“Yeah, well, you still have to eat. Let’s grab a sandwich and get back to reviewing the brief assigned to us.” He stood, and said, “Come on. I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Okay, but we go Dutch,” Rebecca said.
Sitting at a table in the cafeteria, Joshua said, “You don’t even realize how beautiful you are, do you?”
“What are you talking about? My sister is the beauty in the family,” Rebecca said.
“I’ve never met your sister, but she can’t be any prettier than you. She isn’t in school here is she?”
“No, she’s at Tulane. Studying to be a doctor. At Christmas, she told me she’s having a tough time of it too.”
“I’ve heard medicine is pretty tough. It must have been hard for her to get into Tulane,” he said.
“Actually, she’s at the top of her class. It’s the attitudes of the doctors and the other students getting to her. Cassie is very outgoing, and likes people. That’s why she chose medicine. The men just don’t think medicine is a place for a woman. Would you want to be examined by a female doctor?”
“It would probably make me uncomfortable,” he said.
“See, that’s the attitude she’s up against. How do you think a woman should feel being examined by a male doctor? You don’t have to answer, I know, all doctors are males and always have been.”
“That’s not the same thing. You’re putting words into my mouth,” he said.
“Am I?” she asked. “The only difference is the roles are reversed. I run into many of the same prejudices Cassie does, but more subtle. Cassie is a lot more determined than I am. I doubt I could handle what she has to face. I don’t want to argue with you. I’ll save that for moot court.
Let’s get back to work,” she said.
“I want you to understand something, Rebecca. I think I’m falling in love with you. Don’t tell me I’m being silly. I can’t help it. When you put your hand on my arm a little while ago, it gave me the shivers. If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll try to find another study partner.”
Two hours later, they decided they had finished analyzing the brief, and decided to call it a night. “It’s late. I’ll walk you back to your room,” Joshua said.
“That’s not necessary, Josh. I’ll be all right,” she said.
“It is necessary, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. Together they walked back to her apartment. At the steps, she turned, to kiss him on the cheek. At the same time, he turned his head and her lips touched his instead of his cheek. He pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently. At first, she responded, then drew back. With his arms still around her, she leaned back. “I’m sorry,” he said. I didn’t mean to take advantage of you. It was an accident.”
“There’s no need to apologize, Josh. You’re my friend and I like you. Good night. See you in class.” She turned and went up the steps and into her building.
He turned and started to cross the street to head home. A scream pierced the night. Another. He turned and ran to the door she had just entered. He went to her door to make sure she was safe. The door was ajar and he looked inside. She was on the floor bleeding from her nose. Her room had been trashed. Drawers were opened and her clothes strewn on the floor. Tables were overturned. A lamp lay broken, its shade smashed. Taking all of this in, he went to her side. “Becky, are you all right? What happened?” he asked franctically.”
“There was someone in here when I walked in. He said, “We don’t need any female lawyers”, then he hit me in the face and ran out. Did you see him?”
“No one came out the front. I’ll check the back,” he said and started out.
“No, wait, don’t leave me. He might still be in the building. I’ll be okay, I’m just scared,” she said.
“We need to report this to the police tonight,” he said. “They may have a chance to catch whoever it was.”
“We can use the telephone in the parlor,” she said. “They just installed it about a month ago. Papa pays extra so I can have access.”
“I don’t know how to use one. I’ve seen them on campus, but never used one. Come show me.”
Together, they went to the phone mounted on the wall. “You just crank the handle and when Central answers, you just tell her you want the police. It’s really simple. Papa has one on the farm so I can call them when necessary. Cassie has one too.”
Rebecca placed the call. Ten minutes later, the police arrived, in the form of two burly policemen. While one of them went over the apartment thoroughly, the other went to the back. He returned shortly, reporting there was no sign of anyone near the building. He then went to talk to the other occupants, all of whom were students, except for the building superintendent, to determine if anyone had seen anything suspicious.
Fear had been replaced by anger. Rebecca was furious that someone would attack her and her belongings, simply because she was a female law student. Joshua said, “I’m going to stay here tonight, in case they come back. Don’t worry, you’re safe from me. I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’ll be right here. Tomorrow, we’ll see about getting a new lock for your door.”
“Joshua, I don’t think this is necessary. The policemen said they don’t think anyone will come back. They didn’t think he intended to harm me, he was just surprised when I returned and found him here.”
“Becky, I won’t take no for an answer. I will stay here until you get the lock replaced. Don’t argue. This is a case you can’t win.”
Once again, Rebecca had a protector. This time it wasn’t her sister…
Chapter 3: Jonathon Thomas Gets A Start
Jonathon Logan Thomas was the only child from the union of Clint Thomas and Sarah Hutchison. He had two half sisters, Cassie Thomas and Rebecca Hutchison, both of whom doted on him and were determined to spare him from any of the unpleasantries of life.
