r m
j^P^IPP
DECEMBER 5, 1935
t -1?,
^ rir.s ocrwi rsction v
*ach) by a x
" 1
FIRST INSTALMENT
Ben Furlong came lo the Southern
oil fields looking for work. He was j
very dusty and quite hungry when
at last he stopped in at the Durham
House.
This was a rather better-looking
place than the average Texas homestead.
and when he knocked at the j
kitchen door a girl appeared who was
very much, better-looking than the
average Texas homesteader. She was,
in fact, a very pretty girl.
She readily fetched Ben a drink of '
water, and while he rested she talked
to him. That was, no doubt, because!
of his smile. He informed her that ;
he had been raised in the Pennsylvania
fields and was a good, practi
cal oil man.
There being no chores to do, Ben ,
sat in the kitchen and chatted with
the gii-1 while she cooked something J
for him, and in the course of their j
conversation he learned that her j
name was Betty Durham, that her |
t*q 'nnfc worft that. Ltlft failli I
belonged to her aunt. with whom she j
had Hved ever since she was a little j
girl. The aunt bad gone to Opportunity
in the. family flivver.
"Funny, you cooking for a tramp
driller like me and your aunt owning
acreage like this/' Ben remarked.
"Isn't this land on the structure?"
"Sure! It's worth a lot of money.
That weii over yonder" fori; in hand
?Miss Durham indicated a derrick |
not far away?"belongs to lis."
From where he sat Furlong could
see that the timbers of the tower j
were still bright and unstained, thus ;
advertising the melancholy fact that 1
the well itself was not a producer,
so he inquired: <
"What's wrong with it? Dry?' !.
"Dry nothing! They're not down
yet. They've got a fishing job - been j i
at it for a couple of weeks."
'*Gec! The visitor shook his head, i :
"That's running somebody in debt."
"When the first oil talk conimrne- ;:
ed we'd of been glad to get the farm :
drilled on most any kind of royalty, <
but nobody would lease it. When they
iiiiaiiy got ready. Aunt Mary wanted ;
a bonus two bits an acre?and she j
wouldn't listen to Uncle Joe'3 argu- 1 i
ments. By and bye they offered two j
bits, but by that time she wanted a j I
dollar. Then the companies got to- j <
gether, or the boom kind of petered ' :
out. or something, and it began to j
look as if Uncle Joe would be lucky 1
to make any kind of a deal. He fin-1
ally laid his ears back and leuiscu a !
small block. Then he up and got ! :
killed." j j
"That's too bad."
"It was an accident. A powder wa- (1
trnn 1ft i-n "* oruMilrr.v'e ("qoa n-rat?r ! 1
wistful, she stared out across the arid <
countryside for a moment or two. j;
''Uncle Joe loved me but? Aunt Ma- j'
ry's his second wife; we're not really j
kinsfolks It might just as -.veil have :
been Maddox who got killed; he was ,
as close to the wagon as Uncle Joe !
and yet he wasn't touched. Funny, j
too, because he's always been afraid
of the stuff and has a hunch he'll
be blown up. All you have to say to
him is 'powder' and?"
"How'd your aunt come to put
down this new well?"
P Maddux drilled the well on the lot
we leased, and after Uncle Joe was
killed he quit the company and sort
of took charge of things for Aunt
Mary. It wasn't a big well, but the
royalty is enough to pay for this one.
I won't cook any more ham ar.d eggs
so you'd better make the most of
these. Yes, and you'd l>ette.r come
and get them; they're done." Miss
Durham set a plate on the table and
Furlong drew up his chair.
With the curiosity natural to his
calling, the visitor inquired more specifically
about the nature of the mishap
that had halted Maddox's progress,
but he learned little. He inferred
however, that the royalties from the
first well were dwindling at an
alarming rate and that any consider,;
able deiav in conmletino- the r-n.i- , i-.c. i
I- o I
might therefore result in ruin to the J
owner. It. was a prospect that natur- !
ally gave Betty and her aunt grave!
concern.
