ess than himself.

In addition, one-quarter of all this was his, and he was what he had
long dreamed of being--an oil producer.

The length of time which the well flowed demonstrated the fact that, if
it would not produce a thousand barrels of oil per day, the yield would
not fall far short of that, and when it finally ceased flowing, Bob was
transformed into the steady, hard-working superintendent he had been
since the work was first commenced.

It was necessary that something be done at once to save all this oil
which was now going to waste, and he directed the workmen at once how
they should begin.

Unknown to his partners, Bob had already made arrangements for the
building of a tank, and, as soon as the workmen were engaged with the
tubing, he started Jim off to town with a message to the contractors
that no time might be lost in getting at the work.

Before Jim left, Ralph gave him a message which he wanted him to send to
his father. It was short, containing only these words:

"Well just opened. Good for eight hundred barrels per day."

On reading it, Bob insisted that the eight hundred should be changed to
one thousand, since that would probably be nearer the actual yield; but
Ralph let it remain as it was, preferring to be two hundred barrels
short of the actual yield rather than two hundred barrels over.

Mrs. Harnett persuaded George to return to the house as soon as the
first flow had ceased; and, aided by Ralph and Mr. Simpson--for the
others were too busy to be able to help him--he went back, fancying, as
soon as he was away from the well, that he had dreamed of the wonderful
things he had seen, and that it could not be a reality.

His friends were not certain whether he had been injured or benefited by
the excitement; but he was so thoroughly tired out when he reached his
room that he was obliged to go to bed at once, and there he fell into a
long, sweet sleep, from which he did not awaken until evening.

As may be imagined, everything was in the greatest state of activity
around "The Harnett" during the remainder of that day and all the night,
making ready to save the oil which then was being lost, and before the
morning came, those who were working at the well decided that even Bob's
estimate of a thousand barrels was too small.

"The Harnett" was flowing at the rate of twelve hundred barrels of oil
per day, and that represented at least as many dollars, although the
price of oil might fal