him. Just think, he had a fortune in his grasp, and now it is
slipping away."

"Just what happened?" asked Tom, hoping there might be some way
in which he could aid Mary's uncle. Of course, Tom wanted to help
Mary, and this was one of the ways.

"Well, I don't exactly understand it all," she replied. "Father
says I'll never have a head for business. But as nearly as I can
tell, my uncle, Barton Keith, went into partnership with a man to
prospect for oil in Texas. My uncle has been in that business
before, and he was very successful. He supplied the working
knowledge about oil wells, I believe, and the other man put up
the money. My uncle was to have a half share in whatever oil
wells he located, and his partner supplied the cash for putting
down the pipe, or whatever is done."

"I believe putting down a pipe is the proper term," said Tom.

"Well, anyhow," went on Mary, "my uncle spent many weary months
prospecting in Texas. In fact, he made himself ill, being out in
all sorts of weather, looking after the drilling. At last they
struck oil, as I believe they call it. They drilled down until
they brought in what my uncle called a 'gusher,' and there was a
chance of him and his partner getting rich."

"Why didn't he?" asked Tom. "A gusher, I believe, is one of the
best sort of oil wells. Why didn't your uncle clean up a fortune,
to use a slang term?"