Ralph Gurney's Oil Speculation

Bob arrived at the place where Jim and his men were stationed a few seconds before the would-be invaders did, and in as few words as possible, told them what had occurred at the lane.

"Strike the first man who attempts to enter," he shouted, "and strike him hard!"

By that time the lawyer and his party had alighted and were marching in a solid body up to the road, evidently believing they could force their way through before the others could arrive.

Instead of dismounting from his horse this time, Bob grasped a club that was being raised by one of the men, and urged his horse at full speed among those who were attempting to force an entrance.

They had come out there in Mr. Massie's employ, believing that there might be some little difficulty about entering, which their very numbers would dispel at once, but by no means anticipating such a vigorous resistance. It did not suit them to measure strength with these who at last appeared to have right on their side, and they fled before Bob's charge with the greatest precipitation.

Bob was careful not to follow them into the highway; for, though he had no very extensive acquaintance with the law, he rightly conjectured that if he did this, he might be exceeding the powers Mr. Hillman had said were his; but he stood on the very line of his property, swinging his club in a fashion that would make it uncomfortable for anyone who might get within its reach.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves," he cried, anxious to hold them in check by any means until the remainder of his army could arrive upon the scene, "to attempt even to aid Massie in depriving an old man of his hard-earned rights. Mr. Simpson paid the money-lender all the money he had borrowed; but not knowing anything of the beautiful intricacies of the law, which gives a semblance of legality to such a theft as this, neglected to ask for a release of the property. After oil was discovered here, Massie saw a chance to steal the property, and he has hired you to do what he doesn't dare to do himself. If I so much as thought I was as contemptible as you show yourselves to be by trying to do this dirty work, I would go and drown myself in the most stagnant pool I could find."

Bob's speech had quite as much effect upon the men as the sight of the clubs had had, and they retreated toward their teams, protesting that they did not know the facts of the case when they started out.

It was in vain that the lawyer who had accompanied them insisted that they were only doing what his client had a legal right to ask them to do; in vain that he urged them to enter on the property regardless of those who tried to prevent them.

Bob had made them feel ashamed of the part they were playing, and before Ralph, who had outstripped the others in the race, arrived, they were in their wagons, insisting that they would have nothing more to do with the matter.

The lawyer scolded and shouted himself hoarse, trying to oblige them to do as he coaxed and commanded, but all to no purpose. They were determined to return, and they plainly told him that unless he came with them, they should drive away without him.

Under this pressure, which he could not control, the lawyer was obliged to obey those whom he had vainly attempted to command, and the party drove away, leaving Bob the well-earned title of conqueror in this first battle of Mr. Massie's.

But after all danger, so far as this party was concerned, had disappeared, Bob was by no means inclined to relax his vigilance. He stationed his men in the positions he had originally intended they should occupy, supplied each of them with a generous lunch, with the addition of hot coffee, and even gave a portion to the solitary officer at the well, when he had originally intended that he should go hungry.

After that was done, and after he had cautioned them to be watchful, impressing on the minds of Ralph, Jim and Dick the necessity of mistrusting every one whom they might see approaching the farm, Bob went back to the house to consult with Mr. Hillman and George.

There some especially good news awaited him. It seemed as if this direct attack on Massie's part had restored Mr. Simpson to something near his presence of mind, and, aided by his wife, who had always found scolding efficacious when he relapsed into absent-mindedness, had succeeded in recalling the events on the afternoon when he paid the money-lender the five hundred dollars which he had had so much difficulty to raise.

He now distinctly remembered that when he entered Massie's office a man by the name of Jared Thompson, formerly an old neighbor of his, was there, and that his first words were to the effect that he had brought the money to pay off the mortgage.

The old man was equally positive that he had laid the amount on the money-lender's desk in the presence of this same man, and that Massie had then offered to buy the wood-lot. How much more might have been said while Thompson was there he was not certain, but of that much he was positive.

Mr. Hillman was overjoyed at the news that there had been a witness to the repayment of the money, but when he asked where the man could be found, he was disappointed in the reply.

Mr. Thompson had lived on the next farm to Mr. Simpson's, but when he left it, he went to Bradford, and from there it had been said that he had gone to Babcock. Where he was living at that time Mr. Simpson neither knew nor did he know of any one else who might be acquainted with Mr. Thompson's whereabouts.

