They were convinced.
They appointed Stoner their agent to buy the farm, under cover, which he did at a nice profit--to himself.

This profit he spent in riotous living while a rig was being moved upon the ground.

Not until the derrick was up and the crew, in the presence of the excited stockholders, came to "spud in," was the true source of that gas discovered--then the enterprise assumed such a bad odor that bystanders fled and Mr.Stoner was forced to leave the state without his baggage.
This had been the nature of McWade's and Stoner's meeting; on the roof of that swaying Pullman they laid the corner stone of their partnership.
Arrived at Wichita Falls, Stoner went into the field and McWade obtained employment in a restaurant.

It was a position of trust, for upon him developed the entire responsibility of removing the traces of food from the used dishes, and drying them without a too great percentage of breakage.

It kept McWade upon his feet, but, anyhow, he could not sit with comfort, and it enabled him, in the course of a week, to purchase a change of linen and to have his suit sponged and pressed.