N.L. Tim

By Kevin C. McLeod MD

No one living along the meandering CatClaw Creek in the 1920’s could spread a better farm-fresh meal after church like Ella McLeod, despite the dust, the temperatures, or the regularity of West Texas wind. She sustained a large family, husband, 10 sons and daughters and her youngest boy N.L.

N.L. enjoys a home life that is much better than Huckleberry Finn’s. While Huckleberry had the entire Mississippi River as his playground, N.L. only has the trickles of CatClaw Creek. Still, his life is filled with many memorable moments from capturing critters, downing tall sodas at the drug store, chasing runaway Stetsons, all the while getting his home chores done. N.L. embraces every adventure as he grows up, learns lessons, and wonders what the future holds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664299894

Kevin C. McLeod MD

Kevin McLeod is a physician who attended Abilene Christian College in the 1970s. The Nelson Eight is his first book.

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Copyright © 2023 Kevin C. McLeod, MD.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-9988-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9989-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023908995

WestBow Press rev. date: 05/22/2023

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 N.L. Helps Mama

Chapter 2 N.L. Gets da Critter

Chapter 3 N.L. and the Case of the Mad Hatter

Chapter 4 Tale of a Tail

Chapter 5 N.L. and Dat Black Cat

Chapter 6 N.L. and His Fireflies

Chapter 7 N.L.’s First Radio

Chapter 8 N.L. Recalls When Overalls Saved His Life

Chapter 9 N.L. Gets a New Name

Chapter 10 N.L. and the Traveling Salesman

Chapter 11 N.L. Learns a Lesson about Parents

CHAPTER I

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N.L. HELPS MAMA

One event for sure sealed all the deals, savored by all, brought rapture down to earth, and just for moments raised lives up to par with royalty. It was that sumptuous repast at noon on Sunday after church. No one along the meandering Cat Claw Creek could spread a table with farm fresh goodness or more bouquet style than Mrs. Ella McLeod. If fresh kinfolk unexpectedly rolled up in the front yard, got out, went over the salutations, and gave hugs and handshakes, she had already bounced out the kitchen door, neck-twisted an ol’ hen, plucked feathers, washed, chopped, floured, and had those pieces in the frying oil afore those folk ever stepped near the table.

She was not just fast, but she was good fast—smooth! She could run a fifty-yard dash holding a tray of nitroglycerin bottles and win—and you would have never heard a kaboom. Years later, they would say when the flash from San Benito, Texas, Bobby Morrow, won track sprint gold medals for ACC and America in the 1956 Olympics that he could have done better if he just tried harder. Truth was, for him, just like for Mrs. Ella, not a single sway of wasted motion, without