The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-04-14


when Seth Radford. Jr. was born.
Seth Radford. Sr. had opened accosnt
for him in small tin institution, with paid up
capital CT 500 and with guaranteed interest or
1000 per cent. per snnum In exactly three months
ment and while the baby was not looking the
father looted the bank. All he left behind was a
little note-here's the very note. this is what he
wrote
demand Drom.e to Seth Raafora 5
of I 90 per cent month. Value received
Seth Radford sr'
IT was against the CHARGE such usury. and
bahv uae beginninp life like 2 hfeh fnancier He
would certainly have been investigated and 70
the penitanarv ~ the transaction had been discov-
cred nv an-. Of the MAGAZINE e1erths and nointed
out TO anv Of the new district attorneys
Two months passed and Seth Sr. had not vet
casionaI1v slfrpire through the slot in the bank
casual fretalrent of dfnes. quarters dollar bills
As the babv- re apparenty Indifferent 70
aneAd books: never counted his pettv
cash His r1ain interest IN was small bunch
~ INVESTIGATION mink and chubby toes He was
r"ieer Nth resnect 70 these. and seemed alwavs
that Or ther, would Get lost Resides his
raotbar copetanf1v looking them over. and
threatening n bitn them off and she such
greedy person that he could be quite sure OF
The rnnfHed rattle Of the in his bank made
music 70 Seth. Tr.'s. fower-likn little ears
IN for fbA fozArth time he pushed his hank con
tnrnotuons1v 10 the floor. and returned 70 the nnm
herring NJ his foes Sr. had already picked
the hank and restored il eleven times. but now
the thud of it caught his attention from mood
hahv had MANAGED to dissipate
Fortune had been havfng with Mr. Radford
It he'd n1ayed seesaw with hin for two wears one
month he soaring stewards. a rich youth; the
navt month he bumned terra frma-with the ac-
.he frrna Just now he was off the plank
entirely Eat IN the ground. bruised aching; and
the board high ont Of reach
Two 1nare before he had srdden'r realf7c1 +hat
he was He had seen his mother laid N 4
1ttt1o g-ave 1ongsde the grave of rather The
Of his birth and his youth suddenlr ceased 70
home to him He resolved TO strike out into
tho unknown
HIS assets little cash. good deal % ~
rrositv and fairv-nursa If self-renewinp hone He
decided that New Fne1and was moor nlaca TO he
Gin small Texas was its antipodes. yorns. big not
faded Southwest he set his course. and arrived in
Galveston the Beaumont oil fields burst into
with all the world amazing fury Of their own
Fushers-
Young Padford knew less about the oil business
than even the Pennsvlranin ayuerts who came into
the field with or traditions of Row TO handle slow
fishers with tarnons on their hooks Rankruntrtes
and fortunes danced before tho orlool1er's owes.
while whole lakes of subterrene grease evnloded
through Tong pines. filled tho air with hvdro-car-
homie trphoons- and settled on the ground In unc-
tuous rivers of urholv smell.
New England like this said Rad
ford .hut 1T looks interesting as we'll as instruct
I've He hired himself ont rs helper = drilling
RIG 70 learn the trade-if trade # to gamble
with earths "innards' in such uncertain. but epic
fashion.
Promotions rapid. for derricts wore snring-
Ing MP fast as hammers could we'd nail and pine
Before he of it. Radford who but
terdav had not known chain-tonG from a fsh-
tail drill-blit was invited take charge of brand
new derrick Then the number of earthward sticks
began to gain on the inward eorv Peop'e came
anybody rish without doubt. hut which the present
owners for)various reasons Of health: family etc
in New England He not convinced,
The oil fever began to lag in Texas Then came
great find at Batsons Prairie. There was an
overnight exodus Seth arrived among the earliest
on COW ronv after blowing through swamps at
bought little shoestring strip of ground before
the prices had jumped far AS as the
derrick was up. and the pine down. he brought in
gusher big that he could not get tanks fast
enough to hold the oil He saw liquid dollars be
most of them he managed TO capture.
He named the well the "Alice'-after a certain
The nrice of oil was high The Southern Pacific
was using 1t on the engines. and the supply was
short
Factories began to burn it instead of coal Re
fore Radford quite realized it, he was worth about
He called himself genius He was Koa' OH
present to his native town-a library?-a manual
trainins school? or park? He wrote to Alice to
first he had met after he struck Texas. One
oT eae words % aw
Southern speech TO paralyze all his powers Of re-
sfstance.
= Hfs heart looked no farther 1t said "J'y suis:
~ reste'
He had not known her long When he came TO
North had seeded from the South and from all
defeats emerged victorious only because the South
err generals were too gentlemanly to fight any
longer WIN nlgSer-StealerS
Before he had left Galveston he had partly per-
suaded Alice to forgive him for being born in the
odious North At Beaumont he had dreamed of
her. of her Southern graces her Southern subteties
of tact and beauty Her every mannerism an
angels trait He endured the mud. the grease the
fatigue. the fever because he hoped it would some
day bring him the wealth that she ought o have
And he had $4,000 his own and more
pouring in. He her and said:
My Darling:
l can't live without you any longer Can
you love me? Will you marry me?
Seth"
He haunted the post-orfce shack for her an
sver- But If came by wire. Just Yes yes
N. -