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THE JOSH Elga H. Larsen Ephraim, Utah Non-Professional Division First Place Anecdote Grandfather Daniel Henrie, early pioneer to Manti, Utah, was a great josher, but one time his little joke backfired. Daniel had a nice rock house with a lean-to room built on the back of it. In this lean-to, quite often, fresh meat was kept which he, being a butcher, had prepared for sale. At that time a white cloth would be hung above a door to let people know that meat was available. Occasionally Indians came to get some of it. In those days the settlers were careful not to offend the red men. In a corral nearby pranced a beautiful pinto pony. Many people had wanted to buy it, but Grandfather wast oo much of a horse lover to part with this one at any price. One day when the white cloth was hung out, an Indian brave and his squaw with a papoose on her back, came to get some meat. This day the pony happened to be tied outside the corral. Of course, it caught the admiring eyes of the Indian. After the meat was obtained, the Indian asked to buy the pony. Laughingly, Grandfather replied that he wouldn' t sell it, but he would trade for the papoose. To his utter consternation, the Indian removed the baby girl from the protesting squaw's back, placed it in Grandfather's arms, untied the pony and led it away with his sobbing squaw following him. Finally, a speechless man, already a father several times, found his voice, caught up with the brave and attempted to explain that he was only joking and that the Indian could have both the papoose and the pony. But the Indian in no uncertain, cutteral tones answered: "No, when me trade, me trade!" Source: This is a true happening in the life of Daniel Henrie told by his children to their children and so on down to later generations. Reference is the Henrie Genealogy file kept by family historian, Mrs. James J. Chapman, 302 East 2 North, Manti, Utah. -1- |