Free John Fitzgerald GB 05 Great Bra by Great Brain Reforms

would catch twice as many fish as Tom and me put together.
    Papa was shaking his head when I finished as he looked at Sweyn. “Under the circumstances,” he said, “you deserve to lose your fishing gear. Perhaps it was provi-dence’s way of punishing you for being selfish and a boaster. Let’s go to bed now.”
    And that is the story of how The Great Brain hooked a fish named Sweyn.

CHAPTER FIVE
Alkali Flats
    A FEW MILES SOUTH of Adenville there were twelve hundred and eighty acres of land called Alkali Flats which nobody wanted because it was all alkali soil-Being rather arid country, Utah has many of these large alkali beds. Nothing would grow on this land, not even range grass for grazing, which made it worthless. Papa told us an easterner named Boswell had bought the land sight unseen many years ago. When he discovered it was all alkali soil, he had stopped paying taxes on the land.
    Every year old-man Hobbs, the country treasurer and tax collector, posted delinquent tax notices on Alkali Flats in Papa’s newspaper. Anybody foolish enough to pay
     
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    the back taxes could have the land.
    It was right after we returned from our fishing trip that a man named Wilbur Cummings arrived in town. He registered at the Sheepmen’s Hotel. He purchased a dozen fruit-canning jars at the Z. C. M. I. store. The full name of the store was Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institute. There was one of these stores owned by the Mormon church in every town in Utah. The only thing Mr. Har-mon, the manager of the store, found out about Mr. Cummings was that he was a chemical engineer.
    Mr. Cummings rented a horse and buggy at the livery stable and drove out to Alkali Flats. He took samples of the alkali soil in twelve different places, putting the soil in the twelve fruit-canning jars. Upon his return he went to the courthouse where he was told Alkali Flats could be purchased for back taxes. This caused a lot of curiosity in town. But Mr. Cummings refused to answer any questions before leaving Adenville.
    A few days later another stranger arrived on the morning train from Salt Lake City. He was a distinguished-looking gentleman with gray hair, a gray mustache and goatee, and he was wearing very fashionable clothes. He took the most expensive suite at the Sheepmen’s Hotel and registered as Francis K. Pendleton from Chicago.
    Mr. Pendleton went to the courthouse after eating lunch at the hotel. He purchased Alkali Flats in the name of Alkali Products Incorporated for two hundred and ten dollars in back taxes. Then he rented a horse and rig and drove out to the farm of Carl Underwood. He told the farmer he wanted an option to build a spur track from the railroad across the south pasture of his farm to Alkali Flats. He offered a hundred dollars for a thirty-day option
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    to purchase the right-of-way for fifteen hundred dollars before the option expired-Mr. Underwood was delighted because he would have sold his whole farm for two thousand dollars. He rode into town with Mr. Pendleton. They went to the law office of Judge Potter, where the option papers were signed and the hundred dollars in cash given to Mr. Underwood.
    The next morning Mr. Pendleton went to the telegraph office. He sent a telegram to Frederick Ames Hollingsworth. President, Alkali Products Incorporated, Salt Lake City branch office in the Newman Building. Nels Lar5on, who was the telegrapher, station master, and everything else at the depot, made a copy of the telegram.
    Calvin Whitlock, the town mayor and president of
    the Adenville Bank was seated in his private office when Nels entered.
    “I know it’s against the rules,” Nels said, “but I made a copy of a telegram I think you should see.” He handed the copy to the banker. It read:
    PROPERTY KNOWN HERE AS ALKALI FLATS IS NOW OWNED BY ALKALI PRODUCTS INCORPORATED. OPTION FOR SPUR TRACK RIGHT OF WAY THROUGH UNDERWOOD FARM HAS BEEN NEGOTIATED. ESTIMATE WE WILL NEED APPROXIMATELY FORTY THOUSAND DOLLARS TO