Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-08-21
aatiseellaneuus 8eaaing.
4 PIONEER DRUG STORE.
We had four or five saloons and

A PIONEER DRUG STORE.
We had four or five saloons and one
grocery at Cedar Hill when the outfit
of a man named Dayton arrived. He
had seven pack mules loaded with
goods, and after day or two he un-
backed and set up for his business,
and hung out sign reading, "Dry
Goods, Clothing, Hardware, Groceries,
Boots and Shoes, and Tinware; also
Drug Store" The shanty which he
occupied for store was about IA feet
square, and he had everything packed
in heap.
The drug store was an innovation. 1t
was noS onlythe first to be established
at Cedar Hill but the only one for 200
miles around, and we were inclined to
look upon the druggist with awe and
respect, states a writer in The Amerl.
Druggist. We were a very healthy
lot up there, and, aside from accident,
no man had lost day for six months.
No sooner was that drug store opened
for business, however, than most Of us
felt a yearning. Hiram Davis hit the
nail on the head when he said to the
crowd:
"Boys, that drug store reminds me
of home and of the old woman and
children. Jest think of pills and salts
and calomel and quinine! Civiliza-
ton has come knockin' at our doors,
and it's our solemn dooty to feel bad
and buy sunthin'."
Plenty of US began to "feel bad, "
but when we came to buying some
thing, we found that the druggist was
doing business on a line of his own.
When Abe Smallman dropped in to
get a dose of calomel for his liver,
which was doing business seven days
in the week, and in need of no encour-
agement Of any SORT, Mr.. Dayton said
to him:
II bought this drug store outfit of a
tenderfoot down at Grass Valley. He
was sick and discouraged, and wanted
to 20 back home. I don't know much
about the business myself. I'll hunt
up the calomel and sell it to you, but
I won't be responsible for the results" ="
"What dye mean by results"
queried Abe.
"Wall, I've got calomel, arsenic,
salts, and lot of other things, all
mixed up here, and I'm not going to
guarantee anything. Mebbe it'll be
calomel and mebbe not"
We all SHE'D off for day or two at
that, but when we came to think it
over we rather liked the uncertainty,
and the druggist was kept busy with
our purchases. Some of his liquids
and powders were in bottles and pa
pers, duly labeled, and some of the
powders were in parcels without a Ia
bel on them. If anybody asked for
Epson salts, for instance, the drug
gist would fish around under the heap
of boots and shoes and clothing till he
got hold of box or parcel, and bring
ing it out, he would say:
"All know about this stuff is that
it amt copperas. I took a parcel OF
copperas on a debt once, and 80 l
know the stuff when see it. 1fyou
want to run chances, you can take it
along.
Most everybody was willing to run
chances, and for two weeks all went
well. If nobody was made any bet
ter, nobody was made any worse, and
the druggist did rushing trade. Then
came an afternoon on which old Joe
Crosby laid down his working tools,
and announced that he was "otf his
feed" and had got to have something
to ward Off bilious attack.
'I can't say what's good for it,"
said the druggist; "but I'll fish up a
lot of packages, and you can take
your choice"
He laid out ten parcels on the coun-
ter, and old Joe wet the tip of his fin
ger, and tasted the contents of each in
succession. He finally found one to
suit his palate, at'least, and he bought
a dollars worth, and went off to his
shanty to dose. Half an hour later
he was taken with violent cramps, and
inside of two hours he was dead. A
move was made on the druggist, but
the smiling and urbane Mr.. Dayton
replied:
"Gentlemen, it might have been
powdered borax, or it might have been
arsenic. I can't tell the difference be-
tween the two, and I have been free
to say so. I gave him good weight,
and he took his chances"
Our purchases were light for the
next week, but in time we got over the
scare, and went to buying again. A
fortnight after the death of Crosby, a
man named Healy was made terribly
sick for two or three days by dose OF
some unknown stuff, and the next day
Sile Warner entered the drug store to
say.
II amt feelin' jest as I orter, and I
want sunthin' to brace me up. Kin
We recommend bracer ?"
"I never recommend" was the re-
ply. "Here's the bottles, and here's
the packages. They may brace, or
tbay NAV Law Won Outn