His two sisters were vastly different, Cassie was an outgoing, never-met-a-stranger person, while Rebecca was quiet, and shy. Both girls were stunningly beautiful, each taking after their separate mothers. Cassie’s mother, Ruth had died when she was six. Two years later, her father advertised for a bride in The Matrimonial News. One of the responders to his ad was Sarah Hutchison, herself a widow who had advertised for a husband. They met and married. As their love for each other grew, so did Cassie’s love for her new mother and sister.
In addition to their beauty, both girls were academically brilliant. This brilliance would prove to be a burden and a challenge to Jonathon, called Johnny by his sisters, throughout his early years.
Cassie’s school performance far exceeded those of her classmates in the Marshall Public School System. Cassie was named valedictorian of the Marshall High School, Class of 1878. Her grades remained the best ever until they were broken by her sister, Rebecca, two years later.
“Your sisters were Cassie and Rebecca, weren’t they?” asked the teacher on the first day of school.
“Yes ma’am,” Jonathon Thomas replied.
“You’re going to have to really work hard to live up to the standards set by your sisters,” the teacher said.
“Yes ma’am, I will,” he answered . It was the first challenge ever thrown at him, involving his sisters. It would not be the last.
With a sister ten years older, and another eight years old, young Johnny had two mentors that saw it as their duty to ensure his success at every turn. His education, at the hands of his sisters, began before his formal schooling started. Their lessons became his. He had begun reading before starting school.
After his first day of school, his mother asked, “How was your first day, Johnny?”
“It was good,” he said. “The teacher is really nice. She remembers Cassie and Becky, and tells me I’m going to have to work really hard to do as well they did.”
“Well, your sisters are both very good students. I want you to remember one thing. You are not your sisters. You do the best you can and you will be all right. You don’t have to bea
t your sisters in order to be a success. You just have to be all that you can be.”
Johnny had begun calling Sarah “Mom”. “I do have to beat them, Mom. Boys are supposed to beat the girls.”
“I don’t know where you got that,” his mother said. “You certainly didn’t hear it here. Your father and I are equals and have always treated each others as such.”
“I’m going to beat them. You wait and see.”
As he progressed through the school system, the specter of his sisters continued to haunt him. Any time a test or report card slipped, he was reminded by his teachers, “This isn’t like you, Jonathon. I’m disappointed, and I expect more from you than this,” his teacher told him after he turned in a less than perfect paper.
“Mom, it isn’t fair. My grades are the best in the class, but the teacher still got on me about it,” he told his mother.
“It isn’t fair, Johnny. They simply expect you to be the best. Your sisters, unfortunately, set very high standards and they expect you to do the same.”
“It still isn’t fair,” he replied.
“Would you like for me to talk to your teacher?” she asked.
“No ma’am. I’ll just have to study more.”
And he did. All the way through school, his work hovered close to perfection. Cassie had moved on from Marshall High School and was attending Bayor College For Women. Two years later, Rebecca graduated and entered the University of Texas at Austin. Jonathon was now the only child at home.
His drive for success came at a price of social interaction. He had few friends, and no girlfriends, even though he inherited the rugged, handsome appearance of his father and the beauty of his mother. In this manner, he was much like Rebecca, shy and introspective.
After Rebecca graduated and left home, Johnny remained driven to succeed. He developed an interest in mining and in particular, oil exploration. He decided he would like to attend the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical School, later called Texas A&M by its students.
He delighted both his father and mother with his choice of A&M. He was working with his father on the farm after school. “I’m glad you picked A&M,” Clint told him. He waved his arm to indicate the fields of cotton, “This is all going to be yours and you will be equipped to manage it and make it grow. They are doing good things at College Station, and you can bring them back to the farm. I’m proud of you son. You’re a fine man.”
“Well, I have a good man to model,” Johnny said. “Nobody could ask for a better family than I have.”
“It wasn’t always easy,” Clint said. “There were times when it was hard, but after your mother and I married, we worked together and managed to survive. Part of our hard work was to make sure you and your sisters had the best chance for success possible. I think we’ve done that. We’re going to be able to take it easy now, and relax knowing we’re going to leave it in good hands.”
Johnny couldn’t bring himself to say, “I don’t want to be a farmer, Pop. I want to be an engineer and create new things. I want to be remembered.”
In the fall of 1890, Jonathon Thomas entered Texax A&M, a member of the Class of ’94. Enrollment had declined following the opening of the University of Texas, but was rebounding under the administration of Sul Ross. With the help of his advisor, Johnny selected a series of classes aiming at a mechanical engineering degree. In the interest of the family business, he also took agricultural courses.
