Ralph divided his time equally between George and the scene of operations. In the early morning, he would walk out to the well, stay there an hour, and then return to report progress, continuing his alternate visits to the well and the invalid, until George knew as much of what was going on as if he had superintended it.
Now, every oil well is christened with some name, which is supposed to be suggestive of the manner in which it has been discovered, or to do honor to some person who may or may not be interested in it; therefore, it is not to be supposed that a name for this pet of Bob's had not been discussed even before work had been begun on it.
Each one of the boys had proposed some appellation, Bob's favorite being "The Invalid," in honor of George, and because, as he said, it had really had a chance of an existence through Harnett's illness, for he stoutly contended that had the senior owner been well, he would have been so cautious about opening it on credit, that all of them would have grown gray-headed before they saw it flowing.
Jim and Dick thought that, since Bob had really been the one to open it, in case oil was struck, it should be called "The Moonlighter," in honor of the one who had done all the work, when there was no chance that he could be benefited by its success.
George wanted to call it "The Gurney," and his suggestion gave to Bob and Ralph just the name the well should bear in case it answered their expectations in regard to its yield.
"We will call it 'The Harnett,'" said Ralph, more decidedly than he had yet said anything in regard to the "scheme," and since Bob was in favor of this, it came to be considered a settled fact that that should be the name. After that conversation, old Mr. Simpson never spoke of it save as "The Harnett," and the boys soon learned to follow his example, until even George gave it that title.
Work went on rapidly, until the drills were boring eight hundred feet below the surface, and it was hourly expected that bed-rock would be struck, when George broached to Ralph a matter he had had on his mind from the hour he first learned that "The Harnett" was being opened.
"Do you remember, Ralph, what we said about giving Mr. Simpson a share in the land if oil was found there?" he asked, when Ralph came in to tell him that the rock had not been struck, but that Bob believed it would be before night.