Ralph Gurney's Oil Speculation Part 27

The meeting with so many in town had tired him more than the ride of two hours could have done, and Ralph began to blame himself for having permitted him to stay so long, even though he could hardly have prevented it if he had tried.

But during the ride back, the weary look on the invalid's face disappeared under the refres.h.i.+ng influence of the quiet drive, and by the time they turned into the lane which led to the Simpson farm-house, he looked quite as bright as when he started.

The lane was nearly a quarter of a mile long, and when they first entered it, Ralph was aware that something unusual had occurred, and he trembled lest some accident had happened, but as soon as he could distinguish them more plainly, he understood that the gathering was caused by joy more than sorrow.

Bob, Jim and d.i.c.k were standing in front of the house, surrounded by some of the workmen from the well, and Mr. and Mrs. Simpson were hurrying from one to the other, much as if they were serving out refreshments.

"What can be the matter?" asked Ralph, anxiously, as he hurried the horses along. "Do you suppose they have struck oil already?"

"No, that couldn't be possible," replied George. "I rather fancy that Bob and Mr. Simpson are celebrating the happy event of being admitted to the owners.h.i.+p of the well."

Ralph was satisfied that such was the case, and he pulled the horses in, unwilling to arrive at a scene where he feared he might be obliged to listen to thanks for what they had done.

Before many minutes, however, the boys could see that those at the house were shouting to them, and when they arrived within hearing distance, they recognized Bob's voice, as he shouted:

"Bed-rock! bed-rock!"

And then went up a shout from all that was nearly deafening.

"They have got through to the rock," cried George, his pale face flus.h.i.+ng with excitement.

And in a moment the carriage was surrounded by partners and workmen, as each one tried to tell the good news that the drills had struck the rock at a depth of eight hundred and forty feet.

"What have you found?" asked George, as soon as he could make himself heard.

"Sandstone," replied Bob, "and we shall be obliged to try glycerine."

"The moonlighters will open the moonlighter's well!" cried d.i.c.k, as if an immense amount of sport was to be had from such an operation.

"Indeed the moonlighters shall have nothing to do with it," replied Bob, with no small show of dignity, and to the great surprise of all.

"There'll be no sneaking around to shoot this well, I can promise you that, for we'll have her opened in the daylight, squarely, or not at all."

Jim and d.i.c.k could hardly believe that which they heard. That their old partner, one of the most successful moonlighters in the oil regions, should object to having a well, in which he had a quarter interest, opened as he had opened wells for others, was something too incredible to be true. There must have been some mistake about it, they thought, and they would shoot the well by moonlight as soon as Bob should consider the matter more fully.

But all this time George was still in the carriage, and as soon as the boys realized this, they began to make arrangements for helping him out, content to wait to tell the good news more fully after he should be in his room once more.

CHAPTER XXIX.

THE EXAMINATION.

Beyond the fact that the drills had struck the rock, and that it was of such a nature that they could not work in it, but would necessitate the use of glycerine, but little more remained to be told after that first announcement.

But yet all the boys crowded into George's room and insisted on trying to tell him something new regarding the important fact.

The drills had struck the rock very shortly after Ralph and George had started out, and in their rejoicing that the work was so nearly over, Mr. and Mrs. Simpson had insisted that all hands should come to the house, where a generous luncheon of preserves and bread and b.u.t.ter was pa.s.sed around in honor of the happy event.

That was all any of them could tell, and then came the question of shooting the well, Jim and d.i.c.k looking anxiously at their former partner to hear him retract those words so traitorous to moonlighting generally.

Both Ralph and George were as glad as they were surprised to hear Bob exclaim against having moonlighters open "The Harnett." They would have opposed any such proposition had he made it; but since he himself objected to it, the matter was simple enough.

"I will drive down to town to-night and arrange with Roberts Brothers to send a man up here to-morrow," said Bob, "and before to-morrow night we will know just what 'The Harnett' is worth."

