Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-03-25
Evening Story
SPRlNGhlLL'S BLOOM.
Z (By Lawrence Alfred Clay)
Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.


When one of the merchants or
Springhill added stock or drugs 10
that Of his hardware folks said the
town was looking up, but at the END OF
two years nobody had been SICK ana
the sales had not amounted to 70. for
the next five years Sprlnghil was
known as being such healthy piace
that a doctor could not earn enough TO
nav for oats for his horse. There was no
further call for drug store and none
was established.
One night. to the Amusement or
Sprin Chill and the surrounding coun-
tries Jonas Bebee. farmer, living
about two miles out of town, was taken
with a serious case of bilious collie ana
had to send seven miles for remedy.
"Begosh! but this won't happen
apin," exclaimed Jonas when he was
able to get out
Two weeks later he had sold his
farm and had blossomed out as drug
pist in Springhill. He didn't know
ANYTHING about prescriptions, but he
didn't realize this necessity.
The novelty of farmer, fresh from
| the pillow, turning druggist, brought
| considerable trade for year or two.
| Then several citizens had narrow es-
cane for their lives. trade began to
slacken up. and for several years 1T was
confined mostly to the sales Of copperas
and hair dyes. 49,,
Bebee's drug store became the idling
place of farmers and villagers Ana
every evening except Sundays there
were a crowd of a dozen or twenty
men talking politics or playing check.
| ers Jonas was not selHns Hlty cents
worth of drugs week.
! clones" asked farmer one night as
he entered the store, "have you got any
| porous plasters? fell off the fence to-
day and wrenched my old back
"Why, yes said Jonas. i've got
J three Of them, but they are on my own
back! A Teller can't bend over check
| er board as much as l 90 without some
support for his spine"
| "Why don't you give up your gosn-
| hanged business?' asked the farmer as
he turned away.
| cant do it Jeptha, can't do it. I'd
have to go back to farm work II | did,
| A stranger--a young man-had ar
rived in town about two hours before,
and he entered the drug store at the
| same time as the man In search OF por-
| Gus plasters and heard what was said.
He took a general look around and then
went out without saying anything to
anybody.
| At 10 O'Clock the next morning the
stranger called and found Jones sitting
on the steps Of the store lazily whit
Ting at pine single.
Are you the owner of this drug
store?"
''The sole and only owner" Jonas
replied.
"Your stock seems to have got pref.
ty low"
| "Well, believe I have got some
/, loswood left, and I don't know but
what l could scare up bottle of vase
line"
Want to sell out? inquired the
stranger.
II dunno whether do or not. Some
times I've thought would accept fair
| offer and then again I thought how
lonesome I would be without this
place."
do you fill prescriptions"
mot for my doctor, but when any
| one tells me what alls him l give him
whatever / think will cure him.
| The young man turned away to
smile.
"supposing you wanted to sell? What
would be your price?"
"A regular druggist, eh?"
Yes, I am looking for location.
want to buy the building Itself.
| "Well, young man, ] Will be honest
enough to tell you that If you are
thinking Of starting out OF here as a
/! regular druggist you will last about
two weeks. This is the healthiest town
| for a hundred miles around. There has
been only one case of sickness in the
| last FIVE years, and they cured tnat
with hot vinegar and red pepper without
coming to me-
"Of course will take my chances
replied the young man. Give me your
lowest cash price"
! Jones got UP and walked up and
down the sidewalk for five minutes. At
! last he stopped Twill you let the crowd
continue to come here evenings"
| mo, sir" was the prompt reply.
"Then I will have to charge you $bO
more than I otherwise would, for the
! boys will have no meeting place, unless
| they go down to the saWmlll.'
His price, as he named 1t, was at once
accepted, and the young man, whose
( name was Frank Richard was the
owner of the place before night. The
next two weeks were full OF business
around there. The painters and carpen-
tiers were called in. and there were
changes that surprised the citizens
When the opening day came for Rick
ards New Drug Store" everybody IN
Springhill had been invited to call and
drink free glass Of soda water, a
| thing only dimly heard Of in that place
before. There was much praise for the
new enterprise, but most of the people
solemnly shook their heads.
But he can't make a go of it! Re-
member what healthy town this is,
they said.
Seven days after the new store open
ed an epidemic Of measles swept
through the town. Almost all the old
people had them as well as the young
and the druggist was prepared to dc
his share OF the business. The measles
| were followed by the whooping cough
and then by number Of cases Of ma
laria. Some folks thought the new
druggist was working "a spell, but
the doctors who were called In assured
them that it just happened SO.
Young Rikard proved himself to be
a hustler of the first order in more di-
rections than one. He dashed out of the
store one day and saved old Mrs. Good
hew from death under the feet of run