562  A  Drug  Store  in  the  Far  West.  {AVo°v%?7arm* 
was  taken  to  keep  them  protected  from  light,  heat,  dust  or  moisture.  Patent  medi- 
cines were  there  an  unknown  luxury  (?)  at  that  time.  Back  of  the  store  was  a 
small  room,  termed  the  consultation  room,  into  which  the  wily  politician  lured  his 
victim,  poured  into  his  ears  such  floods  of  promises  and  into  his  glass  such  quanti- 
ties of  the  enthusiastic  beverage  as  none  but  the  firmest  could  resist.  This  was 
about  the  state  of  affairs  when  my  preceptor  purchased  the  store  and  stock,  in  the 
year  1868.  The  post-office  with  the  telegraph  office  were  removed,  and  in  order  to 
make  the  store  pay,  the  stock  had  to  be  enlarged  and  other  goods  added,  which 
properly  did  not  belong  to  the  drug  business.  On  my  introduction  to  the  store  as 
an  apprentice,  I  found  a  young  man  in  charge  from  New  York,  the  doctor  having 
his  time  pretty  well  occupied  in  visiting  patients,  some  of  them  living  a  distance  of 
sixty  miles  from  the  store,  in  other  small  settlements.  These  trips  were  generally 
made  on  horseback,  or  per  ambulance,  and  were  of  frequent  occurrence,  and  on 
occasions  would  require  his  constant  attendance  for  several  days,  the  prevailing- 
troubles  being  caused  by  six-shooters,  wild  bronchos,  and  last,  but  not  least,  cases  of 
confinement.  The  first  three  months  of  my  time  were  spent  in  learning  the  names 
of  the  different  drugs  and  medicines,  and  in  getting  acquainted  with  the  stock, 
which  I  found  consisted  of  an  innumerable  variety  of  things,  such  as  drugs,  patent 
medicines,  wines,  liquors,  cigars,  tobacco,  garden  seed,  paints,  oils,  varnishes,  glass 
and  other  painters'  material,  fixed  ammunition,  fishing  tackle,  picture  frames,  mould- 
ing, cord  and  tassel,  clocks,  wall  paper  and  trimming,  window  shades,  coal  oil, 
lamps,  chimneys,  brackets  and  chandeliers,  stationery,  playing  cards,  field  glasses, 
and  a  variety  of  minor  articles,  some  of  which  are,  and  most  others  are  not,  generally 
to  be  had  in  a  drug  store.  The  dispensing  department  was  not  so  well  stocked,  but 
was  up  to  the  demand,  which  was  generally  confined  to  calomel,  blue  mass,  sulphate 
of  morphia,  chloroform,  copaiba,  spirit  of  nitre,  iodide  of  potassium  and  caustic. 
Valerian,  bromide  of  potassium,  sulphate  of  quinia,  chloral  hydrate  were  sometimes 
called  into  use.  Elixirs,  bitter  wine  of  iron  and  like  preparations  were  occasionally 
prescribed,  but  more  frequently  called  for  and  sold  over  the  counter.  Many  of  the 
drugs  that  are  in  daily  demand  in  Philadelphia  never  came  into  the  store  in  my  time. 
The  stock  was  always  bought  in  large  quantities,  as  the  goods  were  either  bought  in 
St.  Louis,  Chicago  or  New  York — more  frequently  in  New  York  when  drugs  proper, 
and  in  St.  Louis  when  heavy  goods — for  the  reason  that  it  took  from  six  weeks  to 
♦wo  months  from  the  time  goods  were  sent  for  until  they  were  received,  as  they  had 
to  be  carried  by  wagon  a  distance  of  from  two  to  three  hundred  miles,  which  was 
generally  accomplished  by  Mexican  bull  trains ;  these  were  not  always  at  hand,  then 
the  goods  would  lie  in  the  warehouse  until  transportation  could  be  procured.  These 
trains  consisted  of  from  three  to  thirty  wagons,  each  of  which  would  load  from  two 
to  four  tons.  Two  of  these  wagons  were  coupled  together,  to  the  front  one  were 
hitched  from  ten  to  fifteen  yoke  of  Texan  or  Mexican  steers  5  these  would  be  driven 
from  eight  to  twenty  miles  a  day  or  night,  according  to  load,  pasturage  or  water. 
This  mode  of  transportation  was  quite  expensive,  which,  in  connection  with  the 
charges  on  the  railroad,  made  freight  come  high,  at  times  footing  up  eight  dollars 
per  hundred  pounds  gross,  delivered  at  the  door  from  New  York. 
New  York  would  never  receive  more  than  two  orders  for  goods,  amounting  to  from 
