The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-06-09
HONEST OLD ABE.

OK THE CARS, April 12.-"How did
Lincoln ever come to go into that gro.
Gerry at Salem?" inquired of Mr.. Green.
HE and man by the name of Berry
bought it out" replied Mr.. Green,
thinking they were getting great bar
gain; and they were, had they known
anything about business. But Lincoln
was no financier, and Berry was an I'M
reliable sort of fellow, and the result
was not very encouraging"
who did they buy of"
"Of me-"
"You?"
'Yes. You see it was this way. A
man by the name of Ratford came from
the South and started grocery at Salem.
His wife's sister lived near here, and
they wanted to be together. 1t was the
fashion then to keep liquor in the grocer
les, aud once in a while crowd from
some of the surrounding settlements
would gather at Salem, get to drinking
and make things livery r9I a wniio.
above us here there was such crowd,
and those composing it used to be called
he 'Clary Grove SET. Ratford's brother
n-law knew them pretty we'll, and the
first time he went down to Salem he told
the former that he was afraid he would
have trouble with them.
why, I'll fight any of EN-" said Rat
ford.
THAT won't do any good" said his
brother-in law. eff one can't lick you,
two will try, and if two can't do it, the
whole crowd will jump on him. The
best way is to wait quietly till they come
and try to make friends with them. Don't
give them too much whisky, and may
be you can do it,
$50 Ratford sat down to wait. A week.
two weeks, three weeks passed, and the
dreaded gang did not come. Finally his
wife. wishing very much to visit her SIS
ter. they concluded to leave a younger
brother in charge of the store and go up
and spend Tuesday with her. They went,
and that very evening the Clary Grove
set rode into town. They wanted drink
and they got it. They wanted another
and got that When they called for a
third, the young man in charge told them
they had enough and he could not sell
them any more.
"You won'tw said the leader.
sBoysr he yelled, she amt goin' to sell
us no more pizen! Oh, no, NV course
he WON'T and yell Of derision went
MP.
1.-The boys tenderly lifted the little
weights from the counter and merrily
began plugging the glass jars on the
shelves. Remonstrance was useless, and
in ten minutes the floor was strewn witt
eopperas, alum, spice, ginger, sulphur
nutmegs, etc. etc., ankle deep. Their
they tapped the whisky barrel, and I'll
ling themselves full of benzine, rod'
1a.1 &c
Indians.
''The homes of the set were in tn
neighborhood of Ratford's .brother-in
laws, and about 2 o'clock in the morn
ing the yelping of dogs. the clatter o
cow-bells, and the whoops of the set re
turning home aroused Ratford and tn
household.
That" said the brother-in-law, 81
the Clary Grove set. Ratford, they'v
been to Salem, and I'm afraid the gre
Gerry is gone up"
"Ratford was very much excited, an
going to the stables mounted hors
and started away for Salem.
SIT happened that the same mornin
1, then q boy still in my teens, ha
started on horseback with q grist for th
mill at Salem. The mill was sma
affair, and unless one was early on tn
ground he had to wait long time fo
his grinding. was riding into Saler
sbout daylight when Ratford dashed b
me, his horse covered with foam, an
refined up at the door Of his grocer,
There was Q small window at one END
and as he got Oh and stood in the door
rode alongside Of the window and locke
In.