More Adventures Of The Great Brain Read Online Free PDF Page A

napkin ring. “I don’t recall anybody by that name in town. How much rent is he going to pay?”

        Papa sort of coughed like something was stuck in his throat. “You know, Tena, that house has been vacant since the Palmers moved to Cedar City,” Papa said. “A house lasts longer when people are living in it.”

        “I see,” Mamma said. “You told Mr. Blake he could live in the house rent-free. But why?”

        “He isn’t a Mormon for one thing,” Papa answered. “You know how the Mormons look out for their own . If he were a Mormon, they would see to it that Blake and his daughter had a place to live and find some kind of work for the man.”

    “Just who is he?” Mamma asked.

        “He was a wrangler who caught wild horses and broke them to the saddle or harness and sold them to ranchers,” Papa answered. “He owned a small spread over near the Nevada line. A few months ago a wild horse fell on him and broke his leg in several places and also permanently injured his back so he can never ride again. What little money he had was soon gone, and he lost his small ranch.”

    Mamma shook her head. “The poor man,” she said sadly.

        “Dave Ecord gave Blake and the daughter a ride into town,” Papa continued. “He dropped them off at the Advocate office this afternoon, thinking I might help the man find some kind of work in town. Blake’s injuries make it impossible for him to do any heavy work, and he can’t work standing up because he has to use a crutch to get around.”

        “What kind of work could he possibly do?” Mamma asked.

        “That part I took care of this afternoon,” Papa said. “I remembered Jerry Stout telling me a few weeks ago that he was getting older and had more business than he could handle. I took Blake to see Jerry. Jerry offered to give Blake a job and teach him how to repair saddles, harnesses, and bridles in his shop. It is work that can be done sitting down. And Blake doesn’t know it, but Jerry told me that if things work out, he will sell the shop to him when he retires in a few years.”

    “That was very nice of Jerry,” Mamma said.

        Papa’s face became solemn. “Getting Blake settled was easy,” he said. “The daughter is much more of a problem. Blake lost his wife several years ago. Since that time, he has taken the girl with him into the mountains and plains to capture wild horses. He’s raised her like a boy. She is about twelve years old and has never attended school. I just don’t see how she will be able to adjust to life in town. It will be like a prison to her. She is like a wild creature. Her father calls her Dotty.”

    “All she needs is love and help,” Mamma said.

        “It is going to take more than that,” Papa insisted. “I doubt if she has ever worn a dress in her life. She wears Levi britches, a boy’s shirt, and boy’s cowboy boots.”

        “That is no problem,” Mamma said. “I know several mothers who have clothing their daughters have outgrown. And Bertha and I can make the girl some dresses and things.”

        “In my judgment,” Papa said soberly, “she wouldn’t accept them or wear them, and her father wouldn’t permit it anyway. They are a proud and stubborn pair. Blake insisted I make out a promissory note for him to sign with an X, promising to pay me rent when he gets on his feet, before he’d move into the adobe house.”

        Mamma stared at Papa. “Mr. Blake can’t read or write?” she asked.

    “Ignorant but proud,” Papa said.

        The next morning after we’d finished our morning chores, Mamma called Tom and me into the kitchen. She pointed at a bushel basket on the table. It was lined with wrapping paper. I could see a smoked ham, fruit jars, and several jars of homemade jellies and jams.

    “You boys take this to the Blakes,” she said.

        Tom and I grabbed hold of the wire handles and carried the basket down Main Street to