m up but you; you're the only one he
trusts. An' the same here. There's my bank roll--you can shoot the
whole piece. I don't care if it never comes back. Tryin' to get you
killed! An' spoilin' a well on me!"

"Thank you, Buddy! You--make me slow to trust my own judgment. I--I
seem to be developing a conscience. But I'm sure this is the thing to
do, for you and your father as well as for me. People can't stand
still; they must go forward. The Briskow fortune must grow or it will
crumble."

"I dunno if we've got as much in us as you seem to think," the boy
said, doubtfully.

"Look at Allie! And, you, too! You took hold of this field work and ran
it like a man. I said you'd make a hand, and you have. The day is
coming when people like you, who went from poverty to affluence
overnight, will retrace that journey. That's the time when the truly
dramatic story of the Texas oil boom will be written. Then will come
the real tragedy, and you mustn't be caught in it. Money isn't a
servant, Buddy; it is a master, and a mighty stern, relentless master,
at that. When your first well blew in, it didn't mean ease and
enjoyment, as you thought; it meant hard work for the rest of your
life."

"If you'd talked to me like this when I went off to school," the boy
said, after a moment of consideration, "mebbe I'd of made myself
swallow some more education, even if I had to take it out of a bottle
along with the little kids."

Gray smiled. "You have common sense, at least, and that's something you
can't get in school. Men wear smooth from contact with one another, and
it is time you got in touch with something bigger than mere drilling.
If you're willing, I'll take you to Wichita Falls with me."

"_Willing?_" Buddy's eyes sparkled. Guiltily he confessed: "It's been
pretty--lonesome out here with the scorpions. But I wanted to show you
I could make good."

"Do you drink any more?"

"Haven't touched a drop. I don't reckon I ever will, either. I don't
take to the idea of back-trackin' to this farm an' gettin' old in
overalls, like you say. I'm sort of penurious an' I aim to keep what
little sense I got. A feller as dull as I am can't afford to drink."

"One thing more." Gray nodded approvingly. "I want you to promise me
that you won't fall in love with the first woman you meet. I'd never be
able to lick you again."

Buddy showed his strong, white teeth in a broad grin. "I promise! That
boy with the bass voice cured me. I'm goin' to