Oil! by Upton Sinclair

Just before school opened, Bunny took the bit in his teeth and went to Paradise to spend a week with Dad, and found that Paul was there on a three day's furlough. Paul was not going to get overseas, it appeared; the army had put him to work at his old job -- building barracks -- only now, instead of ten dollars a day he was getting thirty a month "and beans. " That was what it meant for a workingman to be patriotic! It was quite a contrast with Tommy Hoyt's three millions, and the hundred and twenty thousand a week of Dad's oil-contracts! But nobody thought about that, because of the eloquence of the President's speeches, and the concentrated ardor of the four minute orators.

Paul looked big and strong in his khaki uniform; and Ruth was happy, because Paul wasn't going to be killed. Meelie was happy, because there was a baby on the way, and Sadie because there was a young rancher "keeping company" with her. Dad was happy, because he had brought in another gusher, and proved up a whole new slope of the Paradise tract; he was putting in pipelines and preparing a colossal development -- the bankers couldn't keep him down, he would finance himself with oil!