The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1943-01-21

door ana Dim, sleepy ana Sulky,
had driven the car back to the
garage. Then Gary said, Thanks
! very much for a pleasant even
ing"
Gary lay awake for long time,
staring into the dark and consid-
ering the exquisite pleasure it
would be to flatten Bill Grants
viking profile into some parti-
cular viscous oil field mud. And
then he slept YEARLY and woke
to find that it was raining.
Harvey was morose at break
fast, growing about the rain and
the delays.
There won't be any delays"
Gary assured him. "Ill keep the
gang working"
Gary had seen the banker come
out in his car and walk around
over the place, looking over the
derrick and the water line, his
eyes as cold and noncommittal as
a couple of his own dimes.
And that night Harvey was ir-
ritable at supper, wanting to
know why they had to have
steak every night when hash was
plenty good enough for him.
Il wish we'd never heard about
OIL" Mona Lee sighed.
Then came a morning, when
the drizzle Stacked a little, and
Harvey announced that the drill
lers would move on that day.
Pretty muddy out there yet,
to move heavy machinery in,"
Gary reminded him.
Hickey says he can make it."
"Hickey!" Gary exclaimed.
"You didn't hire Hickey?"
Sure, l hired him. Got the
best price out of him."
"But-his outfits in bad shape!
That's why he made you a low
price-because his stuff is no
good" Did you take a look at
Hickey's bits? They hadn't been
sharpened in months when I saw
them"
He'll have 'em sharpened' - I
saw to that"
Gary went out heavily. Hick-
ey would move on the job and,
unless extraordinary luck was
with them, grief would move on
with him. It began that after
noon, when the first of the ire
; mendous trucks appeared. In the
middle of the pasture, the truck
begged down in the black earth
and there it stayed for two days,
while a dozen men sweated and
shoveled and swore, trying to get
it out. But not till wind blew
and the soil dried would it stir
and by that time three other
,, heavily loaded trucks had piled
up behind it-with the lifting
hoist at the tail end of the pro-
cesSion.
Adelaide climbed to the top Of
a fence post and sat there, with
a raincoat buttoned to her chin,
thrilled and gloating. "This is
fun" she told Gary. "And look
he's painted everything. Bright
blue! 1t looks better now, does
Mt it,"
Depends" frowned Gary, ION
what's under the paint"
you're bound to be a gloom,
aren't you, darling?"
I'm a petroleum engineer-I
hope. Where's your blond friend,
Bill?"
"Oh, but he's your friend -
don't you remember? He's in
Houston now"
Had a letter from him, did
your" Gary was being nasty and
enjoying it.
"No, it wasn't letter. 1t was
telegram. Look savage some
more. I like to shiver.
1--WE plenty to be savage
about"
Mother signed some papers"
Adelaide said. II don't know
what they were, but Dad was
mad, and when Mother tried to
talk to him he told her to shut
up"
Gary walked away, thoughtful
and uneasy. So Harvey Mason
was mortgaging something
had to undoubtedly, because an
oil we'll was a cash proposition.
But at last, on Saturday, the
great casing went down and gray
| Gem ant poured in, in a rolling
cttream, and Gary helped Ade-
laide up to the derrick floor and
held her while she looked down.
when they get enough con-
crete down there, they'll put this
wooden block on top of it. And
then they'll force water down
there under enormous pressure
till it drives the block down and
the cement up, behind the pipe