A Sack of Flour and a Box of Bullets

Hi All, welcome back to the Silverhorn. Those of us stuck here on the mountain, appreciate your company.

My wife of little faith insists the Easter Bunny probably won't come here, based on previous 'experiences' at the Lodge, so she insisted we had no choice but to do a little Easter shopping tonight. We went to town, to the general store where we do most of our in-person shopping. (We used to buy stuff through mail order, but since the 'Postman Rings Once and Runs' incident, we haven't had much luck getting mail delivered.)

So, given little choice in the matter, we rolled down to the general store. After a couple of hours shopping, we're all fixed up for Easter. I'd tell ya what we bought, but some of the recipients read The View From Silverhorn Mountain regularly. I fear they might be disappointed to find out Silverhorn Lodge has been boycotted by the Easter Bunny, and the Federation of Unionized Carriers of Mail. (By the way, the mail carriers are known around here by the logos on their uniforms which have a very nice embroidered crest which proudly displays their membership in the Federation, as evidenced by the equally nice embroidered acronym, FUCM.)

I'm sure those of you who have done it will agree, there is nothing like an old general store to enhance the shopping experience, a little of this, a little of that, it's all under one roof. Whether it's toys or garden tools, bras or ammunition, candy or books, corn cob pipes, miracle cures, clothes or shoes. It's all there, some of it several years old, but still brand new, usually only one size or color, but that makes deciding what to buy a little easier.

One thing I have always wanted to do is walk up to the counter of a general store and ask for a sack of flour. It seems to me that whenever a cowboy went to the general store he always strode purposely to the counter, tipped his hat brim to the ladies who scurried out of the way, while he asked for a sack of flour, and a box of bullets. That seemed to be all they ever needed. I guess things were simpler then. I also have noticed a sack of flour and a box of bullets seemed to always cost one single coin, I assume a silver dollar, no plastic money for our cowboy. Then, with another tip of his hat to the ladies, he'd leave the store clerk to pack up his order,(which seems strange considering it's only a sack of flour and a box of bullets) while he grabbed a quick nip at the saloon and perhaps a shave, hot bath and with any luck, a girl who was very happy to see him, all for a silver dollar.

It seems store clerks took a lot longer to pack up a purchase in the 'old days'. (This was long before self serve speedy lanes, oh don't get me started on that....) At any rate, once he was stocked up with supplies, I mean, flour and bullets, he'd ride out of town, a smile on his face, knowing a good wrangler could live comfortably for several weeks on the open range with a sack of flour and a box of bullets.

So....at the general store tonight, we got to the cash register (that's what they call them at a general store) and the friendly 16 year old cashier asked, "Did you find everything you were looking for tonight?"

I tipped the brim of my baseball cap, smiled my widest cowboy smile and said, "No Ma'am, I didn't, I'd also like a sack of flour and a box of bullets...."

My wife hit me, the cashier giggled, and the 97 year old security guard eyed me suspiciously, while nervously fingering his bottle of pepper spray.

I left a single silver dollar (well a shiny loonie) on the conveyor belt and moseyed over to the saloon....