The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-11-10
Luck Did It
By RUTH GRAHAM
Copyright. 1910 by American Press
Association.

| y. 81
ny. who was but twenty years old.
had nothing laid up. and Kitty's father
didn't purpose to support his daughter
and her husband too So he forbade
the match. Philip Bowers was farm
er who prided himself on having
made himself comfortable by hard
work and good judgment
You've got to begin" he said to
| his would be son-in-law. 1.-The way ]
| began. | was a farm hand. and OF
every dollar earned l saved half.
| When | got small lump together !
loaned it at a big interest till Id got
enough together to buy this farm.
part cash and part mortgage. | had
to live close to pay the mortgage. but
did it. and now I'm prosperous"
Didn't luck have anything to do
with it:" asked Johnny.
Not a bit. Never had any luck in
| spite of luck"
Johnny asked Kit to meet him out
on a projecting corner of her fathers
| farm to talk matters over. They chose
| this spot because it was far from the
house and they were not liable to
! ductive piece of ground that had been
, tackled on to the farm in order to sell
it.
Johnny and Kit looked at the stu
alton and saw no comfort in it. John
had no one to help him, and Kit knew
her father too well to expect any
help from him.
There was not 500 to be scraped
together between the two. Kit said
she would wait. but John. who
was an impatient fellow. didn't wish
to wait He said that to 60 about the
problem of life as Mr.. Bowers pro-
posed would be impossible to man
Of his disposition. He told Kit that
he would go out into the world and
do what he could. She could wait for
him or not. as she chose. If he had
any luck he would come back and
claim her: If not. she might marry some
one else in case she got good offer.
Kit babe him goodby with streaming
eyes and went home. while he stood
looking after her. When she reached
q point where she would pass from
his view she turned. threw him kiss.
which be returned. and then she dis
appeared.
The only consolation Johnny had
was his pipe. He took 1t out Of his
pocket. filled 1t and sat down on the
ground for a smoke. 1t was one Of
those warm sultry days that some
times come just before the collapse Of
summer. Johnny sank lower and low
er on the ground till at last he was
sprawled at full length. Then he
turned on his side with his nose not
two inches above the earth
"Some one." he said to himself. must
have spilled kerosene here can smell
it." He put his nose fat down on the
mistakable. He moved short dis
lance. shifted again and got the same
odor. After testing several locations
he found that the odor was strongest
where he had. first smelled it. but il
was so scattered that it could not have
come from the overturning Of can of
kerosene Johnny had discovered coal
Oil on Mr., Bowers ground.
That night he returned with spade
and dug hole where he had first de-
tected the odor. The deeper be dug
the more perceptible the odor, When
he was satisfied he filed the hole, OBJ
liberated the marks Of it and Went
away.
A few days later Farmer Griggs.
owning land adjoining the Bowers
farm. dckered with Bowers for the
corner Of the farm on which John and
Kitty had parted and bought it for a
song 1t was decided to Griggs, who
decided it to John O'Neil and a man
he had induced to advance the money
for it's purchase. One morning Mr..
Bowers saw preparations for boring
ON the property he had sold. He was
much interested. All day he could hear
the noise of the boring. Then there
was stopping of the work for two
months, at the end of which time it
was recommended. After several of
these stops. covering a period Of nearly
year. Mr.. Bowers heard something
that astonished him. Rushing out to
where the men were boring. he saw
a stream of oil shooting up toward
the sky.
Bowers was much disgruntled that
Soma ono had discovered oil on his
property and had got it from him for
a paltry sum. He tried to find out
who were the lucky parties, but failed.
Meanwhile the Eagle Oil company was
organized, but the well was soon sold
out to the Universal Oil company and
was merged into its extensive proper
ties.
One day Johnny O'Neil appeared at
the Bowers farm dressed in city
clothes and with all appearance OF
prosperity. Indeed. he drove up in a
$500 automobile. He said he came for
Kitty and after a showing Of his as
sets to her father had no difficulty
in getting her. Just before the young
mans departure AIR. Bowers asked:
Glow did you do it. Johnny"
luck" replied Johnny as he was
whirled away.
After Johnny and Kit were married
Mr.. Bowers made another attempt to