Norfleet: the actual experiences of a Texas rancher's 30,000-mile transcontinental chase after five confidence men. Page: 99 of 369
4 p. l., 344 p. front., plates, ports. 22 cm.View a full description of this book.
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NORFLEET
81
Several impressive male guests paced back and forth
the length of the lobby; a favorite posture being head
and shoulders humped forward at a belligerent angle;
arms clasped behind backs while darting furtive glances
that swept the room and occupants in one look.
Sitting across from me on the opposite side of the
cheering blaze was an elderly couple. They watched
my operations with interest and curiosity.
"You must have taken a bad tumble," ventured the
bld lady.
I explained that I had not exactly taken a tumble
in the mud, then raising my voice so anyone passing
could easily catch my every word, I continued to inform
them that I was a stockman and farmer from Blackwell,
Oklahoma.
I followed this announcement by broadcasting that
I had come down to Sanford to look over some celery
farms and intended to purchase one. I added that I
didn't like to ruin good shoes, still it was necessary, when
one expected to invest a large sum of money, to make
personal investigations. Hence the terra firma!
I threw the last strip of evidence into the fire and
indicated with my improvised scraper the general direction
of the particular celery farm I favored.
WVe chatted about irrelevant things a little while,
then I got up and went in to dinner.
When I returned I again directed my remarks
about my intended purchase of the celery farm to the
same old couple, but in a tone loud enough to register
in the acute ears of the gentlemen making mileage on
the lobby floor as they puffed fragrant after-dinner
cigars.
There was little I didn't expound regarding the
buying, raising and selling of the little crisp white stalks.
I retired early. As I went up stairs I had the satisfaction
of seeing several pairs of eyes follow my ascent.
I felt pretty certain in the morning I would have some
mighty interesting "get-rich-quick" proposition put to me.
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Norfleet, J. Frank, 1864-. Norfleet: the actual experiences of a Texas rancher's 30,000-mile transcontinental chase after five confidence men., book, 1924; Ft. Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth5864/m1/99/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .