MASSIE'S SCHEME.
During the following week, matters went on very smoothly at the well
newly opened on Mr. Simpson's wood-lot.
George had continued steadily to improve, and looked quite like his old
self, so much good had prosperity done for him. His mother, recognizing
the fact that she could no longer be of service to him, and feeling not
exactly at home in the rather limited accommodations which the Simpson
house afforded, had gone home, while the three boys had settled down as
regular boarders, or, rather, guests at the Simpson farm.
The road had been built, the house for the workmen was well under way,
and the tank completed. By having this storage place near at hand, the
value of "The Harnett" could be definitely settled, and it was found
that the well was producing a trifle over twelve hundred barrels of oil
every twenty-four hours.
The money which Mr. Gurney had advanced had already been repaid, and it
was George's intention to settle for the machinery and tools in a few
days more, for they were all anxious to be free from debt.
Ralph's father had replied to the telegram by a letter of
congratulation, and had promised to come up there to see the property
before Ralph's vacation had expired, for it was by no means the young
oil producer's intention to neglect his studies. While the other
partners attended to the work at the well, it was his purpose to return
to college to finish the regular course he had started on.
It did not seem possible that, now the well was open and flowing so
freely, anything could happen to prevent them from becoming wealthy, and
that in a comparatively short time; but from this dream of fancied
security they were destined to be rather rudely awakened.
One morning, when they were all at the well, while Bob was trying, as he
had every day since he first saw oil from "The Harnett," to convince
them of the wisdom of boring another well just outside the limits of
their own property, but on that of Mr. Simpson's, which was entirely at
their service, two men drove up directly in front of them.
Visitors had been so plenty at the well, that neither of the partners
paid much attention to these new arrivals. Every one near there had
heard Bob Hubbard's predictions that the oil belt embraced Mr. Simpson's
property, but without believing him, and when the news went out that he
had struck a twelve-hundred-barrel well just where every one believed
there was no oil, it seemed as if the people must see it before they
could be convinced it was really there.
Almost a constant stream of visitors had been at the well from the day
it was opened, and Bob, believing these two men had come simply to
assure themselves that what others had said was true, paid no attention
to them, but continued his argument with George, as showing how they
could open another well further down the gully that should pay as well
as this one.
"Can we see Mr. George Harnett and Mr. Ralph Gurney?" asked one of the
men, as both advanced toward the lucky owners of "The Harnett."
"Those are the gentlemen," said Bob, carelessly, as he pointed to George
and Ralph, and then turned away to attend to some work, believing the
visitors had only idle questions to ask.
"And are you Robert Hubbard?" asked the second man, stepping in front of
Bob in such a manner as to prevent his leaving the place.
"I am."
"And this, I presume, is Mr. Daniel Simpson?" continued the man, as he
pointed to the fourth partner, who had not yet gotten over his surprise
at seeing oil flow on his land.
"It is," said Bob, sharply. "Is there any one else around here you wish
to see? If there is, call the roll now, for we have nothing else to do
but stand up for inspection."
"You four are all we have any business with just now, although in a few
moments we shall want to see all who are at work here," said the man who
had first spoken; and then, as he produced an official-looking document
from his pocket, he added, "Here is an injunction from the court,
restraining you from trespassing any further on this property, and from
removing anything from it. Here, also, are summonses for you to appear
in a suit for ten thousand dollars damages, brought against you by
Marcus Massie."
"Massie!" exclaimed Bob, while the others looked at the documents in
speechless astonishment. "What have we got to do with him? We don't owe
him any money."
"He claims that you have damaged him to the amount named by opening this
well without his knowledge or consent," replied the man.
"Well, I like that!" cried Bob, angrily. "Of course we opened it without
his knowledge or consent, and perhaps you can tell us why it would have
been necessary to consult him about it. What has he got to do with us?"
"Since the well is on his land, and since you have been converting the
oil to your own use, he thinks he has a great deal to do with it,"
replied the second man, who looked very much like a lawyer, while the
other was evidently an officer of some kind.
"His land!" cried George; and then all four of the partners looked at
each other in a dazed way, as if they had suddenly been deprived of the
power of speech.
"Yes, his land," replied the lawyer. "He had a mortgage on all this
property, which he foreclosed, and he proposes to take possession of
the house at once."
"But--but I paid that mortgage!" cried Mr. Simpson, in a trembling
voice. "I paid that mortgage, and have got it now."
"Yes," was the quiet reply. "I understand that by some means you have
got the instrument itself in your possession, but if you had got it
because you had paid the amount due, you would have received and had
recorded a release from Mr. Massie. Have you got that?"
"A release!" repeated the old man, in bewilderment. "I don't rightly
understand you. I paid my money and got the mortgage. Wasn't that
enough?"
"_If_ you had paid the money," replied the lawyer, with a decided
emphasis on the first word, "you would have received a release, and that
would have been recorded with the mortgage, otherwise that instrument is
in full force."
"But I paid it! I paid it!" wailed the old man.
"I know you did, Mr. Simpson," said George, sternly, "and so does
Massie. This is a sharp trick on his part to force us into buying his
imaginary claim off, for he tried very hard to get hold of this property
in the first place, and would have succeeded if he had not tried to get
too much. We will consult a lawyer at once."
"In the meantime, gentlemen," said the lawyer, "I warn you against
removing any more oil, or interfering in any way with my client's
property."
"I don't suppose you have got an order of the court to prevent the well
from flowing, have you?" asked Bob, angrily, making what seemed such
unnecessary movements with his hands, that the lawyer stepped several
paces backward very quickly.
"This officer will remain in charge of such property as you may own
here, since it is attached by Mr. Massie," said the lawyer, evidently
thinking it best for him to depart, and getting into the carriage with a
celerity that hardly seemed possible in one of his age.
"Oh, he will, will he?" cried Bob, savagely. "Well, I shall stay here in
charge of him, and I promise you he won't do anything more here than the
law permits him to."
"What _can_ we do?" asked Ralph, as the lawyer drove away, and the
officer sauntered around the premises like one who already owned them.
"I don't know what we can do now, except to go into town and consult a
lawyer. There is no question but that Massie is trying a little sharp
practice, and if it is a possible thing, he will get the best of us,"
said George. "Ralph, you and I will go into town, while Bob stays here.
I suppose we had better take Mr. Simpson with us, so that he can tell
all the particulars of paying the money."
"We will telegraph for father," cried Ralph, as if the thought has just
occurred to him. "He is a lawyer, and he will help us through with it."
"That's a good idea," replied George; "but we will also see a lawyer in
town, so as to know exactly what we ought to do now."
Mr. Simpson followed Ralph and George as they went to the stable, and
from time to time he repeated half to himself, as he passed his hand
over his forehead, as if to collect his scattered senses:
"I paid the mortgage--I paid the mortgage."
"We know you did, Mr. Simpson, and it will be hard if we can't prove it.
At all events, he has not got possession of the property yet, and I do
not believe he ever will."