Page 18 - Ninety Miles From Nowhere

Eight people — everyone at Ed’s place — had to journey to Albuquerque to take anti- rabies shots. Since each person had to take fifteen shots, and because it was very expensive for so many people to live in Albuquerque, Ed learned how to administer the shots and they all came home. Some of the group became very ill, which proved, so the doctor said, that they had been exposed to rabies.
School was dismissed for hunting season just as it was in Oklahoma for cotton picking. Everybody had to “get into the act” as Jimmy Durante always used to say. I spent that time up at Dad Moore’s and even got into the act myself, on a small scale.
Dad Moore was considered the most capable guide, camp overseer and cook that the area had ever known. He had repeat customers who had been coming to him for the past twenty years, and who reserved his services for the entire hunting season each year. They were four good friends who enjoyed being together and looked forward to hunting season. Three of their names I can’t recall, but I do remember one was a doctor from Texas, anther a dentist from Colorado, and one man was from Roswell. The only name I remember is that of Mr. Brunacini who owned an Italian gourmet food store on First Street in Albuquerque, just north of Central an across the street west of the Ilfeld Wholesale house. He always brought Mrs. Moore goodies from his store.
Other customers were left to Dad Moore’s sons, but only Dad could attend to these special men.
Mrs. Moore fed the men while they were at the ranch and charged them by the meal.
They had known her for so long and they were so happy and joyful about getting back to nature they generously gave her in tips more than the rice of the meals -- $.75.
Dad prepared for their arrival weeks in advance, sorting and cleaning his equipment in readiness for the big day. He had a string of horses which ordinarily roamed free back in the forest but just before hunting season they were rounded up and brought into the corral, fed grain, and ridden in preparation for their job. There was a mount for each man and a string of pack horses for carrying in the camping equipment and supplies, and for carrying out the deer.
Dad saw to all the jobs on the trip. He saddled the horses; packed the pack horses with tents, cooking and eating utensils, bedding, and food and other supplies; guided the men to their campground; set up camp; cooked delicious meals; and helped the men locate the deer to shoot.
In order to make me feel a part of this operation, I’m sure, Jeff brought out from town three cartons of assorted brands of cigarettes for me to sell to the hunters. Cigarettes sold then for fifteen cents a package, and the idea was for me to sell each pack for twenty cents, thus making a profit of a dollar and a half on the three cartons. As it turned out, however, I was never paid only twenty cents a pack, but with the hunters’ usual lavish spending, anything from a quarter to a dollar each and told to keep the change. By the time the three cartons were gone, I had cleared nearly fifteen dollars.