Boom Town Page #8

Did you buy that yourself?

Sure, 5000 bucks' worth. Why?

I thought it might have been

your mother's or something...

...and you were wearing it

for sentimental reasons.

I don't get you.

That's all right.

Well, Big John,

I may be a little crazy...

...but if you move to New York,

I'll be cheering for you.

Will you save me a ringside seat?

Well, come on, old man.

We'd better go up to the meeting.

How did he like my gee-gees, Karen?

I hope he thought they were nice.

- Goodbye.

- So long.

Be back this afternoon, Karen.

Clever girl, isn't she?

Oh, yeah, yeah, sure.

We met in the Dutch West Indies,

at the Maracaibo field.

She was married to a young geologist.

She didn't like it down there.

Hey. Hey.

- Going to town?

- Sure. Hop on in.

Nice car you got here.

You bet. Got three more, same kind,

red, yellow, green.

Sometime one run out of gas.

You know this fella John McMasters?

Yeah. Him fine man.

We shoot crap together.

Him like me very much.

- Yes, sir?

- Corner room.

Yes, sir.

So long, Mr. Compton.

Glad to have had you.

Fine. A very informative meeting,

gentlemen.

Well, I have to pull out this afternoon.

If I were you, I'd forget

that New York idea.

Yeah? Well, who can tell?

Well, so long, Big John.

Yeah, so long.

Your... Your luggage, Mr. Sand?

Oh, no, no luggage.

I came in my private car.

I won't go up right now, but have

the chef fix dinner for six tonight.

- I'll leave everything to him.

- Yes, sir.

Hey, Shorty,

didn't you forget the wine?

Well, well, well. How are you?

Fine, fine.

Sorry to hear they took you

to the cleaners down there.

Well, the other side took over...

...but you know me.

I came out with twice what I put in.

Well, that's fine. I might have known it.

Sure, sure.

I was way ahead of them all the time.

If that's so,

I got a big proposition for you.

A lot of dough in it for us.

What do you say?

- Well, now, I don't know.

- You don't have to provide cash now.

For a long time,

I've been looking for a guy who...

No, no, I don't think so. I got too

many things in the fire right now.

How are things at the convention?

Anything interesting?

Nothing much. Harry Compton and the

crowd just dropped in from the East.

- Is Harry in town?

- Yeah.

Well, like to see the old boy.

Might have a big deal on.

Well, there he is, right over there.

The guy on the phone.

Oh, yes, yes, I didn't see him.

- Well, I'll be seeing you.

- Yeah, so long.

- Yes, that sounds all right to me.

- Only one Corona Perfecto.

Darn that doctor.

- There you are. The 4 bits is yours.

- Hi, John Sand.

Well, if it ain't John Sand.

You old maverick.

- Well, Tom and Ed.

- How are you, John?

- Well, how goes it, boys?

- We're lucky we run into you.

Real oil men in this town

are scarcer than poor Indians.

Yeah. You and us have gotta

have a deal right off, John.

Look. We got us a cinch

wildcat lease here.

It ain't near any proven stuff, but...

Sit down here a minute.

The anticline runs right through here.

We know there's oil five miles over here.

We know there's oil

five miles in this direction.

And that's the whole thing.

Now, look, John...

...if you'll just stake us to the tools

and equipment, you'll be in it for half.

- Now, don't that sound good?

- Sure does. Sure does.

All you need is some tools

and a string of pipe?

We've been over to see Luther Aldrich.

- He sat there...

- Is Luther Aldrich in town?

Yeah. Moved his main office up here.

He's got the money, but you couldn't

blast a cent out of him with nitro.

Well, I don't know.

I got so many things in the fire.

But I'll tell you what I'll do.

Give me 24 hours to think it over.

- Well, my boy, my boy.

- Luther, old boy...

...good to see you again.

You haven't changed a bit.

Thanks. It's like old times.

You know, I've been following your

sensational career with great interest.

Luther, I came to get a string of tools.

Oh, of course. Well, here it is.

Take your pick.

You see, the trouble is,

it'd be a couple of months be...

My money's tied up in the foreign

banks. You know, politics and...

Well, don't give it a thought.

All you want, and all the time to pay.

Sky's the limit, up to 50,000,

if you want it.

Here, wait a minute.

I'll get my order blank.

Well, I take it all back, Luther.

You have changed.

Well, you know,

a fella mellows with age.

Why, even back in Burkburnett,

I wasn't really sore, remember...

...when you two fellas stole that pipe?

No. You and Harmony and the sheriff

were just out hunting quail that day.

Yeah, quail. Yes.

Well, Big John's doing fine now.

- Yeah, yeah. I'm glad to hear it.

- Yeah, you are?

Why don't you two fellas

bury the hatchet.

We'll bump into one another

one of these days.

No time like the present.

He's in my office right now.

Why, we were just talking about you.

He isn't sore.

- He said that he...

- I get it. I...

- No wonder I thought you'd gone nuts.

- Why?

How would you like to eat that pipe?

- You slaphappy windbag.

- What?

Okay, Shorty,

I was trying to stake you.

But stop being like a mule ready to kick

himself when he's down and...

I don't need any handouts from you.

Here, now, wait a minute.

Wait a minute, my boy.

To err is human, to forgive divine.

- That's sharp.

- Now, just a minute, Shorty.

Simmer down, will you, Shorty.

- You know you always did better with me.

- Oh, so that's it.

Who was smart enough

to grab off that first lease?

Yeah, who was smart enough

to get the tools?

What happened when I left?

You turned up your toes and went loco.

Then you let those tin soldiers take you

for everything but your drawers.

Oh, come on back in with me, Shorty.

Let's make it happy days again.

I don't need you, never did.

Don't hold your breath until I do.

- And don't call me Shorty.

- Okay, little man.

Play hard to get. Just don't change

your mind, I won't be here.

I'm moving East. I'm walking in on

New York, on the real show.

So when you whistle for me,

I'll whistle back with a blowpipe.

Boy, who said the big city

is no place in the spring?

Isn't it great? Smell that fresh air.

Carbon monoxide.

I'd rather smell fresh oil.

Why? You're in the consumer's end

of the business now.

Oh, jokes?

Feeling pretty chipper for a man who

got home at 3:
00 in the morning.

That's the way they do business

in this town, 24 hours a day.

Looks like you're

taking the town by storm.

Compton and his gang know I'm here,

I guess.

Honey. You're happy, aren't you?

Yes, if you are.

Hey, of course I am.

Are you sure?

- Hey, what's the matter?

- Oh, nothing.

I'm just kidding.

Go on up and slave, only let's have

dinner together tonight for a change.

I'll try, honey.

Look, I thought I'd have a few people in

Sunday night, and I need an extra girl.

- Whom do you suggest?

- Search me. I don't know.

Well, I thought, perhaps,

what about Karen Vanmeer?

We haven't seen her for ages...

...and she was so nice

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