The Washington bee., 1911-08-19
Luck Did 1t
By RUTH GRAHAM

Johnny O'Nen and Kitty Bowers
were two young things who loved each
other and wished to marry. But John
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 a farm
er who prided himself on having
made himself comfortable by hard
work and good judgment.
You've got to begin," be said to
his would be sOn-in-law, the way l
began. l was a farm hand, and of
every dollar l earned l saved a half.
When l got small lump together 1
loaned it at big interest till I'd got
enough together to buy this farm,
part cash and part mortgage. l had
to live close to pay the mortgage, but l
did it, and now I'm prosperous"
Didn't luck have anything to do
with it," asked Johnny.
mot bit. Never had any luck in
my life. What I've got I've made 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
interruption there. It was an unprO-
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 we'll to expect any
! help from him.
There was not $50 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 go about the
problem Of life as Mr.. Bowers pro-
posed would be impossible to a 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 a good offer.
Kit bade him gOOdby with streaming
eyes and went home. while he stood
looking after her. When she reached
a point where she would pass FROM
his view she turned, threw him a kiss,
which he returned, and then she dis
appeared.
The only consolation Johnny had
was his pipe. He took it out Of his
pocket. filed it 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
sprawIed 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 fiat down on the
surface and shifted. The odOr was un-
mistakable He moved short dis
I
OdOr After testing several locations
| he found that the OdOr was strongest
where he had first smelled it, but it
was so scattered that it could not have
come from the Overturning of a can Of
| kerosene. Johnny had discovered coal
oil on Mr. Bowers ground.
That night he returned with a spade
and dug hole where he had first de
T tected the OdOr. The deeper he dug
/ the more perceptible the OdOr. When
he was satisfied he filled the hole, OBJ
liberated the marks of it and went
away.
\ few days later Farmer Griggs.
, owning land adjoining the Bowers
| farm, dickered with Bowers for the
corner of the farm on which John and
Kitty had parted and bought it for Il
song. 1t was decided to Griggs. who
decided it to John O'Neil and man
he had induced to advance the money
| for its 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 Il 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
stream of oil shooting up toward
the sky.
Bowers was much diSgruntled that
some one had discovered oil on his
property and had got it from him for
paltry sum. He tried to find out
who were the lucky parties, but failed
Meanwhile the Eagle Oil company was
organized but the we'll 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 I'll appearance of
| prosperity Indeed. he drove up i'll a
| $3.50 automobile He said he came for
| Kitty and after showing of his as
| sets to her father had no difficulty