Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-04

sands Of dollars had gone, with nothing to
show but an empty hole twelve houndred
~ afraid brought you bad luck, honey"
said Alice.
You are good luck enough just by your
self" Seth would answer. with all the cheer
he could muster.
After year they were nearly bankrupt
and the majority Of people had left Bat
sons Prairie, some with full purses, some
with fiat. In time, Seth realized that there
wells, paint the machinery to prevent rust
and wait for a new field.
Waiting Is hard work, and Seth had been
schooled to excitement Then for a while
there came enough Of that. Two lives were
in danger, one dearer than his own life,
one that was to be dearer.
Fortune favored them with a SMILE and,
according to the newspapers, Mother and
pected." Child weighed ten pounds, and
yelled like q Piute; and they named him
after his daddy.
The amateur father and mother used to
sit talking Of the prospects of their young
ster There was little else to do.
THE boy ought to have a bank" said
Seth.
They felt that they could hardly begin 1t
with less than a hundred dollars. They
used to sit and figure out how much that
would amount to at compound interest by
the time the child was old enough to vote.
Alice made 1t something like three million
dollars but Seth said she was Careless with
her noughts." Still, even as corrected. the
sum was very handsome. and they thought
into the little tin bank. 1t was pleasanter
thing to think of than the sum IN their own
bank for that dwindled daily. Often, when
Seth was famished for cigar, he pushed
the money through the little tin slot, and
smoked the aromatic weed Of hope.
But the baby was not many months old
when the oil field at Humble broke out. Seth
rushed to the scene and spent aumost his
la CT ont in Ion II 70 tch nod ire nd
Master Radford at hotel In Houston, and
joined the group of young men who took
the early morning train every day to
Humble and returned at night, dirty, dis
| heveled and tired, then washed up, dressed
up and marched into the dining room like
gentlemen and gilded youth with their
| handsome wives.
Five big wells came in while Seth was
drilling. The sixth was his, and a gusher.
He put a large bill in the babys bank.
In three days the well flowed hot salt
water No power could save it. 1t was
| like finding roll of thousand dollar bills
and afterward discovering that they are
| all counterfeit. Seth's next well escaped
and flowed proper oil enough to put him
a millionaire maker and then dissolved
| into tears:
Saline injection will save a dying mans
| life" said Seth. "but it's sure death to an
| The year had reached its "embers. y
Christmas was nearing. Seth had hoped
| to spend II in the north, and he had told
| Alice a lot about sleigh riding. She had
never Seen eteh a sled.
| But their plans weie now mainly con-
| versation for it was growing hard even to
| borrow money. Some distant relatives oil
| Seths who had heard of him when he was
| at the Waldorf rediscovered his existence
| and invited him and his family to a house
party. 1t meant three. besides railroad
fare. Seth declined glumly. -
I'VE shall have each other. honey
smiled Alice.
But we shant have snow" groaned the
northerner. I'm sick of roses. They
| don't belong on the porch at Christmas.
| want q white Christmas I'd give q mil