"But, Bob," cried d.i.c.k, "you don't mean to say that after we have shot the well that you're goin' to pay them more than it's worth for doin' it no better than any of them can."

"That's just what I do mean to tell them, my son," replied Bob, with a mingled air of authority and patronage.

"Why?"

"Well, in the first place, it will avoid any trouble. In the second place, it don't look well to be sneakin' 'round as moonlighters have to do, and in the third place, we want 'The Harnett' opened square."

"But you always said moonlighting was square, and that you wouldn't even let the regular men come near a well of yours," urged Jim.

And from his tone it was easy to understand that this opening of "The Harnett" was a matter upon which he and d.i.c.k had quite set their hearts.

"That was before I owned an interest in a well myself, boys," replied Bob. "Mind you, I don't say now that moonlightin' isn't square, for I believe it is; but when it's such a stunner of a well as this that's to be shot, I say that it hain't best to give anybody a chance to raise a question about it."

It was evident to all from that moment that Bob Hubbard, the oil producer, was to be a very different sort of a party from Bob Hubbard, the moonlighter, and all save his old partners were delighted at the change.

"Then have you given up moonlightin' entirely, Bob?" asked d.i.c.k, with a world of reproach in his voice.

"Indeed I have," was the emphatic reply. "I'm still ready to say that it's all right and legitimate; but I'm through with it."

"Then, just for the sake of old times, Bob, an' seein's how we haven't come into possession of quarter of an oil-well, let us open your well for you," pleaded Jim.

And all present understood that he and d.i.c.k, having been interested in the well from the time it was first discovered, were anxious to do something toward opening it.

"I'll tell you how it can be done," said George, desirous of granting Jim and d.i.c.k the very slight favor which they asked, and yet quite as unwilling as was Bob that the work should be done in any way which could be called illegal. "Bob can go to the torpedo people, pay them for the charge, get the cartridges and glycerine, with the express understanding that he is to do the work himself. That would make matters right all around, and you can fancy that you are moonlighting again."

It was a happy thought, this one of George's, and every one present, even including Mr. Simpson, hailed it with joy. It was an arrangement which would please all of them very much better than to have any strangers doing the work, and Bob would have started at once to attend to it, if Ralph had not stopped him by telling him of the examination which he would be obliged to attend next day.

"Since you will be obliged to go with us, you had better wait until to-morrow. You can have the tubing started on the road at the same time, and on the next day we can shoot the well," suggested George.

Bob was not at all inclined to wait forty-eight hours when half that time would suffice to decide whether "The Harnett" was a wonderful success or a dismal failure; but since he would be obliged to be present at the examination, which would occupy a portion of the day, he tried to content himself as best he could.

The remainder of that day was spent in discussing plans for the future, Bob entering into a profound calculation of the amount of material they would need to build a tank, for he was so certain they would strike oil, that he would have had no hesitation in beginning work on the tank even before the well was opened.

On the following morning, George was feeling so well and looking so bright that there could no longer be any fear he had over-exerted himself the day before, and preparations were begun at once for the ride into town.

Ralph and George were to drive in with the latter's team, while the old firm of moonlighters, with Mr. Simpson, were to go in Bob's double-seated wagon. Everything was taken which it was thought the invalid might need, and the party started, all of them wis.h.i.+ng the journey had some other motive than that of a.s.suring punishment to others, even though they were guilty.

On arriving in town, they were met by the officer whom they had spoken with the day before, and he told them, after they had found a comfortable seat in the court-room, of all that had been learned of the prisoners.

Their names were William Dean and Henry Ramsdell, and they had worked for some time in Oil City for a civil engineer there. By this means they had learned the oil business, and had shown an especial apt.i.tude for prospecting. There they committed what may or may not have been their first crime, for no one knew where they had lived before they appeared in Oil City. They robbed their employer of nearly two hundred dollars, and it is probable that it was after that money was spent that they had stolen George's team.