h was going to send for
that trunk as soon as she was settled. Of course she never did. The
farm will be yours, too, some day; in fact, a third of it's yours
now, or will be when you come of age. Father left it that way in his
will--to us three daughters share and share alike, and you'll have
Faith's share. Poor Father! He was sure that we'd hear from Faith,
and he thought he'd left us all quite well off. But we had to put a
mortgage on the farm about ten years ago, and every year it's harder
and harder to get along. Charity and I are too old--that's the truth.
And some stock Father left us we traded off for some paying eight per
cent., and that company failed."

"You see," explained Miss Charity in her gentle way, "we don't know
anything about business. That man wasn't honest who sold us the
stock, but Hope and I thought he couldn't cheat us--he was a friend
of Father's."

"Well, don't let any one swindle you again," said Bob, a trifle
excitedly. "You don't have to worry about interest and taxes, any
more, Aunts. You have a fortune right here in your own dooryard; or
if not exactly out by the pump, then very near it!"

The sisters looked bewildered.

"Yes, yes," insisted Betty, as they gazed at her to see if Bob were
in earnest. "The farm is worth thousands of dollars."

"Oil!" exploded Bob. "You can lease or sell outright, and there isn't
the slightest doubt that there's oil sand on the place. Betty's
uncle will know. Uncle Dick is an expert oil man."

Miss Hope shook her head.

"My dear nephew," she urged protestingly, "surely you must be
mistaken. Sister and I have seen no evidences of oil. No one has ever
mentioned the subject or the possibilities to us. There are no oil
wells very near here. Don't you speak unadvisedly?"

"I should say not!" Bob was positive if not as precise as his aunt.
"There's oil here, or all the wells in the fields are dry. The farm
is a gold mine."

Betty rose hurriedly and pointed toward the window in alarm. They had
been sitting in the parlor, and she faced the bar of late afternoon
sunlight that lay on the floor.

"I saw the shadow of some one," she whispered in alarm. "It crossed
that patch of sunlight. Bob, I am afraid!"

CHAPTER XX

BETTY IS STOPPED

"Doctor Morrison, maybe," said Bob carelessly. "Gee, Betty, you
certainly are nervous! I'll run around the house and see if there's
any one about."

He dashed out, and though he hunted thoroughly, reported that