In the tradition of the Corps of Cadets, Johnny entered the service of the US Army as a second lieutenant. In 1898, he served as an officer in the unit known as the Rough riders in The Battle of San Juan Hill, led by Theodore Roosevelt. The war lasted only ten weeks, resulting in the defeat of the Spanish and in Cuban independence.
Time to beard the lion…
Johnny caught up with his father in the barn, shortly after returning from Cuba. “Pop, we need to talk,” he said.
“I don’t want to be a farmer, Papa. I know you want me to take over the farm, but it isn’t something I want to do. Besides, you will always be the boss. Pop, most of my training at A&M was in mechanical engineering. I believe oil is the next big thing. I want to be in on it from the beginning. I have an interview coming up with the Texas Fuel Company. I expect them to offer me a job. If they do, I will accept it.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Pop. I want to make my own way. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to the girls for everything to come to me. I’ll help manage the business end, but the farm does well enough to hire people to do the field work.”
“I’ve been expecting something like this. All of our kids have gone off and gotten an education, and now they are leaving us. Are you sure this is something you have to do?”
“I am. Texas Fuel is doing a lot of drilling around Beaumont. So far they’ve only found some small pockets of oil. It’s there, Pop. They know it’s there and are putting a lot of money out to find it. The area just smells of sulphur in a lot of places. That’s where they are sinking the wells.”
“We have a couple of places like that on the farm,” his father said quietly.
“We do?” Johnny was incredulous. “Show me. Pop.”
Clint and Johnny mounted the horses and with Clint leading the way, they went out into one of the cotton fields. “The ridge right over there, there’s a pretty strong smell around there. There are some others.”
Johnny dismounted and walked to the ridge. The ridge rose out of the ground and ran above the surface before dwindling away. “We are on a salt dome, Pop and salt domes mean oil. If we have oil, then farming won’t be necessary. I want to bring Texas Fuel in here, Is it okay? At the very least we would have sulphur, for fertilizer. Do you have an attorney? If not, we need one. Who is it?”
“Our lawyer is Rebecca. Then we had better get her down here to go over this. My suggestion would be to sign a lease with Texas Fuel and let them stand the expense. They pay us for the lease and spend their money, and give us royalties on what they produce.
“Could we do the drilling?” Clint asked.
“I know how to do it, but it would be expensive and we might not have enough money to continue so while you are starting up, you let them take the risk. We need to get Becky to draw up several leases, leaving the name and location blank. Then we get Texas Fuel Company in here to put a well down.
‘I’ll call Becky and ask her to come and do some contracts.” He called her and told her what he had in mind. It was arranged. She brought Josh with her, introducing him as a friend. While Johnny was not outgoing, he and Joshua hit it off early. What cemented the friendship was Josh telling him about the break-in at Becky’s apartment and him staying around to make sure the intruder didn’t come back.
Together with Josh, Becky drew up what she called iron clad contracts that Johnny would sell to Texas Fuel.
Chapter 4: Jonathon Has A Job
Gusher… uncontrolled release of oil and gas from a well while drilling was common and was known as an oil gusher, gusher or wild well... Wikipedia
Jonathon’s interview with William Barnes, vice-president of Texas Fuel went well. “Your work at A&M is impressive and your selection of classes was excellent. We can use you at Texas Fuel in our Engineering and Exploration department in Beaumont. If you are interested, I’m prepared to make you an offer today. Are you?”
“Yes sir. It’s been my dream since my first year in college. I’m ready to go to work,” said Johnny.
Barnes stood and extended his hand. “Welcome aboard. Texas Fuel is proud to have you in our family. We would like to have you start the first of the month.” He gave Johnny the details of the offer and the name of the chief engineer of his department. “If I may, I’d like to ask why you took on the extra class load in agriculture?”
“It’s the family business,” Johnny said, “my father didn’t notice the engineering major and planned for me to take over operation of the farm. He took it well when I told him what I wanted to do.”
“I think you made a good choice. Kn
owledge of the soil and the sub-structure is important when trying to locate oil,” Barnes said.
After the interview, back home again, Johnny told his family the news of his new job. His excitement was obvious to all. His mother hugged and kissed him. “I’m so proud of you, darling. I know you will be a big success.”
He exchanged handshakes with his father, a move that evolved into a hug. “I’m proud of you too, son. I think you would make a good farmer, but then, with your mind, you’ll be successful at anything you choose.”
Immersing himself in his new job, Jonathon established a reputation of a hard worker, both knowledgeable in his field and creativity in others. He was soon known as an authority on exploration and his work on well blowout research became legend.
* * *
On January 10, 1901, a drill punched through a salt dome and into an oil reservoir. The well was a gusher; it was called Spindletop, and forever changed the image of Texas from a cattle state to an oil producer.
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