When Ben had finished eating he
said: "Maybe I can give this driller
of yours some help. I've worked on
a good many fishing jobs. D'you
think he'd let me try?"
"He will if I tell him to," the girl
declared. "He's tried everything anybody
has told him to try. Who
knows? Maybe you can do it."
The speaker put on her sur.bonnet
and together she and Furlong went I
across the valley to the well.
Tiller Maddox was a swarthy man
of about thirty-five; his eyes were
"bold and black and set close together.
He greeted the Durham girl with
an easy familiarity, a suggestion of
proprietorship that gave the visitor
cause for thought, but towards Furlong
he was none too cordial and
when Betty explained the reason for
Hp the latter's presence "Maddox frown"Another
wise guy, eh? Every
rope-choker in ten miles has been
tryin' to show us how smart he is.
effli What d'you know about fish in',
Rwf stranger?"
"Not much," Ben confessed, "but
c 13each <&
^7TD^
a ? new form. .... Threo Prize Short Stori
natter tofjr-teUer They're Re* Be?
I've had some luck.'
"Oh. I've had plenty of luck, myself!"
Maddox asserted. ''Bat I never
had any good luck lettin* strangers
monkey with my work. If you jim up
the well. I take the blame."
"I won't jini anything."
"What" 11 you charge for this here
miracle of yours?"
Impatiently Miss Durham exclaimed.
"What's the difference how much
he charges if he can do- -?"
"I've been paid for any help I can
give you," Furlong declared. 4'Probably
I can't do anything, but so far
1 don't even Know what's wrong. Do
you mind telling me?"
"We've got a bolt in the hole."
"A bolt V
"Sure! A six-inch steel bolt. It
worked loose and dropped out of a
tool."
"That's a new one," Ben admitted, i
''Why don't you drill it out, pound i
it to pieces?"
Maddox grinned. "That s what we i
been Lryin" to do, but it's tempered t
harder than the bit. It dulls every
toot we use and all we been dam' for
two weeks is sharpen steel."
"Can't you drill past it?"
"How you gain' to sidetrack a sixinch
bolt loose in the bottom of a
hole?"
"You can drive it into the wall." .
'Oh, you car., car. you? We're into j
a stratter of iron pyrites an" the i
rook's uair.* hoar as hard as the bolt. J
It's much as ever a tool will cut it j
at ail. That bolt just shifts around in !
the bottom of the hole like it was in !
a steel cup. an' it's too small to grap- J
pie. I s'pose we could get holt of it j
.vith some fancy kind of a magnet if
we cuuut get hoit of some fancy kind j
>f a mgnet that would get holt of it." j
Again Maddox grinned.
Betty Durham was staring as Fur- !
long with an apprehensive pucker be- j
twecr. her brows. Wair.'t that our '.
luck, for a little bitty old bolt to .
ruin everything? Can. you think of!
Spy way
T car. think ot one way that won't j
kost much to try."
I don't want any strangers cx- j
pcruiientin' around " Maddox began:
but the girl exclaimed, sharp-,
ly.
"You've been experimenting for
two weeks at a hundred dollars a
Say, bavciVt you ? It's our we'.l I.ct
llr. Furlong have a go i.t it."
The ilriller executed an exaggerated
gesture of acquiescent,*. "Right
you are, Betty! But if this feller puts
it on the bum, don't blame me." 'ITien
to Bell he announced: "Help yourself,
leminer. You heard the doss."
