cessary
for him to travel in this fashion. He had many practical ideas, had Mr.
Stoner, as, for instance, the use to be made of a stick with a crook in
it or a lath with a nail in the end. Armed thus, he declared, it was
possible for a man on the roof of a sleeping car to pick up a
completely new wardrobe in the course of a night's ride, provided the
upper berths were occupied and the ventilators were open. Mr. Stoner
deeply regretted the lack of such a simple aid, but agreed that it was
better to leave well enough alone.

McWade warmed to his traveling companion, and they talked of many
things, such as money and finance, sudden riches, and ways and means.
This led them back naturally to a discussion of Stoner's latest
promotion; he called it the Lost Bull well, and the circumstances
connected therewith he related with a subtlety of humor rare in a man
of his sorts. The nature of the story appealed keenly to McWade, and it
ran like this: Stoner had been working in the Louisiana gas fields near
the scene of a railroad accident--three bulls had strayed upon the
right of way with results disastrous to a freight train and fatal to
themselves. After the wreckage had been cleared away, the claim agent
settled with the owner of the bulls and the carcasses were buried in an
adjoining field. This had occurred some time prior to Stoner's arrival;
in fact, it was only by chance that he heard of it.

One day in passing the spot Stoner noticed a slight depression in the
ground, filled with water through which occasional bubbles of gas rose.
Being of an inquisitive turn of mind, he had amused himself with some
experiments and found that the gas was inflammable. Moreover, it gave
off an odor not unlike that of natural gas. It was a phenomenon of
decomposition new to the driller, and it gave him a great idea. He went
to town and very cautiously told of his discovery--a gas seepage, with
traces of oil. His story caused a sensation, and he led several of the
wealthiest citizens to the spot, then watched them in all gravity while
they ignited the gas, smelled it, tasted the soil. They were convinced.
They appointed Stoner their agent to buy the farm, under cover, which
he did at a nice profit--to himself. This profit he spent in riotous
living while a rig was being moved upon the ground. Not until the
derrick was up and the crew, in the presence of the excited
stockholders, came to "spud in," was the true source of that gas
discovered--