Dinosaur Hideout Read Online Free PDF Page A

was Dad’s life, thought Daniel as he headed to the feed room, not one he wanted for himself. Ed Bringham, the great farmer. Daniel had been sold on it, too, until he’d discovered paleontology, but now he didn’t have any qualms about choosing something different. It wasn’t his idea of fun to spend the rest of his life doing chores morning, noon, and night, seven days a week, like his father. It wouldn’t even matter if they sold most of their cows, he sighed, if they had to lease the land: there’d probably still be one or two around, and the chores would carry on.
    Dad was wrong about one thing, though. Daniel did want to keep the land, but he had other plans for it: do some archaeological exploration and search for dinosaur relics. He loved being able to walk in the pastures, too, and he wanted to know about everything that was part of the prairies: the plants, the birds, and the insects. Maybe even set up a nature refuge someday. There was a little bit of everything on their land. Sloughs, pasture, fields, trees, rocks, hills, and streams – all the ecosystems that Daniel would love to learn more about.
    Harrumph. He hoisted another heavy pail towards the trough, scraping along the metal sides. Just as he was struggling to lift it to the trough, Dad finished milking and walked over.
    “Here, let me help you with that.”
    Dad set down the pails of milk he’d been carrying and grabbed the bucket from Daniel. In one fell swoop, he hoisted it over the rim, and emptied the feed across the length of the trough, then stood back to watch the Holsteins chow down.
    “Thanks, Dad,” Daniel said, surprised by his sudden help.
    Dad gave Daniel a tight grin, and tousled his hair.
    All at once, Daniel felt the urge to blurt out part of his run-in with Pederson yesterday. He of course left out the part about his hideout and the reason he was there, and just zeroed in on the encounter. When he was finished, he wasn’t surprised when Dad told him to avoid the man.
    “He’s not quite right in the head, Son. I’m sure I’ve told you that before,” Dad said. “He’s been living out there on his quarter all by himself for the past few years. He hardly talks to anyone, and you know we never see him in town, except once or twice a year. He’s a loner, living off the land, hunting and fishing.”
    Lily mooed and shuffled against the railings and began chewing her cud.
    “Have you ever been to his place?” Daniel asked, stooping to pet the cats crowding his legs.
    “Once – he’s got a nice quarter, good pasture. But he doesn’t seem to use it for anything. I thought maybe I could make an arrangement with him. We sure could have used the extra pasture land to feed the cattle,” said Dad, as he carried the pails of milk across to the separating room, and closed the door so the cats wouldn’t get at them.
    When he returned, he said, “Listen, Son, I don’t want you going there, you hear?”
    “I hear you, Dad, but what was it like?” Daniel gave the cats one last pet, then reached for a pail of oats to feed the horses.
    “He seemed to know I was coming. Stood in the door and wouldn’t let me in.”
    Daniel fed Gypsy, then Pepper, a large red roan. Then he set the empty pail down with a soft thud. Gypsy whinnied in appreciation of her breakfast. Daniel stroked her mane as she ate. Dad began forking clean straw into Pepper’s stall. The stallion snorted approval.
    “I only caught a glimpse of the inside of his place before he asked me to leave. It was pretty primitive. With old wooden chairs and such to sit on, and not much else.” Dad heaved another forkful of bedding into the stall.
    “How come he lives like that, do you think?” asked Daniel, as he brushed Gypsy’s flanks.
    “Maybe just living by himself too long since his wife died, I guess,” Dad replied, swinging another forkful.
    “When did she die?”
    “Four or five years ago, I think,” Dad said.
    “Did it happen in the hospital?” Daniel