Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-08-25

tains here In the bayou, close to her
property. Just opposite the docK, she
says. The first thing Is to ind the
dock then the fountain. After that,
wen decide If it's true mineral gas.
If 1t Is, then the works done-for III
sure take a chance on finding oil near
it!-
Gramont came to the bayou and be-
gan searching his way along the thick
and high fringe of bushes and saplings
that girded the waters edge. Present
ly he came upon the ruined evidences
of what had once been a small boat
shed. Net far from this he found the
dock referred to in the letter; nothing
was left of it except a few spiles pro-
truding from the surface of the water.
But he had no need to look farther.
Directly before him, he saw that
which he was seeking.
A dozen feet out from shore the wa
ter was rising and falling In continu-
GUS dome or fountain of highly
charged bubbles that rose foot above
the surface. GramOnt stared at 1t,
motionless He watched 1t for space
then, abruptly, he started. 1t was
violent start, start of sheer amaze
ment and incredulity.
He leaned forward, staring no longer
at the gas dome, but at the water
closer inshore. For q moment he
thought that his senses had deceived
him, then he saw that the thing was
there indeed, there beyond any doubt
"a very faint trace of iridescent light
that played over the surface of the
water.
"It can't be possiblel'' he muttered,
pending farther over. "Such thing
happens too rarely"
His heart pounded violently; ex-
,itement sent the blood rushing TO his
brain In binding swirls. He was
gripped by the gold fever that comes
upon man when he makes the as
founding discovery of untold wealth
lying at his feet, passed over and DIS
regarded by other and less-discerning
men for days and years!
1t was OIL no question about it. An
extremely slight quantity, true; so
slight quantity that there was no
film on the water, no discernible taste
to the water. Gramont brought 1t to
his mouth and rose shaking his head.
Where did it come from? 1t had no
connection with the gas bubbles-at
least. 1t did not come from the dome
of water and gas. How long he stood
there staring Gramont did not know.
His brain was af1re with the possibili-
ties. At length he stirred into action
and started up the bayou bank, from
time to time halting to search the wa
ter below him, to make sure that he
could still discern the faint rides
cence.
He followed 1t rod by rod, and
found that it rapidly increased in
strength. 1t must come from some very
tiny surface seepage close at hand,
that was lost in the bayou almost as
rapidly as IT came from the earth
depths. Only accidentally would
man see it-not unless he were search
ing the water close to the bank, and
even then only by the grace of chance.
Suddenly Gramont saw that he had
lost the sign. He halted.
No, not lost, either! Just ahead of
him was a patch of reeds, and re-
cession Of the shore. He advanced
again. Inside the reeds he found the
oily smear, still so faint that he could
only detect 1t at certain angles. Glanc-
ing up, he could see fence at little
distance. evidently the boundary fence
of the Ledanois land; the bushes and
trees thinned out here, and on ahead
was cleared ground. He saw, through
the bushes, glimpses of buildings,
Violent disappointment seized him.
| Was he to lose this discovery, after
all? Was he to find that the seepage
| came from ground belonging to some
| one else? NO-he stepped back hastily,
| barely in time to avoid stumbling into
tiny trickle Of water, rivulet that
ran down into the bayou, tributary
so Insignificant that 1t was invisible
ten feet distant And on the surface
faint iridescence.
| Excitement rising anew within him,
| Gramont turned and followed this riv-
ulet, his eyes aflame with eagerness.
1t led him for twenty feet. and ceased
abruptly, in a bubbling spring that
welled from a patch of low tree-in-
closed land. Gramont felt his feet
sinking in grass, and saw that there
was a dip in the ground hereabouts, a
swampy little section all to itself. He
| picked a dry spot and lay down on his
face, searching the water with his
eyes,
Moment after moment he lay there
watching. Presently he found the
slight trickle of oil again-a trickle SC
faint and slim that even here, on the
surface of the tiny rivulet, it could be
diseerned only with great difficulty. A
very thin seepage, concluded Ora
mont; thin oil, Of course. So faint
little thing, to mean so muchl
1t came from the Ledanois land. M