264 THE TIM BUNKER PAPEKS. 



NO. 74. TIM BUNKER ON &quot; STRIKING ILE.&quot; 



&quot;Have you hee rn the news, Squire Bunker?&quot; asked 

 Jake Frink, as he carne into our house last evening, after 

 a long absence. 



You see, Jake has been mighty shy of our house ever 

 since my trip to Washington, and the upsetting of his 

 light-house, etc. It took some great excitement like the 

 present oil fever to bring him round. 



&quot; No, I haven t. It is the latest news, neighbor Frink, 

 to see you here. You re welcome.&quot; 



&quot; Wai,&quot; says Jake, &quot; they du say that Deacon Smith has 

 made five thousand dollars on ile within the last few 

 weeks.&quot; 



&quot; And how did that happen ? &quot; 



&quot; It didn t happen at all. He made it by speculation in 

 ile stocks. Ye see, he and a few men in Wall-street 

 bought a lot of land for forty thousand dollars, and then 

 bought an ile well, jest to sweeten it, and sold out sheers 

 enuff to come to a quarter of a million, and talked about 

 a working capital of a hundred thousand dollars, and all 

 the work that capital did was jest tu work money intu 

 their own pockets, and the Deacon s share of the spiles 

 was five thousand dollars. I guess I shall want to hear 

 the Deacon pray arter this ! &quot; 



&quot; Hear him pray ! &quot; exclaimed Sally, taking off her gold- 

 bowed spectacles. &quot;Little chance of that, Jake, for you 

 haven t been inside of a meeting-house in a year.&quot; 



Jake did not heed that shot, but proceeded. 



&quot; Now I should like to know, Squire Bunker, whether 

 there is anything in this ile business, or whether it is all 

 bosh. Did you see any ile when you was in the city ? &quot; 



&quot; Lots of it, neighbor Frink, and heard a great deal 



