Summary
Matthew Denton, a scion of a respectable New England lineage, finds himself suffocated by the relentless devotion of his widowed mother, a smothering affection that has rendered him an object of local derision—"his mother's boy." The placid veneer of their existence shatters when the Centipede Company, an oil venture his late father championed, falters, plunging the townsfolk's investments into ruin. Confronted by their bitter recriminations, Matthew, witnessing his mother's profound distress, vows to journey to the untamed oil fields of Texas. There, amidst the raucous clamor of a boomtown, he encounters the formidable Banty Jones and the alluring Mabel Glenny, whose father, Tom, a local drunkard, is secretly siphoning Centipede's precious crude under Banty's nefarious direction. Matthew's nascent romance with Mabel is abruptly curtailed by his ingrained timidity in the face of Banty's threats, leading to a humiliating rejection. However, the discovery of Tom's illicit pipeline operations, coupled with the realization that Mabel's father is merely a pawn in Banty's scheme, ignites an unprecedented ferocity within Matthew. The once-meek "mother's boy" metamorphoses into a formidable combatant, challenging Banty and emerging triumphant, thus embarking on a thrilling trajectory toward redemption and a hard-won maturity.
Synopsis
Matthew Denton is a product of a New England village. His father was a prominent business man who, during the latter part of his life, had encouraged a number of his fellow-townsmen to invest in the Centipede Company, owners of Texas oil property. Matthew lives with his widowed mother. She showers a wealth of motherly care on him, and refuses to permit him to mingle with the other lads of the town, with the result that he grows up tied to her apron strings and is known as "his mother's boy." The purchasers of the Centipede stock receive notice that there will be no dividend, that the stock gives every indication of becoming worthless because of a loss in the wells' producing capacity. A delegation of townspeople call on Matthew's mother and denounce her late husband for having induced them to purchase the stock. Matthew overhears the tirade, comes to his mother's assistance, and declares that none shall lose a penny through this investment, for he will go to Texas, work in the oil fields himself, and eventually pay off the investors. The story shifts from the quaint New England village to a bustling town in Texas, a typical oil town with its hordes of workers, its rudely constructed hotel and ever-present bar, and its town drunkard, who has a wife and a pretty daughter. Matthew begins his career as a workman in one of the oil wells, lives at Mrs. Glenny's boardinghouse, and meets her daughter daughter Mabel. , and lives at the boarding house of Mrs. Glenny, where he meets her daughter, Mabel. To procure liquor money, town drunk Tom Glenny has been tapping the line of the Centipede Company and diverting the flow into another concern. Most of the workers live at the Glenny home, among them Banty Jones, the town bully, who paid Tom Glenny to tap the Centipede line. Banty wants to marry Mabel Glenny, but Matthew wins her love, and the girl proudly displays an engagement ring, Jones gives Matthew 24 hours in which to leave town, with the alternative of being the target for Jones' gun. Matthew's innate timidity makes him cower at Jones' verbal attacks, much to Mabel's disgust; she returns the ring and announces that the engagement is off. Meanwhile, Matthew has discovered the parallel pipe lines, and that night sees Tom Glenny about to tap the Centipede line. He hurries to the telegraph office and notifies the president of the Centipede Company of his discovery. Later, Matthew overhears Jones denounce Tom Glenny for failing to tap the line, and, as he realizes the father of the girl he loves has only been the tool of the bully, the hitherto timid and shrinking boy suddenly turns into a ferocious being. When Jones attempts to assault him he returns his blows with such effectiveness that the battle is soon over, and in Matthew's favor. Then follow a series of exciting episodes, the story ending happily.