"If we can find this man, and if he heard what Mr. Simpson thinks he did, then the case will be clear enough, for we shall have a witness to the payment of the money, which, I think, will be sufficient to explode Massie's claim."

"We must find him," was Bob's reply.

And just then he felt able to find any man, however hard he might try to hide.

"Yes, but how?" asked Ralph, who had come in at the close of the conversation.

"I don't know exactly," said Bob; "but there must be a way. George can be spared better than any one else. Let him harness his horses and start out. He can stay away until he finds him."

"I think the best way would be to make inquiries at Bradford, and from there you might be able to track him," suggested Mr. Hillman. "Just remember that with this man everything will be plain sailing, and that without him Massie may get the best of us, and I am confident you will bring him back with you."

"And above all things, George, don't give up the chase because you think we may need you here. Just remember that we can get along as well without you and spare neither time nor expense in the search," said Bob.

George was perfectly willing to start in pursuit of the missing witness, and at once made his preparations for the journey.

Fortunately he had with him as much money as he would be likely to want, and to harness his horses and to gather up such things as he might need was but the work of a few moments.

"Don't come back without your man!" shouted Bob, as George drove away.

And the defenders of "The Harnett" and the Simpson farm were left alone to await the coming of Mr. Gurney, and of George with the missing witness.

All of them feared that Massie's next attempt to gain admittance would be made under the cover of darkness, and to prevent this from being successful Bob went to work.

First he sent one of the men on his horse to Sawyer to purchase a number of lanterns, and while the messenger was gone he got from Mrs. Simpson all the blankets and comfortables she had.

It was his purpose that half his men should sleep at their posts during the night, while the others watched, in order that they might be able to continue sentry duty for any length of time, and he also proposed that each one on guard should carry a lantern, that both he and any one who might meditate an attack, would know those in possession of the property were still on the alert.

This done, the inmates and guardians of the farm were ready for the coming of the night.

CHAPTER XXXV.

MASSIE'S FAILURE

Although Bob had taken so many precautions against the coming of the enemy during the night, they were all useless, since neither Mr. Massie nor any one in his employ appeared at the Simpson farm.

"Well," said Bob, next morning, while he was waiting for Mrs. Simpson to prepare the breakfast for the sentinels, "since they didn't come during the night they'll most likely be here to-day, so it won't do for us to grow careless."

As the day wore on, and nothing was seen of the force which it was believed would appear, Ralph said to Bob:

"If father started as soon as he got my telegram, he ought to be here on the train to-night, and some of us must drive into town for him."

"That's true, and you must be the one to go," replied Bob, decidedly. "You can take my team, and if any one comes while you are gone, we shall get rid of them, I guess."

Since Mr. Hillman wished to go to his office for some law-books and papers before Mr. Gurney arrived, Ralph started off with him about noon, leaving the farm with the often-expressed wish that nothing would happen during the absence of three of the defenders.

"If you mean by that that you're afraid some of Massie's men may get in here, you're mistaken," said Bob, stoutly. "Unless we have a mind to let them, which isn't at all likely, there won't one of them get a chance to so much as show his nose inside."

Now that Mr. Simpson had succeeded in gathering his scattered faculties once more, and understood that everything might yet be well with them, he seemed suddenly to have grown young again, for he was as eager in watching for approaching danger as Bob was.

"Don't fear for us!" he shouted, as Mr. Hillman and Ralph drove down the lane. "We can keep a regiment of them at their distance," and he acted much as if he believed all he said.

It was about two hours after Ralph and the lawyer drove away, when Bob was honored with another visit from Mr. Massie's messengers, but this time they did not come in sufficient force to cause any alarm.

The lawyer and two men drove up to the lane, where Bob, having seen them while they were yet some distance away, had a force of five men, and the following conversation took place:

"I am instructed by Mr. Marcus Massie, the rightful owner of this place, to take possession of it at once, and to order you off the grounds as trespassers," said the lawyer. "Do you intend to prevent us from an exercise of our legal rights?"

"I intend to prevent you from coming in here," replied Bob, "and I warn you now that I will seriously injure the first one who attempts to come on to this land, which belongs to Mr. Simpson."

"I have made the demand upon you," continued the lawyer, in an unruffled tone, "and I tell you now that my client will proceed against you if you thus attempt by force to prevent him from the exercise of his just and lawful rights."