The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-05
YANK'S CLEVER DEAL
SIXTEEN LOGS CUT FROM A SINGLE
PINE TREE SOLD AT A
PROFIT
EVEN FOR A DEAD HORSE TRADE

EVEN FUR a DEAD HORSE TRADE
Perspicacity Mixed With Honesty
the Life Rule of Reuben Petit
bone-App1ied With Good Effect In
Trade With Squire Pfntner, who
Knew Something of the Ways of
the Wicked World Himself,
My remarkable father, Reuben Petit
bone, said the man from over Sinnema-
honing way, as reported by the New York
Sun, was as honest as the day and as
unsuspecting as child, but 1t is a mat
ter of record that If ever two men had
horse trade, along the Sinnemahone one
of the men being my remarkable father,
and 1t happened that one of the horses in
the trade turned out to be wind-broken,
or blind in an eye, or cribber, or some
thing of that sort, that horse wouldn't
be the one that Reuben Pettibone led
home after the deal.
" 'Praxiteles,' my remarkable father
used to say to me, be honest but mix
perspicacity with your honesty, and have
all the points of horse down fine
Being thus marked for his honesty, his
dis1ngenuousness and his perspicacity,
Reuben Pettibone was built to resent the
schemes of the designing and the tricky.
In other words Reuben Pettibone would
not be put upon. Not he! If any one took
advantage of his unsuspecting and con-
fiding nature, he would grieve deeply to
think that they could have the heart to
do such a thing, but at the same time he
would mix little more perspicacity with
his honesty and bide his time. 1t was
thus he grieved and bided In the case of
old Squire Pintner. All, Reuben Petit
bones remarkableness came out strong
In the case of old Squire Pintner!''
IF the record Is right Squire Pintner
was the most uncertain man to deal with
| that ever did business In early days in the
S1nnemahoning bailiwick He had a
saWmill and he kept store and he hired
a good many men,, but he had a way of
Keeping books and turning this, that and
the other to account till it seemed the
more logs a man hauled into the mill and
SOLD TO the squire the bigger his store bill
was, and the longer a chopper worked for
the squire the less he had coming when
they settled up Look at Jim Hoover. He
hireo out one winter to chop for the
squire until spring for SIS a month and his
board. Jim worked all winter as faithful
as could be and never drew a cent of
money on account. In the spring he ask
ca Tor settlement The squire got down
his books and went to going over EN- and
figuring. Jim, he couldn't understand
why there should be so much figuring. as
all the charge against him at the store
was for three pounds of tobacco But the
squire inquired and figured and at last got
the account all ciphered out.
Ah-h-h, said he, as If he was all but
tired out getting the thing straight. We'll,
James. said he, there's Just three shiI-
lin and pair of overalls due YOU.
If tree had tumbled on Jim he
couldn't have been knocked any dumber.
Before he could find his tongue or get
his senses to working, the squire had
counted out the three shillings to him
and ordered his clerk. to wrap up a pair
OF overalls for Jim, and that's all Jim
ever got for his winters work. So you
| see that old Squire Pintner was quite g
rugged and yet smooth citizen, and he
rather boasted of it.
When any fellow ever gets the best
O. me in bargain the old squire used
to say, according to Reuben Pettibone,
III trade him my mill for mess o.
suckersp
Nov, considering Reuben Pettibone's
suppose that it would have behooved him
to be careful how he came In contact
with old Squire Pintner, but when you
also consider his unSuspecting nature, his
disregard of precaution in that respect
may be satisfactorily explained. The
squire had black mare that Reuben
Pettibone wanted the worst way but sh.
was worth $500 if she was worth a cent,
and my remarkable father wasn't paying
$500 for horses. One day he was driving
by the sQuire'S. The squire was coming
out of the barnyard. Reuben Pettibone
stopped.
Squire said he I banter you to take
800 cash for that black mare O. yours,
but he didn't have the least idea in the
| world that the squire would take him up
leash on the spot?' said the squire
Yes said Reuben.
"'Reuben,' said the squire, I'll be
darned If I'll take a banter! You can
have the mare!
Reuben Pettibone, unsuspecting, child
like that he was, was tickled all but to
| fits. He counted out the $780,
1.-The mare said the squire, is down
in the brush pastur' lot. Shall l send and
fetch her up?'
"'No,' said Reuben, "I'll get her my
self, and take her through to the back
road.
when he went down to the brush pas
ture after the mare, Reuben FeltiDoie
felt hurt The mare was there, but she
was dead, and not only dead, but the
squire had even drawn off her shoes.
Reuben was grieved. His record in horse
exchange business was shattered. But
he went home and said nothing, and put
the matter behind him so completely that
in less than a week he went down to the
sources and made an agreement with the
squire to sell him a number of pine logs,
a couple Of thousand shingles and two
cords of pine stove wood, cut short, the
terms being cash on delivery. The squire
didn't say a word about the black. mare
nor let on that he ever knew anything
about any black mare, and my remarka-
Bile father was just as oblivious to the
transaction as the squire was few
DAYS later Reuben Pettibone began to de-
liver the pine logs. He hauled in sixteen
of 'em in the course of two weeks. They
were of different lengths, but all of such
tremendous grit that the old squire had
to shell out amazing for each log, they
measured up so long
.Praxiteles, my remarkable father
used to say, while his eyes twfnkled, l
averaged $40 apiece for them logs, making
s160 net
after he got through delivering the
logs Reuben hauled in the 1000 shingles
and got $40 for 'em. Then he delivered the
two cords of pine stove wood, cut snort,
and got So for that. During all this time
the relations between the old squire ana
nv remarkable father were of the pleas
ATTEST kind. Not word had been SAID
about the black mare. Then one day
Do,,ho, Dottihona hannened to be at the