# Short story about grocer, illiterate teamster, wood alcohol?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 15, 2018, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589 "2018-03-15T04:20:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2018, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589/1 "2018-03-15T04:20:45Z")
This was in my 8th grade Literature textbook; it may be a William Saroyan story.
A meek frontier grocer is annoyed that the teamster who delivers his goods not only teases him, but also taps into any barrels of alcohol he’s delivering to drink along the way. Grocer then orders a barrel of wood alcohol, knowing the illiterate Swede won’t realize it’s poison.
Anyone recognize it?
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2018, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589/2 "2018-03-15T04:24:20Z")
Let’s move this to Cafe Society.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2018, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589/3 "2018-03-15T05:50:42Z")
It does sound familiar. The story’s narrator was a man who had worked for the grocer as a boy. Also, I believe the grocer was Jewish and the teamster’s “teasing” often included anti-Semitic slurs.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2018, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589/4 "2018-03-15T06:01:34Z")
Yes, absolutely remember the story.
No fucking clue who wrote it, though. Sorry.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2018, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589/5 "2018-03-15T06:09:29Z")
Found it!
“Bargain,” by A.B. Guthrie.
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### Author:  [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2018, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589/6 "2018-03-15T06:34:56Z")
> **[What short story was this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=582917)**
>
> Sometime ago I read a short story set either in Alaska or the northern part of Canada. The protagonists of the story did some kind of work which involved moving supplies with sleds and dogs. They were bullied by their boss, who was a mean drunk....
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### Author:  [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2018, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589/7 "2018-03-15T09:31:53Z")
It reminds me of Aesops fable about the donkey and the salt/sponges. Could that have been the inspiration?
(That fable was one of my unseen translations in my Latin exam. The other was about a haunted tree. 30 years later they are still seared in my head!)
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### Author:  [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589/8 "2018-03-15T21:57:41Z")
PDF Link: [http://www.mpsaz.org/taylor/staff/bjdavis/short-stories/files/a\_bargain\_a..b.\_guthrie\_jr..pdf](http://www.mpsaz.org/taylor/staff/bjdavis/short-stories/files/a_bargain_a..b._guthrie_jr..pdf)
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### Author:  [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2018, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589/9 "2018-03-16T04:11:05Z")
Splendid work by the Dope! Thanks.
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### Author:  [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2018, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-story-about-grocer-illiterate-teamster-wood-alcohol/810589/10 "2018-03-16T18:34:56Z")
> [@JacobSwan](#):
>
> It reminds me of Aesops fable about the donkey and the salt/sponges. Could that have been the inspiration?
> (That fable was one of my unseen translations in my Latin exam. The other was about a haunted tree. 30 years later they are still seared in my head!)
This is the second time lately (both times, I think, from the Dope) that I discovered an Aesop’s Fable I hadn’t read yet.