Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-01-10
DAILY SHORT STORY
TWO OLD FOOLS.
Copyright. 1904. by T. c. McCiure.l

years old Moses Jackson went 10 tne
nearest village TO buy n hoe. His wife
had asked him to drop into the Of
fee OF the Gazette and bring home a
bundle OF old papers for the pantry
shelves. He found the editor alone
and the paper about TO suspend for the
want Of patronage. The editor noted
the farmers wrinkled face. bent back
and discouraged look. and after some
general talk said:
Look here. Moses. you are an old
fool and I am ditto. You are grub
and l am dead broke because the peo-
pie here don't appreciate brains. Let's
go into partnership"
They sat and talked for an hour. and
the result was an article in the next
weeks Gazette that created talk all
over the country and within a week
had been copied all over the state.
There was a spring on the Jackson
farm which hardly any one but the
owner knew Of. and IL was announced
that the waters of this spring were a
sure cure for all kinds of skin diseases.
The editor gave half a dozen false
names and told dozen lies In the
article, but people with skin diseases
did not stop TO question this veracity.
The paper had been off the press
only day when they began to drive
up to the Jackson farm. They wanted
that water in bottles. jugs, kegs and
barrels. and the old farmer was on
hand to sell IL ut so much per gallon.
Inside of month he was shipping
spring water to points 400 miles away.
While he was busy at the spring his
wife was busy ut the house. Scores
and scores Of people were willing TO
pay 30 cents for n dinner, and before
the rush was over scores and scores
OF others paid so cents apiece for the
privilege of sleeping OH clean straw in
the barn.
The analysis of the spring water
pricked the bubble at last. and people
ceased to come or send in orders. Mo
ses went down to see the editor and
figure with him. AS they figured they
chuckled. When they had reached the
end Of IL the editor said:
Moses. our firm has taken in $1,000
in cash. Figure out the expense, and
we divide $1,000 You still have your
farm left. and 1 may tell you that the
Gazette has put on $50 new subscrib-
ers and has entered upon a boom with
n big Il. Go home and hoe corn and
say nothing. In about two weeks our
trap will be ready again
In the course of n fortnight the neigh
bOrs of Moses Jackson noticed a strange
woman about his house. but before
they lad time to ask questions the Ga
Zette came out with a two column art-
Gle and explained all. The strange wo-
man was Mother Clark, the great locat-
er of mines by means of the hazel rod.
She happened to be passing through
the district. and. to her surprise, her
hazel rod kept pointing to the Jackson
farm. She had felt it her duty TO stop
and tell Moses that great wealth lay
beneath the surface. 1t might be coal
or II might be gold, but 1t was there
for sure.
Again there was n rush tn the Jack
son farm. There were scores of diners
again ut so cents apiece. and this time
there were sleepers for the barn almost
by the hundred. People wanted to
prospect for that wealth, they wanted
privileges. they wanted options, they
wanted to go shares and work things
most any old way for mutual profit,
and the farm was torn up for the space
of two months before the last digger
got discouraged and quit Then Moses
went down to make n business call on
the editor. and the editor said to him:
I'VE haven't done quite as well as l
hoped for. but there is no kick coming
to us. We sold three options at ST.
coo each, and with the profits on meals
and dodgers the figures run to about
$4,000.
The next week the Gazette stated
that there was every reason to believe
that the rod pointed to oil instead Of
minerals and that II hoped to soon
chronicle great discovery. The dis
covery was made i'm time for the next
issue. and IL was a corker. Oil had
been found in such quantities that no
one could doubt the existence of a big
lake OF il under the Jackson farm.
There were some who doubted that
oil had been found, but their doubts
vanished as they reached the farm.
There were the well. the bucket and
the smell. Those who descended into
the well came up covered with grease
and convinced that petroleum was a
big thing. That the coal men had
failed was no reason why the oil men
should not succeed. A dozen specula
tors wanted options before the first
week was over. and every neighborfng
farmer who would sell or lease found
a customer at his door. Leases and
options were taken on the Jackson
farm TO the last acre, and when the
papers had been made out and the
money passed over the editor OF the
Gazette expressed his readiness to
figure again with Moses.
1.-The firm Of Moses Jackson & Co.
will now divide up the sum Of So,
00O," he said as he laid down his pen
ell. I'VE might have got more by hang
ing out. but we are no hogs. The man
who knows when he has got a good
n