Oil wells in the woods . fear is wont to do, I found noone within. Mam! mam! I screamed at the topof my voice, but the unearthly noise coming from theburning well made my cry a whisper. Out into the yard, frantic with the sense of impend-ing danger, I flew back along the path toward whereI had left my little companion, and saw her hurryingtoward me, crying piteously. Taking her hand, we ran down the path together,calling and crying for our mothers, when a big manin overalls ran by us. It was the man who hadchased us from the oil puddle. Then more men ranby, and one of them stopped and told us
Oil wells in the woods . fear is wont to do, I found noone within. Mam! mam! I screamed at the topof my voice, but the unearthly noise coming from theburning well made my cry a whisper. Out into the yard, frantic with the sense of impend-ing danger, I flew back along the path toward whereI had left my little companion, and saw her hurryingtoward me, crying piteously. Taking her hand, we ran down the path together,calling and crying for our mothers, when a big manin overalls ran by us. It was the man who hadchased us from the oil puddle. Then more men ranby, and one of them stopped and told us not to cry,that we would not be hurt, then hurried on with therest. Coming to the house, we were mutually disap-pointed in not finding our mothers; down the hillleading toward the well we ventured after the crowd,but had gone only a short distance when we metsome of the men coming back, carrying a black object,from which I saw blood trickling and dropping to theground. My mother was behind them, crying as though her[70]. Looking in the direction from whence it came, ire saw amonstrous /lame shoot above the trees, into the very heavens. MY FATHERS AWFUL DEATH heart would break. Oh Tom, Tom! my poor hus-band, may God have mercy on you, she wailed. Instantly I understood; my father had been burntbeyond recognition. It was his charred remains themen were carrying. Pap, pap—my own dear pap! I cried, runningto his side, when one of the men picked me up, andwent on ahead to the house. Into the low room of our humble dwelling theycarried the silent form of my unfortunate Smedley was trying to console my mother, butthe tumult of grief within her own heart made herefforts feeble. Crowds of men that I had never seen before stoodaround the yard, and their faces, as if moulded bya subtle hand, bore the same expression—the ex-pression of sadness and awe. Poor Boyd was among them; his hair and eye-brows were singed to the skin, and his face was blackand blistered. The short-sl
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidoilwellsinwo, bookyear1905
