San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-03

, back at him family. Some lightning
like change in her expression, or
perhaps some occult sense of the I'M
toward warned him that all was not
as it should be, and he jerked his
head back to attention.
During that moment of inatten-
ton the bailer had stuck. Perhaps
900 feet below, friction had checked
its plunge. and meanwhile the. velvet.
running drum, spinning at its maxi.
mum velocity by reason of the whirl-
ing bull wheel, was unreeling its cable
down upon the derrick platform. Down
It poured in giant loops, and within
these coils, either unconscious of his
danger. or paralyzed by its sudden
ness, stood Calvin Gray.
Instinct, rather than reason warn.
ed Buddy not to check the binding
revolutions Of the bull wheel. With
out thought he leaped forward into
the midst of those swiftly forming
loops, and as he landed upon the slip
perry floor he clenched his fist and
struck with all the power he could
put behind the massive arm. Gray's
back was TO him. the blow was like
that of walking beam. and it sent
the elder man flying as a tenpin is
hurled ahead of bowling ball. Bud
dy fell, too. He went sprawling. As
he slid across the muddy floor he felt
the steel cable writing under him
like Il thing alive, and the touch of
il as it streamed into the we'll burned
his flesh. He kicked and fought it
as he would have fought the closing
folds of python, for the bailer was
falling again and the wire loops were
vanishing as the coils in n whiplash
vanish during its flight.
Buddy's booted legs were thrown
high. he was tossed aside like a thins
of paper, but blind. half stunned, he
scrabled back to his post. BY this
time the whole structure of.the derrick
was rocking 10 the mad gyrations Of
the bull wheel; the giant spool was
spinning with speed that threatened
to send it flying. like the fragments
Of q bursting bomb, but the youth
understood dimly the danger Of stop
ping it to su1denly-to fetch up the
plunging weight Mt the cable end
might snap the line. collapse the der
rick, Jim the well. Buddy weaved
di2zily in his tracks; nevertheless. his
hand was steady. and he applied
gradually increasing pressure to the
brake. Nor did he take his eyes from
his task until the drum had ceased re-
yOlving aEl the runaway bailer hung
motonlcss in the well.
They carried Gray to the bunk
house. and his limbs hung loosely. his
head lolled in Il manner terrifying to
Ruddv and his s;stpr
But Gray was not dead. Buddy's
blow had well-nigh broken his neck,
and he had suffered a further injury
to his head in falling; nevertheless. he
responded TO such medical aid rs they
could supply, and in time he opened
his eyes.
When for n second time he lapsc1
into semi-cOnsciousness, it was Allie
Briskoy who put his orders into ex-
ecution. you amt doing any good
standing around staring at him ami
whispering. Bring in that well. as
fast as ever you can. and bring it in
big. Now, get out and leave him to-
me-
II was late that night when the
well came in. 1t came with a rush and
roar. drcnching the derrick with n
VA hhluN hdNNA
both crew and spectators out into The
gloom. Up. up the column rose. spray
ing itself into mist. and from it's iron
throat issued sound unlike that Of
any other phenomenon.
Calvin Gray had recovered his
senses sufficiently to understand the
meaning of that uproar. and he tried
to get up. but Allie held him down
upon his bed She was still struggling
with him when her brother burst in d
the house, shouting:
'lt's gasser, Mr.. Gray. Biggest /
ever seem"
"Gas?' the latter mumbled. ind.,,.
tinctly. isn't there any-oil:" lis
words were almost like whisper be-
cause Of the noise.
Not yet. May be later. Say. she :
a heller. amt she? III bet she's max
in 20,000.000 feet"
''Gassers no good"
"Can't tell yet. We gotta shut. ne.
down easy 40 she don't blow the cas-
ing out--run wild on us. understand"
Buddy was still breathless, but he