it was a cool, calm, and collected night, almost certainly in chicago.
henry morgan, a philosopher of sorts, stood behind the counter of his cigar store.
professor williams came through the door.
good evening, professor.
good evening, henry.
what can i get you tonight?
how about a box of lords of englands?
we don’t have any of those in stock right now.
oh well, then i will have a pack of parodis.
this was the professor’s little joke, which never got old. he would ask for am extremely expensive cigar which he knew henry did not carry, and then “settle for” a pack pf parodis or even a single parodi.
henry produced the parodis and the professor paid for them with the exact change.
anything else, professor?
yes - it’s about the indian.
henry was taken aback. you mean the indian outside?
yes.
what about it?
it just does not look right.
right about what? it is just a cigar store indian. what is there to say about it? you never said anything about it before.
no, but i read something about the local indian tribes and it just does not look right to me.
what doesn’t look right about it?
tell me, do you know what tribe it is supposed to be? ojobe, odawa, potawatomi?
hell no, it is probably not supposed to be any tribe. whoever made it and painted it probably didn’t know any more than you or me. excuse me, any more than me.
but you did buy it from somebody?
i bought it when i bought the store . it came with the store. it is just a cigar store indian.
might it be miami, ho-chunk, illinois? those were all tribes in the area.
we are a long way from miami. illinois sounds good to me. after all, chicago is in illinois.
who did you buy the \store from, do you remember?
isaac solomon and sons real estate. last i heard they were still in business. you might ask them?
i might, i just might. your suggestion about the illinois is a good one.
the professor paused, then recited -
illinois men hunted deer, wild turkeys, and small game. sometimes they would also have large communal buffalo hunts. they often wore very little clothing in the warmest months of the year. sometimes they would wear breechcloths or leggings made of bison hide or woven buffalo fur.
thank you, professor. that is very interesting.
well, henry, i won’t take up any more of your time. i was just curious about the indian, that’s all.
good night, professor.
good night.
the professor departed, clutching his pack of parodis. the door closed behind him.
how can you listen to that old fool?
he is a customer. a steady customer. and i try to do a steady business.
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