The Washington bee., 1911-09-02
A Man In a Million
By Nj. QUAD
Copyright 1910. by Associated Literary
Press.

| Joseph Skater was in the lightning
| rod business. He could talk lightning
for half an hour with only four inter
vals for breath
When Mr.. Slater got the job of rod
ding building he proceeded to cheat
and lie. He would cheat as to the
amount of the material used, and he
would lie about the protection that
might be expected. He started in a
poor man, and he got rich by lying
and cheating. Never for a moment
did his conscience trouble him. He
sang as he drove his wagon around
the country, and he whistled as he
, worked away on the roof of house or
| barn.
On one Of his happy jaunts around
the country Mr.. Skater discovered
widow. He discovered forty Of them,
for that matter, but this was a partic-
ular widow She wasn't so very old,
! but she was so homely as to be star
! ting. He had seen tens Of thousands
of women, but never one to compete
with the Widow Albright. She knew
she was hOmely, and she owned up to
| it, and that was also something Mr..
Skater had never heard of before.
She had a daughter eight years old,
and the girl was even homelier than
the mother.
''How did your husband come to
/ ID F.n TSorh%
in a voice tinctured with sympathy.
"He was a little bit daft from BIRTH"
was the reply.
''You have a very tidy little farm
here|"
Eyes. WidOwers and old bachelors
come and look the farm over, but
when they come to see me and Anna
they hurry away"
''Mrs. Albright. I shall take your
case under advisement. You are not
to blame for your looks. The hOmely
people ought to have q fair deal 1
shall try to get you one"
1t was curious that such a selfish
man as Mr. Skater should think of the
interests of any one else, but as he
went his way the matter bothered
him. He kept thinking and thinking,
and it was two weeks before he came
that way again and said:
widow, you have creek on your
farm. 1t rises from a spring in a
marsh. You know what petroleum is,
Of course Petroleum is going to be
| found in the marsh and creek"
"But I have never seen any there"
she replied
Because the psychological moment
had not arrived. 1t will arrive in three
or four days. Three or four days later
than that men will arrive-various
sorts of men. Would you care for
riches?"
MOO"
'Just so You want some one to love
you and call YOU pet names. Ell? Just
want to stay right here and take com
fort? A wise decision"
q didn't say I wanted to get mar
ried again. protested the widow.
'No, no. but none of us can afford
to miss a good thing in this world
Love is greater than riches Mrs. All
bright you may be offered $1,000 for
this farm, which is worth about ST.
iOOO."
''Then I'll take it"
''Then don't you do anything of the
kind. There will be an offer of mar
riage What you want TO do is to ac-
cept that You want to be petted.
That girl wants a father. A husband
and father is worth more than $1,000.
No sale, remember. A husband or
nothing"
but nc y is the petroleum going to
get into the spring." was asked.
Widow, there are many mysterious
things connected with the lightning
rod business. This is one of them
The petroleum will appear in good
time So will the men, So shall l.
One day nature sends us a thunder
storm; the next day it is a hurricane;
| the next she causes the earth to quake
and pour out petroleum. 1t is for us
poor mortals to take advantage of
such things when possible
The petroleum appeared on the
creek. 1t was shifted and sighted by
la traveller where it crossed the high
way. In two days thirty men were
| shifting and following the creek to its
source. They called at the house. All
| the widow could say was that the
petroleum had suddenly appeared.
Those thipy men looked at the widow
md her child and turned away. Then
| they turned back to make offers to
| lease the farm. to buy it outright. to
trill for iii Gn royalty. No enthusiasm
On the part Of the widow She didn't
care for money.
! The find" was announced in the
papers, and the thirty men becs@e
| fifty. There were gushers gushing
LOCO barrels of oil per day not fifty
miles away The widow was offered
AS high as $4,000 cash for the farm,
but she shook her head Men were
going and coming when Mr.. Skater
! drove up with one seated beside him.
/ They went up TO the spring, heard the
/ talk and then entered the house The
man started back at sight Of the wild
ow, but recovered a moment later.
An offer of $4,000 had just been made