When Furlong had fully satisfied
himself as to conditions he took off
his coat and went to work. He knew
of no fishing tool so designed as to
pick up an object so small and as
easily movable as a six-inch bolt,
therefore he made one. He took a
short iength of slcei casing of a diameter
small enough to slip into Uie
well, and in one. end of this he cut
teeth several inches long It was a
iabor that consumed time: he was
still at it when Betty reappeared at
the well about dark and advised hint
that his supper was waiting,
Hrs. Durham had returned from
iuwii on - was a woman or indeterminate
age. Her eyes were pale; her
nose was hooked like the beak of a
hawk; her lips were thin and set in
avaricious lines. Immediately upon
meeting Furlong she wanted to know
whether he believed his experiment
would succeed, how he proposed to
go about it, how long it would take,
and the like Ben was noncommittal,
and he refused to raise her hopes.
Before he had finished his meal he
had convinced himself that the woman
stood in some sort of dread of Tiller
Maddox and that her fear of an-!
tagonizing him almost equaled her j
anxiety for Furlong's success. Ben!
wondered why. Another fact he dis-1
covered?Betty and her aunt were
not on the best of terms.
After supper, by the light of a gasoline
torch. Furlong resumed his j
work the while Maddox vainly tried.1
with the new device which his employer
had brought out from town, ,
to grapple that obstinate piece of j
ateei a fifth of a mile beneath his
feet. But it was blind work, mono-1
tonous work, dispiriting work; time
after time the clumsy fishing tool
was raised and lowered, but its jaws
refused to seize the troublesome bolt.
It was a job as hopeless and as baffling
as trying to pick up a pin with
a pair of fire tongs attached to a
string.
The engineer of the rig -watched
Furlong's work with the interest of
a fellow machinist, and of him the
latter inquired finally:
"Say' How come Mr. Durham to
get killed?"
"He was blowed up It was when
the Planet Ciweif-"
. ?was getting
ready to put down that well on the
northeast corner. Maddox was workin"
for the company then?movin' the
rig onto the ground. A powder wagon
came by an' the driver stopped
to ask hl3 way. You've seen them
trucks?six hundred odd quarts of
nitroglycerine in square cans all set
in felt-liried racks to keep 'em from
jarring. I alius been scared of 'em,
hut them drivers pound their wagons
WATAUGA DEMOCRAT?EV
1 1 r,~ ' 1 ' ~
e? (oi four instalment*
cfa at hll ^ Rgy OTKtH
; over these rough roads like it's s
; much molasses Lhev got. Old ma
Durham went across to the road an
give him directions?he stood Uier
watchin' the wagon as it drove or
, The driver was trottin' his hosses. bt
when ho crossed the railroad trac
it let go. Jar set it off, I s'pose. Til
I lor says he saw it all, but he don'
remember hearin' a sound or feelir
a shock of any sort. All he seen wa
i big black cloud, an' when he looke
tor Old man Durham he wasn't there
The fence was gone, too."
What happened to the driver?"
"What d'you reckon happened? AJ
; the trace they ever found of him o
the outfit was part of a boss's Icj
; hong in' on a telegraph cross-arn
; about a hundred yards up the g. uclc
! There was a hole, thirlv feet. \vid<
where the wag< ha 1 been and fhrailroad
won was corks ?ewed for .
quarter of a mile. They found quit
a bii of Mr. Durham?enough to hole
a funeral over."
"And Maddox wasn't scratched
That stuff certainly acts queer a
times."
"They figgered air curren
was responsible. Kind of a Godsent
for Tiller, wasn't it?"
"Not to be killed? Sure "
"Naw! To net in with the widdei
an* Betty. Lucky for them, too, tha
he took to lo6kih> out for 'em. If hi
makes this well they'll be movin' into
one- of them Dallas mansions witi
'.^urble bedsteads.-'*
''Humph! He'll never make a wel
if he keeps dropping hardware in it
In my country a driller that careless
would lose his job."
"Tiller won't ! se his job," the en
gineer asserted, positively. "He don"
lose anything he goes after."
