The telegram was followed by a letter which gave many details. But the main feature was that the operation had been entirely successful and that the surgeon in charge had said positively that Ruth's eyes would soon be as well and as strong as they had ever been. "I am going to send her a telegram of congratulation," declared Jack. "Even if she can't read it herself, they can read it to her," and he hurried off to the telegraph station for that purpose. After that the boys waited anxiously for some sort of development at the Franklin farm. Tom Rover and his brother Sam had returned to New York, and they had wanted the boys to go with them, but all had pleaded that they be allowed to remain in Texas. "We want to see the wells shot off and want to see the oil flow--that is, provided it does flow," said Randy. "We might as well put in our vacation here as anywhere," put in Fred. And so the four lads were allowed to remain. Of course, the Franklins were as anxious as any one to see how matters would turn out. Father and son were working for the company and doing their best to hurry matters along. Dick Rover was also on hand daily, consulting with Ogilvie and his assistants to make sure that everything was going right. "These two wells are going to cost us about seventy thousand dollars," Jack's father confided to him. "It's a mint of money, isn't it?" and he smiled slightly. "It certainly is, Dad. Especially if the wells don't pan out." "Well, we've got to take what comes. You must remember this is the land of luck--good or bad." At last Ogilvie announced that they were getting to the point where the first well would soon be shot off. There were some indications of oil, although not as strong as Mr. Fitch had hoped. The oil expert had put up his five thousand dollars in the company which had been formed, so he was almost as anxious as those who had larger sums invested. "Here's news for you!" shouted Andy, bursting in on the others the next noon. "What do you know about this? Say, I guess those fellows are going to catch it all right enough!" and he began to dance around the floor. "What are you talking about, Andy?" demanded his brother. "They say the well on the Lorimer Spell claim has run dry!" "Run dry!" came from the others. "Yes, run dry--or next door to it! They got only fifteen barrels the day before yesterday, and yesterday they got not more than three." "You don't mean it!" exclaimed Jack. "Who told you this?" "One of the men who worked there. Carson Davenport was so mad that when the man said something to him about it he fired him. The man said he was coming over here to look for a job--that he was sure the whole thing was petering out." The news soon circulated, and Dick Rover was so interested that he went off the next day to Columbina to ascertain the truth.