The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-03-23
The Euening Story
Springhill,s Boom.

of two years nobody had been sick
and the sales had not amounted to
S., For the next five years Spring
hill was known as being such
healthy place that doctor could not
earn enough to pay for oats for his
horse. There was no further call for
drug store and none was estab-
1ished.
One night, to the -amazement of
Springhill and the surrounding coun-
tries, Jonas Bebee, a farmer. living
about two miles out of town. was
taken with a serious case of bilious
collie and had to send seven miles Tor
a remedy.
.'Begosh. but this won't happen
agin!'' exclaimed Jonas when he was
able to get out.
Two weeks later he had sold his
druggist 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 a year
or two. Then several citizens had a
narrow escape for their lives trade
began to slacken up, and for several
years it was confined mostly to the
sales of copperas and hair dyes.
Bebee's drug store became the
And every evening except Sundays
there were a crowd of a dozen or
twenty men talking politics or play
ing checkers. Jonas was not selling
fifty cents worth of drugs week.
/ Jonas asked a farmer one night
as he entered the store, have you
got any porous plasters? 1 fell off
the fence today and wrenched my old
back"
why yes" said Jonas. I've got
three of them, but they are on my
own back! A Teller can't bend over !
a checker board as much as l do
without some support for his spine"
why don't you give up your gosh
hanged business" asked the farmer
| no I'm cd
Cant do it, Jeptha, can't do it. I'd |
have to go back to farm work if 1
did,
A stranger 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
porous plasterS and heard what was |
said. H took a general look around |
and then went out without saying i
anything to anybody.
At 10 o'clock the next morning the |
stranger called and found Jonas sit |
ting on the steps of the. store lazily
whiting at pine shingle
Are you the owner of this drug
1.-The sole and only owner" Jonas
Your stock seems to have got pref
ty low
well, L believe L have got some
logwood left, and 1 don't know but |
what 1 cauId scare up a bottle of vas
cline"
want TO sell out inquired Tie
stranger.
81 dunno whether 1 do or not.
Sometimes I've thought L would ac-
cept fair offer and then again I
thought how lonesome 1 would be
without this place."
do you fill prescriptions?
mot for my doctor, but when any
one tells me what ails him give him
whatever L 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 L am looking for a location. 1
want to buy the building ITSELF
well, young man, l will be honest
enough to tell you that if you are
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 sick
cured that 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,
Jonas got up and walked up and r
down the sidewalk for five minutes.
AT last he stopped. will you let the
crowd continue to come here even
ings?"
mo, SIR was the prompt reply.
Then will have to charge you $50
more than 1 otherwise would, for the
boys will have no meeting place, un-
less they do down to the sawmill.'
His price, he named it, 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 bust
ness around there. The painters and
were called in, and there
were changes that surprised the citi-
zens. When the opening day came
for "'Rickard'S New Drug Store eV-
erybody in Springhill had been invited
to call and drink a 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 a healthy town this isl
they said.
Seven days after the new store t
opened an epidemic of measles swept
through the town. Almost all the old '
people had them as well as the young, s
and the druggist was prepared to do t
his share of the business. The mea-
sles were followed by the whooping S
cough, and then by number of cases K
Of malaria. Some folks thought the g
new druggist was working "a SPELL
but the doctors who were called in as =
sured them that it just happened SO. I
Young Richard proved himself to be C
4 hustler of the first order in more a
Of the store one day and saved old d
Mrs. Goodhew from death under the s
feet of runaway horses.
The newcomer contributed S25 to- s
ward the steeple of the Methodist S
church, Clipped in $40 for street inn u
handed the Widow Som h
mers SIS when she lost her COW, and b
bought Parson Smiley a new plug hat a
The first he had had in seven years h
He showed his heroism in various t
other ways, and inside of three months s