The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1877-12-13
The Merchants Story:


| Yes, it was rather a curious start that
had in business. The first thing l did
after having saved little pile of money
was to set up shsnty in Sioux City. /
had all sorts of traps to allure Indians,
and L wanted to buy any kind of pei
tries, scalps excepted. But ! was new
arrival, and the noble red man couldn't
believe in me without help, and found
trade rather dull. Late one night, how.
ever, as | was sleeping among my stock,
there came tremendous banging at nv
door, and when unbarred it, there was
a tall fellow who seemed to me little
drunk and SAID he; | want a butcher
knife" Gall right. Come in" said l..
al want reliable one" says he. 81
want 1t to kill a man with. Give me a
good strong handle. want knife that
| can put in and turn it around" Says
|, "think L can suit you. Walk in and
take look" 1 knew him by that time.
He was Virginian, splendid looking
fellow, and belonged to good family, as
understood, but he had gone wild on
the frontier, and done great many ille-
gal things, and been forced to herd
with the Indians. The consequence was
that he spoke their language and was a
person OF influence among them. Well,
felt little doubtful about his inten-
tions-not knowing but what l was the
man he was after; but all the same l
got out my stock of tools and showed
him.
There was one, nearly two feet long,
which had bought for cheese knife.
Says Lei think that would answer your
purpose" eyes, l should think it
might" says he. Chow much is it ?" |
told him the price about four shillings,
/ think. an take ii" says be. "But l
haven't any money" Under the cir
cumstances, seeing he had the knife in
his fist and was ready to turnit around.
l thought had better offer to trust hint
You'd better not, says he. You don"
know me from any other gentleman.
But I've got TO trust ypu,' says |,
you've got the butcher knife by the ham
die, and I'm at the sharp end of it. Be-
sides, l believe can trust you OFF he
went, and heard no more of him for q
time, not even whether he had killed a
man. But some week latter he put in
an appearance and paid Tor the knife
And now youngster, says he, Il like
the way you treated me when / reused
you out for that trade. You didn't show
the white feather. Some men, hustled
up at that time OF night, would have
been scared. But you behaved every
way like gentleman, and now want
to behave to YOU as one. There are
some Indians coming in to-day, and Ill
bring them, to your shanty to trade.
Have you got any rum | hadn't any
rum; l didn't keep it. 'Well;' says he,
I'VE must have rum. No rum, no lnjun.
Give me couple of dollars | gave
him the money, and he went off. When
he came back he had q demijon full of
drink and some tumblers. An hour or
so later the Indians appeared, some two
hundred of them.
First came the warriors, with their /
rifles, bows and tomahawks; then fol.
lowed the squaws, STOPPING almost TO the
ground under their loads. My man halted
them, but they didn't want to trade with
me; they didn't know me. There was
3 long palaver, and at last he threaten
ID to kill some Of them if they didn't
follow his friendly advice and the end
Of it was that they gave in, to save
quarrel. They crowded into my little
shop, and drank my demijohn empty,
and bought my stock clean out, and fill
I'd me full of peltries. made $4,000
hat season, and went off in high spirits
% lose it somewhere else, and then to
pick it up again. AS for the Virglnian,
lost sight of him, and never learned
now he ended. | didn't even inquire
whether he put his butcher knife in and
urned it around. 1t seemed to me too
delicate subject.-Atlantic Monthly.