In the course of time Furlong fin
ished cutting the end of his steel cas
ing into a series cf teeth, and thes<
teeth he then her.t slightly inward
This done, ho attached the device
a tool and lowered it into the hole
Even Betty Durham and her aun
Mary, who looked on with growinj
suspense, understood now how h*
proposed to pick up that bolt. Hi
had shaped those tapering teeth si
that they resembled the curing fin
gers of a hand, and his delicate tasl
was to drive the casing home agains
the steel-hard bottom of the wel
until those fingers closed, until hi
clinched them over the obstacle. I
was a task less difficult than i
-sounds.
tContinued Next Week.)
TIMELY FARM QUESTIONS
Question: How can 1 increase egs
production in my poultry flock?
Answer: Many poultrymen are get
ting higher production by feeding on
ly a small amount of grain in tin
morning and the remainder at night
The morning grain is fed in a clotfi
litter from four to six inches doe]
and consists of about one pound v?
grain for each 100 hens. The idler
noon feeding is put in troughs. Th
practice of feeding grain at differen
intervals of the day, especially dur
ing the winter months, increases th
activity of the birds, overcomes idle
ness, and indirectly increases feei
consumpunn. i'nc combination o
these tends to give an increase i
I egg production.
Question: Where can I secure plan
for building a modern dairy barn?
Answer: Plans for building dari
barns that have been approved b
the dairy specialists at State Colleg
are mailed free upon request to th
Agricultural Editor at State Collegf
However, we suggest that you get i
touch with your county farm agen
who will be glad to recommend th
proper plan and give other informs
tion ir. regard to the building. I
: requesting plans always specify th
number of animals to be housed an
whether a feed loft is desired. Plan
for other farm buildings may also b
hart from the same address.
Boys and girls who are member
of the Iredell 4-H clubs have bee
given health examinations by tw
registered nurses and will be exan
ined again at the lose of their clu
work next year.
Itsso-Sv
If
ERY THURSDAY?BOONE, N. C.
?
IWork Animals Need
A Balanced Ration
For economy ana efficiency on
North Carolina farms, the horse and!
muie are hard to beat.
Good work animals supply a highly
satisfactory form of pulling power
for farm implements and machinery.
and they utilize feed crops Chat
can be grown at home.
0 | But to get the. best service out of
ni\\orV stock, care must be exercised
,j ! to feed it properly, said Prof. It. H.
e i Ituffr.er, head of the animal husband,
j ry department at State College
, j Corn. oats, and barley arc about
e I equal in feeding value, but com is a
[. j little cheaper, usually, for feeding
11 mature animals. Barley should be
j. crushed or ground before feeding.
5 A great variety of hays are suitj
able for horse or mule feed. For
. each grower, the best type to feed is
that grown on his own farm, Professor
Ttuffner said.
U Among the hays and roughages fed
r with good results arc: lespedeza, tirn.
othy. clover, com stover, soybean,
cowpoa, alfalfa, and peanut.
When timothy and ear com are
e fed. it is well to include a quart of
? wheat bran each day to balance the
jjaiei.
Animals at work need 2 to 21pounds
of feed, dry roughage and
concentrates combined, for each 100
, pounds of live weight. A 1,000 pound
I mule should receive 10 pounds of
hay and 10 pounds of grain.
( However, if the hay or roughage
. contains a lot of weeds or coarse
stems, the quantity fed should be
increased A good practice is to give
the animals all the roughage they
. will at without waste.
\\"heri animals have plenty of good
iur or pasturage, and are not working.
the grain feed may be cut in
1 half.
* Less soil erosion and more fertile1
' acres arc resulting from crop rotas
tfon systems adopted in Rutherford
county.
t ?
\ PASTIME I
; THEATRE
t nnoNR, N. c.
B "PLACE OF GOOD SHOWS"
e ?????___
1 - I
< Program for Week
"j Dec. 9-14
e ? ? g? ?
. Monday and Tuesday,
Dec. 9-10
"So Red the Rose"
with
Margaret Sullavan and
Randolph Scott
Wednesday, DfiC. 11
"Coronado"
.j j with
.11 Jack Haley and Johnny
r I Downs
>' Thursday, Dec. 10
-i "Here's to RoC
! 1
mance"
d with
f Genevieve Tobin
a ?
