finished product of care
and cultivation, and little Mexican
What's-her-name slipping her chinela
on and off at the heel as she talked to
him Still, Tony was a good little thing;
she was slim and straight, and If she
could be induced not to tog herself out in
such outlandish colors she might be al
most pretty, he unused. Then he stopped
short and laughed at himself derisiyely.
What could it matter to him whether she
were pretty or not?
Tony was waiting for him the next
time his trap clattered down the dusty
road. She had that confding manner that