Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-09-09

1T mean? Oil pools are not selectiye
things; they extend for miles, and this
Bart Rogers knew. As the chugging
motor car whizzed away the last mile.
the shouting driver told him of the
possible wealth which lay for him in
the future. Then the car turned the
last bend in the road
And there before him Bart Rogers
saw dream come true. The sun was
just setting, and silhouetted against If
was the oil derrick, a black, skeleton
Ike thing. spraying toward the sky a
spouting stream of ebony which, dis
lntegrating and drifting with the wind.
caught the sheen of the dying sun and
burst into myriad rainhows. A float
ing mass of colOrs-such was that
spray which flew high from the gush-
ing well-colors which seemed to wipe
out for Bart Rogers his colorless past,
and commingle into a painting of
happiness for the future. Nearer and
nearer they came, to the derrick and
the thronging persons about it; then
Bart, unable to hold himself longer,
leaped from the running board of the
car as the machine wallowed in a mud
hole and raced toward the derrick.
"Will it last?" 1t seemed to be the
only question he could think of as he
forced his way toward the drillers.
@Wni it"
Last?" They looked at him with
Scornful eyes. "OE course it'll last.
It's just the beginning! This coun-
try's going to be a madhouse of money
inside of three months That's oil, and
it's high grader
Bart Rogers turned away, pale with
the realization of what had happened,
trembling with the excitement of it,
throbbing with the knowledge that his
troubles and the troubles of the man
who awaited him in the little cabin
over the hill were over.
Rich" he gasped, and there was
an instructive reverence in the tone.
NRich! Rich!'
He swerved away now, running,
plunging through the Irrigation ditch
In water to his armpits, then, drip
ping, scrambled onward, neither realiz-
ing his wetness nor caring. A half
mile away lay little cabin, just Wis
ible when he reached the top of the
hill, a cabin where the rays of the
setting sun had blazed the windows
to rudy gold, as though in prophecy,
and where awaited the man to whom
Bart Rogers longed most of all to give
the news of happiness and Of wealth.
1--WE got to be careful with him."
he said to himself "Got to break it
easy-mustn't get him too excited. Bet
ter not tell him the whole truth-bet-
ter let it grow day by day-yes, that's
it-better just tell him that they've
Brought in oil enough so that we
won't have to worry"
Then, through sheer will power, he
restrained himself to a walk so that
his own excitement might not betray
the true Importance of his message.
Then his eyes beaming what his lips
could not say, he forced himself to a
leisurely pace and approached the
house.
Hello Dad!" 1t was the usual eve
ming greeting. Placing his hand upon
the shoulder of the slumped figure, he
waited, as he always had waited, in
the vain hope that this might be the
night where there would come an an
swer, when some faint vocal sound
would tell of a return Of speech-and
a chance for recovery. But there
was only silence. AS usual, Bart pat
ted the shoulder, lovingly, meaningly,
and turning, CROPPED through the gath
ering darkness for the lamp.
SCOT a little news today, Dad he
chatted. as he shook the old oil burner
and scraped the wick with the burning
match. ''They brought in some oil
over at the derrick. Don't think It
amounts to so much, but whatever it
is, it boosts the price Of our land
Anything that looks like oil, you know,
means money. OF course, it may
amount to a lot and then it may
amount to nothing, so 1 guess we
shouldn't get excited about it." He
wiped the chimney and adjusted it, set
the lamp upon a table. Then he went
to the chair which always awaited
MIN, the one DeSluS the DIS, COlU1OrL-
able one where rested the invalid.
"Yep, Dad, whatever 1t is, we're
bound to come out ahead. Oh" and he
allowed a bit of his enthusiasm to roll
forth in a laugh. "We're going to
get there yet, You and I. Just wait
and see. L" He stopped. His out
stretched hand had touched the placid
one Of his father. 1t was cold
CHASTITY cold. Suddenly trembling, he
rose, and faced the form in the chair
"Dadw he called. "Dadw But the
faint reflected rays of the lamp showed
no answering light in the set stare of
the eyes. The mouth was dropped and
drawn. The features were fixed.
Again Bart Rogers called in voice
that bore note Of agony. Feverishly
he grasped the icy hands and rubbed
thavn-bOniY1o AGAINST hone He h1riad