The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-02-21

| JS tAlAh we Sol, LlSu! uSF Lace sui
| anxious
II dunno" he confessed slowly, "an'
! amt even an idee. I tried to go slow
at first an keep count, but got off the
| track. Mebbe a thousand, two thou
sand, three thousand, though faint
likely SO much as the last. We've new
| er bought more'n $50 or $50 worth at
time before, an it's hard to guess.
But $4,000 or $4,000 is good for a
mighty big pile O stuff"
The second day the goods came down
in boxes and barrels and kegs and bun
! dies and in great square cases that re-
! CURED two men to roll from the freight
| platform into the wagon. Lish hired a
team and man to help and did all the
hauling himself. The next morning the
! bill came.
! Lish opened and looked at it eagerly,
then drew a long breath and rubbed
his eyes and looked at it again.
He seized his cap and damned it vi
clously upon his head and left the
store. The village bank was upon the
principal street, and the cashier was
an old friend. It was upon this bank
| that Squire Brown had given him a
check for $500. The cashier happened
to be alone.
+; By this time Lish had regained con-
! troll Of Himself. Slipping the invoice
! into his pocket he drew out the check
! and placed it in the cashiers window
'Td like that cashed, Mr.. White" he
said, IAN I want to borry 5000 more.
Ye know I'm good for it, an anyhow
there's stock enough in the store.'
ooh, that's all right, Mr.. Hopkins
laughed the cashier. Il never knew
the time when your word wasn't good
for 5000. But how happens it you need
more just now? You were telling me
the other day that you only intended
to put half the money into goods now
and hold the rest as a reserve"
Lish grinned ruefully.
81 guess 1 want much used to buy
in" he confessed. Look here"
! He produced the invoice and spread
it out in the window. The cashier look
ed it over curiously.
! Il don't know much about this line
Of goods, Mr. Hopkins he said at
length, !"but it seems to me there's a
good many things here that won't find
much sale. Now, this six dozen door
bells, for instance
"The drummer said they were good
Sellers" ventured Lish.
''Well perhaps they are" acquiesced
the cashier. "Of course don't know
But about the 5000. If 1 were you I
| wouldn't hire the money just yet.
j Drummers have prices that are sup
posed to cover a generous system.
Didn't your man say anything about
/ it?'' -. ..
Gle said 1 could have thirty or sixty
| days time jest as wells not but I told
him I'd ruther pay cash.
every good, provided you have the
money to pay and also provided he al
| lows you a fair discount for paying it.
| You'd better wait and find that out. Send
| the firm what money you have and let
! the six hundred go until the drummer
; comes round again. You may take in
| enough by that time to pay him. At any
| rate, find out his discount for cash, and,
| If it's more than our interest, come to me
! and I will let you have the money. Only
/ don't hire unless you're obliged to-"
! One morning few weeks later Nathan
!! Taylor entered the store. Lish was look
! ing over his account book, kept with a
! lead pencil in much the same manner as
| he had jotted down items while on the
! farm. Sairy was at another counter, en-
! gagged in rubbing her hand back and forth
| across new piece of velveteen which had
! just been taken from the case. Nathan
! said, Good morning. and then paused
| and glanced critically about the store,
| with evident disapproval in his eyes.
Vo1,,Ir i1,ct hofI Of, re-
Lish,'' he said, at length. "a third of the
goods won't sell in all the world. That
| fellow was too slippery and has loaded
you with a lot Of unstable stuff
Several times during the spring and
| summer Lish was sorely pressed for
| money, and more than once he started
to the bank but each time he turned
back before reaching there.
| But the end did not come until another
| winter, just one year from the time he
had left the farm. Then one day tall,
strongly built man in heavy coat strobe
| elisha Hopkins. I suppose?" he inter-
|! rogated
eyes What can do for YEP
The man did not answer. Taking a pa
per from his pocket, he unfolded it DELHI
| erately and read in a slow, ponderous
voice for several minutes. Then he looked
| at the startled figure behind the counter
"Going to pay it?' he asked.
"Can't jest now" Lish answered weak
ly:
II suppose So" He walked to the coun-
ter and held out his hand. 81 may as well
| take the key he said.
Lish nodded toward the door, from the
lock Of which the key had not been re-
moved. The sheriff went and took it out
and then held the door open significantly.
| Lish realized that it was for him to go
out
How he stumbled across the room and
out into the snow and across the yard
to his own house he scarcely knew, only
! that it was a feeling of thankfulness
that Sairy had not happened to be in the
store.
/ She was bending over the stove when he
! entered and sank heavily into a chair
i Goodness land! she exclaimed, sud-
denly Strengthening up What is the
| matter, Lish?"
i "Nothin' '-drearily-"on the sheriffs
| took the store an shet me on the out
| sdc!'
! ''What?' She came quickly to his side
! and placed hand upon his shoulder.
/ For money!
eyes; twelve hundred"
can can't We pay?''
| mo. An if I could there's most an
other twelve hundred that'll be asked for
soon IS this is known. Mebbe I could
/ raise it all to the bank"-slowly-"bu T
| dunno s l want to. I'm gettin' tired o.
| the whole thing"
"But the goods are with more'n what
we owe, amt they?''
Twice as much, cordin' to what we
paid, but there amt no KNOWN what
they'll fetch to auction. Not more'n
! enough to pay the debts mebbe."
| She was silent for some minutes. looking
! down at him.
"The man Squire Brown rented on