Friday, Dec. IS
s j "Hands Across the
>! Table"
e! with
e I Carole Lombard and
| Fred MacMurray
" Saturday, I>ec. 14
e "The Big Caliber"
with
n Bob Steele
; 1
e Special Bargain
j Matinee, 10c, 15c
^ _____
n : Night Shows, 10c and 25c.
o MATINEES AT 2:S0 & 4:00
NIGHT SHOWS, 7:15 A 8:45
b
rnmTi t
Drinking Water Pumped 7
To Jerusalem in Pipes
Jerusalem. ? BriUsh authorities ^
have solved Jerusalem's 2.000-year- (|
i old water problem by building a pipe o
line from the -Auja river. Water will; S(
be pumped instead of flowing from
mountain springs through asueducts >
built by the Romans at the start of j
the Christian era
The new scheme started November |
1 and will bring water from the J a
Auja river north of Jaffa at the rate j tl
or j.WW.WV gaiigns uauy uwicau vi t;
the present 700.000 gallons furnished C(
by other sources. g,
Water will cost 5 cents a cubic p
yard, just half the present rate. Of t?
this amount 3 cents goes to the gov- p]
eminent to cover $1,850,000 advanced p
'or construction of the line. K
Democrat Ads Pay
How Calotabs I
To Throw^O
Millions have found in Calotabs a Si
most valuable aid in the treatment ki
of colds. They take one or two tab- ol
lets the first night and repeat the C
third or fifth night if needed. ! a
How du^Calolabs help Nature w
throw oft a cold? First, Calotabs is ol
one of the most thorough and dependable
of all intestinal eliminants. 01
thus cleansing the intestinal tract of p:
the germ-laden xnucus and toxlnes. p;
H
I Jill WARN IN GT
!)S 3 3 B8 I FOR equal perr'*
S a Bi I fowmance metal
2? 3 S 1 tubes are kot
'ill W (X B INTERCHANQE.
ff HJelSk ABLE WITH CLASS
W THL '"lIBl? TUBES?DO NOT
?jj AeclFT * COM*
K SPECIAL
? EASY.TERMS
5? You have never seen anything
Ferrodjne Radio. You have net
S? Twin development with metal
sf the standard of modern radi
? oceans and continents with ec
Wf of reception you had never dr
M and ask for demonstration tod
1 Farmers Ha
I Suppy G
page four
' Volume# in Book
Shelf 3 Inches Long
Montreal.?J. S. Snasdcll, Monook
collector, believes he has the
niest book shelf in the world. It is
illy Lhrce inches long, but it contains
jven volumes.
Perfect in every way, the boek3
>ntain several hundred pages each
nd typ? 'a 30 clear that they can be
;ad with naked eye. S
The ''mlnjature library" contains
n Fnglish dictionary, believed to be
le smallest in the world, a book of
nglish, Irish, and Scotch songs,
impletc with music and finely enraved
illustrations, a volume of
urns poems, two volumes of exacts
from world-famous phiiosoliers
ana humorists, an Englishrcnch
dictionary, and a copy of the
oran, printed in Arabic.
The volumes arc less than an inch
igh and just three-quarters of an
ich across.
>STLIER TOBACCOS
ielp Nature
ff a Bad Cold
econd, Calotabs are diuretic to the
dneys. promoting the elinilDation
: cold poisons from the system. Thus
alolubs serve the double purpose of
purgative and diuretic, both of
hlch arc needed in the treatment
f colds.
Calotabs are quite economical;
sly twenty-flve cents for the family
sckage. ten cents for the trial
ackage. (AdvJ
i;ir* i
..?v uiv ouuMuviiai oew yjg
cr heard anything like it. fr'ft
tubes, this set establisheso
performance. It spans at
[ual ease, giving a quality ds
earned possible. Come in
rdware and |
Company |