CHAPTER VII 



I LEAVE FOR TEXAS AGAIN 



When I made up my mind to return to my 

 home in Milwaukee it was with no intention of 

 doing anything in particular. I was floundering, 

 mentally, like a fish in a net. I was full of energy 

 and ambition, but I could not become anchored. 



While I was in the government service I saw 

 many chances for making my fortune, by the 

 investment of a few hundred dollars, but I could 

 never assemble the few hundred dollars. One of 

 the opportunities which I saw at that time has 

 recently come to the fore and when I read the 

 notice of it in the papers a few months ago, I 

 almost got the wander-lust again. The notice in 

 the paper referred to the fact that the waters in 

 the springs at Fort Stockton, Texas, are heavily 

 charged with radium; and of course, you know 

 what that means for Fort Stockton. 



Fort Stockton was one of the towns to which 

 I made a number of trips while in the service and 

 I could see a great future for it as a health 

 resort. While I knew nothing about the radium 

 in the water, everything else was ideal for the 

 purpose, and I endeavored on several occasions 

 to interest certain parties in the project, but 

 never successfully. 



At other places in west Texas I saw towns 

 spring up from a few tents to a thousand inhab- 

 itants in a few months' time. Many of these 

 towns are now hustling, solid places and the best 



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