Tales of a Texas Boy Texas Boy Publications

REVIEWED BY:

SCORE:

Author: Marva Dasef
Publisher: Texas Boy Publications

REVIEW:

Dad Boles and Sophie

A charming tale with an excellent voice. Dad Boles brings his bear, Sophie, to the carnival every year. And every year folks bet that their dogs can beat Sophie in a fight. Sounds alarming, right? It isn’t—trust me.

Rattlesnakes and Jackrabbits

A tale where you learn something as well as being entertained. While out hunting jackrabbits and rattlesnakes with Pa, Eddie notices a bullsnake has decided a cottontail looks tasty enough to eat. Great visuals here, and the emotions wrought are brilliantly done.

The Auction

Eddie goes on a ride to Amarillo. Pa wants to buy some new stock. The auction takes place at a fairground. Pa bids on a jackass. The jackass was sold by the owner due to hard times. Made me cry.

Out of the Chicken Coop

An amusing tale where Eddie has to try and get a chicken and a dog out of the farmhouse. Neither animal are allowed inside. Things don’t go easily, and Eddie finds himself in a bit of a bind! Fun!

Pa’s Story

Pa goes to fight a war in France. He’s in charge of the horses. He loves them, so having to put the wounded horses down is a great sadness.

Favourite line: They called this an ‘offensive.’ I can see why as it offended me a lot.

The Corn Patch Incident

Mr Simmons’ barn was flattened by a tornado. All the neighbours joined in to rebuild it. A couple of cows died in the barn and they were set to roast—food for the helpers. Sent to pick corn for the meal, Eddie and his sister, Dorothy, come upon a crowd of skunks. An amusing tale, especially since the children stank…

Moonlight Ride

One night, Eddie is sent to check on the old woman who lives on the neighbouring farm. When he arrives, he has to face one of life’s biggest upsets. The last paragraph is quite poignant.

The Bone Hunters

While out searching for bones to sell, Eddie and Dorothy happen upon a man also looking for bones. Mammoth bones. The man, Mr. Whiteman, offers to show Eddie and Dorothy where the mammoth bones are, and I had to fight my internal emotions to not shout that the kids really shouldn’t go with him. Of course, in the days where these stories are set, nasty things didn’t happen to children who went off with strangers. Still, this brought to mind the fact that life has indeed changed over the years, so this tale made me think. A lot.

Frank Norfleet – Detective

Pa takes Eddie to visit Mr. Frank Norfleet. In the past, Frank had been swindled, but took it upon himself to catch the swindlers. Now Pa has been swindled and wants the bad man caught.

The Cattle Drive

Living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, Eddie is excited when he spies a cattle drive heading towards their home. They rarely get visitors, so this is something to jump up and down about. The cattle being herded are bulls, and the cattle herder is on his way to Clovis, then moving on to Spade Ranch. Mr Browning, the herd master, offers Eddie the chance to help him and his assistant, Mike, to herd the cattle to Clovis. Eddie joins the men and finds out how it feels to be a real cowboy.

One Fine Dog

Pa needs Eddie’s help in collecting their flock of ewes. Pa allows Eddie to drive the truck, an exciting moment for the boy. However, excitement turns to worry when an eagle circles above the flock with the obvious intent to snatch a lamb. Pete, the sheepdog, saves the day.

Mr. Young’s Arkansas Cedar Float

Eddie is allowed time off from farm work to go fishing. He sets off on his horse, Brownie, to visit Mr. Young, who makes fishing floats out of Arkansas cedar. Eddie needs to borrow one. Mr. Young warns Eddie not to lose the float. Arkansas cedar is hard to come by…

Eddie fishes, snoozes, and then heads home. Only to realise he can’t recall putting the float in his saddlebag… Returning to the fishing site, he finds the float and returns to Mr. Young, who promptly tells him he can keep it! Amusing!

On the way home, Eddie encounters a Mexican camper, who offers him to stay for dinner. Eddie commits a kind act in return for the food, so this tale made me smile.

Beau the Jack

A tale about the jackass Pa bought in an earlier story. Used as a stud, Beau the jackass is a feisty fellow. Tethered by a long rope, Beau gets himself in a tangle and nearly chokes to death. Though a tense moment, the dark humour in this tale made me smile. Eddie really has got a dry sense of humour.

No Angel

Ma and Pa visit town one day and leave Eddie in charge of Dorothy. The devil sometimes hides inside Eddie, and when he sees a row of blackbirds on Ma’s washing line, he feels the need to shoot them down. Unfortunately, the clothesline snaps, and Eddie has to figure out a way to repair it. Now, if only Dorothy would unlock the door and let him in so he can get some twine…

The Luck Brothers

Pa and Eddie go and visit Fred and Frank, twin brothers. The twins inherited their farm when their parents died while the boys were still quite young. They brought themselves up after that. And dislike one another immensely. Pa’s job was to bring Aunt Lyddie’s daughter, Eva, home. She’d been hanging around the Luck farm too much.

Upon their arrival at the farm, Pa and Eddie hear shouting. Pa has to try and stop one brother from shooting the other. Eddie watches from a safe distance. Eva goes back to Pa’s farm, only to return to the Luck’s the next day. An amusing tale.

Ma’s Story

Ma plays a small part in all the other tales, so it was nice to ‘meet’ Ma properly in a tale of her own. She doesn’t say much, but what she does say tugged at my heart. Bless Ma. A rather melancholy tale, but one I’m glad I read.

Cage McNatt’s Prize Sow

Cage puts his sow, Petunia, up for judging. The Luck brothers bring their sow, Whitey. While following Pa, Eddie notes someone pulling an animal along in the darkness. Upon closer inspection, it’s obvious that Cage is pulling along the Luck’s sow, Whitey. Add Dad Boles’ bear, Sophie, and a ferris wheel to the mix, and you’ve got a rather hilarious image to watch in your mind.

Crossin’ the Creek

The rain poured down, yet Eddie and Dorothy still had to travel on their horses and go to school five miles away. They had to cross a creek, which had swelled with rain. An alarming experience for Eddie and Dorothy occurs. Made my heart beat faster!

The Thief

Pa and Eddie set off in the truck to Amarillo, fifty miles away. They’d need to camp out overnight before making the return journey. After buying their purchases, Pa and Eddie take a look around town. They eat a hotdog sold from a street vendor, and the differences between Amarillo and Eddie’s home life are highly apparent just from that one small image. Amarillo must have seemed such a fascinating place for such a young farm boy.

They set up camp beneath an oak tree, and Eddie is woken up in the night by someone who shouldn’t be there… A tale with a moral. Made me think.

Chance Encounter

Eddie and his family leave the farm and move to East Texas. Eddie found himself in a whole new world. In high school, Eddie excelled at football. While on a trip to Dallas for a football championship, the team stop at a diner. A woman catches Eddie’s attention, and he introduces himself to her. Eddie is shocked when he realises just who that woman is…

Summary

A lovely set of tales, read in one sitting. I couldn’t put the book down. With a wonderful voice throughout, Ms. Dasef brought sadness, humour, and contentment to my day. I’m very glad I selected Tales of a Texas Boy for review. Delightful!