Sam Carter unlocked the door to the Mercantile just after 8 am. He had only just finished opening the shutters when his first customer of the day entered.
"Morning Sam, you're running a little late aren't you?" said Josh from the saloon.
"Good morning Josh, yes I am opening a little late but it's only a few minutes past 8, " Sam replied. "And what brings you here so early Josh?"
"Glasses, I'm running short. There was a tussle in the saloon last night and a table laden with shot glasses was damaged. The Marshall covering for Roy Coffee broke it up and got the cowboys to pay up for new glasses but I'm running short. Can you supply me with some replacements and then ordering me in a few boxes please Sam?"
"Sure, let me finish opening up and I'll get some from the store room in the back. Hey Josh, you haven't met my niece yet have you. Josh this here is Theresa, Theresa this is Mr Joshua Barnes, he runs the local saloon 'The Bucket of Blood'."
Josh stepped forwards and held out his hand for Theresa who uncertainly shook it. "Please to meet you Mr. Barnes." Said Theresa shyly.
"Likewise, young lady. Of course I won't ever see you in my establishment will I?" Josh asked winking at Theresa.
"Oh no sir, I don't drink liquor and I've never been in a saloon." Theresa replied.
"Good, because no lady should be frequenting a saloon." Said Josh.
"Mr. Barnes, why did you call the saloon The Bucket of Blood?" Theresa asked quietly.
"I don't really know how it got its name. I brought it from someone who also didn't know, so I doubt now that we'll ever find out where the name came from. But it's a strange name so I thought that people would remember it and I left the name alone." Replied Josh.
"Oh, maybe that's how it got its name in the first place – so people who remember it," said Theresa not knowing what else to say.
Sam finished opening the shutters and he went inside the store and down into the back store room to collect a box of shot glasses, returning a few minutes later he put the box on the counter. "Pay now or put it on your bill Josh?"
"Put it on the bill please Sam. I'll be in to pay that off at the end of the week."
"OK, I'll add the box to the bill and I'll total it up for you Friday. Have a good day Josh."
"Yes you too. Lovely to meet you Theresa, Have a good day alongside your Uncle."
"Thank you Mr. Barnes, I will," Theresa replied politely.
When Josh left the Mercantile Sam had a quick look outside and seeing nobody about he walked back to the counter and called Theresa to him. "OK Theresa, before I explain where things are and how to do the book work I need you to listen to my rules.
No 1. Always address the customers by their proper name Mr. or Mrs. Something. If it is a young person I want you to call them Miss or Master at all times when in the store, OK?"
"Yes Uncle Sam,"
"No 2. If there is no name in the book of credit, which is the red book under the counter, then the person must pay for their goods before leaving the store. If you have any questions about that, or someone disagrees then you come and get me straight away. Clear."
"Yes, Sir."
"And No 3. No giving out free gifts like candy to visiting children. You may see me do that on occasion but it's my store and I know my regular customers. If I see you doing it then you will pay for the candy out of your own pocket do you hear me?"
"Yes, Uncle Sam."
"Good, right then let me show you were things are." And Sam proceeded to spend the next half an hour showing Theresa where various good within the store were kept. Then he explained about how to use his scales to weigh the dry goods as well as how to package goods up. Theresa paid careful attention and Sam took careful note of his niece's enthusiasm.
It was around 9.30 before the next customer arrived and Sam had gone into the backroom to collect a crate of tinned goods. Theresa was behind the counter when a mother and her two young children a boy and a girl came in.
"Good morning Ma'am, how can I help you?" Theresa began.
"Hello, who are you? Is Sam not around?" asked the lady.
"My name is Theresa ma'am and Uncle Sam is in the back room. May I serve you?"
"Do you know how to measure out flour and rice?" the customer asked.
"Oh yes ma'am. What would you like me to measure out first?"
"Well young lady if you are sure, I'd like 2 pounds of white flour, a pound of rice, a pint of barley and a pint of red lentils, please."
Theresa carefully wrote down the order, "Yes ma'am I'll get right to it." And Theresa quickly but carefully measure out the correct amounts of each item, bagging it up securely as she had been shown earlier. She had just finished bagging the red lentils when Sam came out from the back storeroom.
"Good morning Mrs. Blackstone and I see you've brought in young Master Toby and Miss Ellie," he said smiling at the children who waved at him. Sam opened a pot of jelly beans on the counter and held the jar out to the children.
"Would you like a few Jelly beans Miss Ellie?" Ellie nodded and looked at her mother for permission to take the candy. Mrs. Blackstone nodded her ascent and Ellis took 3 Jelly beans, "Thank you Mr. Carter."
"You are welcome Miss Ellie, " said Sam moving the pot towards Toby,
"Would you like a few Jelly beans Master Toby?" Toby also nodded and looked at his mother who again granted permission. Toby took 2 Jelly Beans a red and a black one. "Thank you Mr. Carter" he said.
"You are very welcome Master Toby." Replied Sam standing up.
"Your children are a credit to you Mrs. Blackstone, they've never once failed to wait for permission from you to take some candy and they always say thank you straight away." Sam said.
"Why thank you for noticing Mr. Carter. My husband and I pride ourselves on bringing up our children correctly. After all manners cost nothing but mean everything. Don't you agree?"
"Yes, I certainly do. How do you like my new assistant Mrs. Blackstone?"
"Well Sam I think she's very pretty and she seems to be very efficient and polite. Who is she?"
"Theresa is my niece, Mrs Blackstone. She is staying with my wife and I for a while as her father is unwell and her mother is tending him. I am glad that you are finding her polite and helpful because I am hoping that she will work in the store a lot whilst she is here."
"Well if she carries on like she has today I am sure that she will be quite an asset. Not to mention that she's a very pretty girl, it wouldn't surprise me if you suddenly had an influx of young men finding an excuse to drop by." Said Mrs Blackstone saying the last sentence in a low tone so her children could not over hear.
Sam smiled wistfully, "Well if they buy something and behave respectfully towards everyone here, I can't see any problems with that Mrs. Blackmore."
"Does that mean that you are trying to marry her off Sam?" asked Mrs. Blackmore.
"OH goodness no, not at all but Theresa does want to a make a few friends and I don't have a problem with them being male or female provided that they treat her right. Anyone that doesn't won't need to worry about the Marshall but they will wish that they had treated Theresa well." And Sam winked.
"Excuse me please, Uncle Sam. " Theresa called out. "Ma'am I've weighed up and bagged your dried goods as you requested. Do you have anything else to purchase today?" she asked.
"No, young lady, that's all for today. Please put them on my bill will you?" said Mrs. Blackstone reaching for the good to put them in her basket. Theresa looked at her Uncle. She had forgotten to get the red credit book out and put it on the counter so she could check the name. "Uncle Sam?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes that's perfectly OK Theresa, Mrs. Blackstone and her husband have a credit account, they are regular customers. "
Theresa handed Mrs. Blackstone the rest of her goods carefully so that she could put them in her basket and then she waved at the children. "Good day ma'am, goodbye children."
"Goodbye Theresa it was nice to meet you, I hope to see you again. Have good day." And Mrs. Blackstone called her children to her and turned to leave the store. Theresa received two little waves and then the children and their mother were gone.