Buddy to stop work; not to drop another tool until I
arrived. 'Fatted for destruction.' I like the sound of that. Ten
thousand barrels! Ho! I'll write this day in brass. Why, that lease
will sell for a million. It--it may mean the end."

Gray brought himself to with an effort, hastily he kissed Ma Briskow's
faded cheek and wrung her husband's hand. A moment later he was gone.

"Thirty-five," where Buddy was working, was only a few miles from the
Briskow ranch, therefore the boy was able to meet his sister at Ranger
and drive her directly to the old home. The place was much the same as
when they had left it, thanks to the watchful attention of the men in
charge of the Briskow wells, and there they spent the night. Buddy and
his sister had always been close confidants, and their long separation,
their varied experiences, left many things to be discussed.

The ranch house seemed very mean, very insignificant to Allie, but she
slipped into one of her old dresses and prepared the supper while Buddy
straddled a kitchen chair and chattered upon ten thousand topics of
mutual interest.

"Doggone!" he exclaimed, finally. "I hardly knew you when you stepped
off that train, but it seems like old times now, with you hustlin'
around in that gingham."

"I wish it was."

"Hunh?"

"I wish, sometimes, that we'd never struck oil."

"Good Lord! Why?"

"Oh"--Allie turned her back and bent over the stove--"for lots of
reasons! Ma never had a sick day till lately. Now she's failin' fast."
Buddy frowned at this intelligence. "And Pa's as restless as a
squirrel. All the time scared of losing his money."

"Well, _you_ got no kick coming, sis. You've sure made good."

"How?"

"I dunno--You've got rich ways. An' rich _looks_, too!"

Allie lifted an interested face, and her brother undertook, somewhat
awkwardly, to tell her wherein she had improved. She listened with
greedy delight, but when he had finished she shook her head skeptically
and declared: "It sounds nice, and God knows I've tried hard enough,
but-there's a difference, Bud. We're 'trash' and always will be."

Of course young Briskow's mind was full of business, and he could not
long stay off that absorbing topic. When, during their supper, he
announced the fact that the well on thirty-five showed signs of coming
in shortly, and that he intended to send for Calvin Gray, Allie changed
her mind about returning home and decided to wait over until the latter
arrived.

Sh