Fair Land, Fair Land by A. B. Guthrie Jr.

whiskey, first off."
    The items went down on a piece of paper. "And?"
    " Meal or flour if you have any. Dried beans,
too. The quiet kind."
    " I believe we have a few pounds of beans. I
can't guarantee the silence."
    " Put saleratus down, then."
    " Saleratus? Lord, we're not exactly a grocery."
    " A pinch or two in the pot quiets the beans
down."
    " Maybe we can find some."
    "How about horseshoes?"
    " I'll speak to the blacksmith."
    " A couple of blankets. Teal Eye wants 'em. And
some beads. She does purty beadwork."
    " All that's not so much."
    " I'm comin' to somethin' else. We need horses,
good ones, four of 'em."
    Culbertson looked at the furs on the floor and shook
his head.
    " I'm afraid — "
    " Not for them. Here." Higgins reached in
his pocket, got out the two gold pieces Summers had given him and
handed them over.
    " Hum," Culbertson said. "It's enough,
but you know our Indians attach no importance to gold. It has to be
translated into goods."
    " I figured that. Will you do it?"
    " It will take time. Minimum two days. I must get
in touch with some men that I trust. But, sure. I'll tackle it."
    He poured another drink. "Now back to your
order. What else?"
    " I might think of somethin' while we wait."
    "G ood enough. Let's look at the furs."
    " Beaver and mink."
    Culbertson left his chair and stooped and, one by
one, felt of the pelts. "Those were the days," he said as
if speaking to himself. "Fine furs. Not coarse stuff. Not
buffalo hides and tongues."
    " Summers would as lief bring in his own skin as
bring in a buffalo hide."
    " Yes. Yes. These, you know, aren't worth what
they were, but they'1l more than cover your order. You'll have
something coming back."
    " Make it credit. And, hey, before I forget it,
how about scissors?"
    Culbertson smiled. "Scissors, too?"
    " Handier than a knife sometimes."
    Culbertson returned to his chair and asked after a
swallow, "How is Summers?"
    " Same as usual. Damn good man."
    " No doubt about that."
    " He still wants to get married. He's set on it."
    " I ought to know. Every time he's here, maybe
half a dozen times altogether, he badgers me about it, as if I could
produce a preacher out of thin air. Too bad he won't have a priest."
    Culbertson sipped at his whiskey and smiled, looking
satisfied as he spoke. "This time I just may be able to oblige
him."
    " You got a preacher in stock?"
    " We don't deal in that kind of cloth, but it
happens there's a minister here. Methodist. He's out exploring or
teaching the Gospel right now. I'm expecting him for dinner."
    " Wil1 you make it so's I can talk to him?"
    " Easy. You'll eat with us, too. There'll just be
four, you, the minister, Major Dawson and I. My wife and the children
are visiting her people, the weather being nice for a change."
    " Dick'll thank you. So do I."
    " Fine. Now where are your horses?"
    "Tied to a tree outside."
    " Turn them into the
corral. Safer that way. We have a little feed left."
    * * *
    Higgins tended to the horses. He bought a towel and a
comb on credit and then, seeing no washstand, went down to the river
where he washed hands and face and combed his hair. The river ran
clear, as it wouldn't when the rains came. It was time to chop off
some of his hair.
    He looked at the sun, almost out of sight behind the
big hill. Time for supper? He didn't want to be early or want to be
late. He asked the guard at the door when the major's suppertime was.
    "About now," the man told him.
    Two men were in the office with Culbertson.
Culbertson waved a hand and said, "Cood timing, Hig. I want you
to meet Brother Potter and Major Dawson. Gentlemen, Mr. Higgins."
    The one he called brother stepped forward, saying,
"Bless you. Brother Culbertson has told us about you." His
hand was big and solid. He was a stocky man, not quite fat, with a
bald head and a long coat, which told the world he was a preacher.
Major Dawson smiled as he held out his hand. He was thinner than the
other two and looked more used to the weather. Shaved