Show TRUE TEST OF GENUINE NAVAJO BLANKETS Thos E. E Byrnes Dyrnes 00 f A Boston wool buyer youthful and worthy descendent descendant of a long line of ancestors ancestors in the wo wool l and woolen goods industry made his initial trip tripas as ae as b buyer yer to te t Cache Valley Utah ab a- a b years ago The young man roan was was modest modest and unassuming and the success success of the first season proved his knowledge of wool from fleece to tei- tei tile Hile nt And no DO wonder On leaving school he secured employment employment employment em em- at a factory His first fint assignment assignment as as- as- as was recording the arrival of cars loaded with wool checking brands marks brands narks and weights shown on This him a knowledge of the customs of various wool shipping shipping shipping ship ship- ping districts of the the packing Packing sewing and the tying of sa sacks ks average weights grade of material used accuracy accuracy aci ac- ac i curacy of weights and t general generaS ef efficiency efficiency ef- ef in preparation His next job was at the grading tables where be he had to learn the tbt art wart which comes from practice only including In- In eluding such matters as material used In fleece twine the wide range in quality in fleeces sometimes tied toft to to- gether ft feel of crimp scent of Back Buck fleeces pre el nce of nods stains tags cotts matts insolubility of 1 branding paint bl blacks ks and sweated wools and many smaller and more numerous which enter the value of the fleece such as aJ dead wool per per cent dt U gre grease grealie ne art ratio cf Af f shrinkage Thence 1 the scouring plant when h he ha know lass 1118 in shrinkage and its causes over weight in grease its wits cause and ROO effect and in fact learned d the tM value of the grease gease it it-i it it-i it I self Next Nest to to-Ike to the carding roams where the process of cr combing combine dd determines l the only of Iw Thence through all the of the looms warps an and weaving finished fin tin finished cloth and aM the store rooms and from there tp the custom tailor and the drap draped d model Thus be h b. had a fair conception of wool ool front from the sack to the sack c coat ceat at He lie could then I estimate by the scent feel and sight I re-I re the number of ounces of wool required required re re- to 10 make a full dress Tuxedo I and run nm it back to the weight of the wool in D grease and then en he knew only the last tast half of the game The follow following g year was out early enough to see the shearing and packing packing pack pack- pack pack-I ing but closed a profitable year in buying and waited for tor another season season sea sea- son lion to tn come The third year sear accompanied by his bride he came c came me to to to Southern Utah via auto A large touring car ar equipped with all aU for comfort and convenience inspired by them the m movie e scenes from ironi the Sheik The outfit included by a tarl large Accessories Supply Co Go featured by a sales genius on t touring specialties He Be was clothed with all all all' the varied c rs of a male wile wide J pheasant wide yellow yellow yel yel- e low stetson greyish wool shirt crimson crim crim- crimson crimson son ties green sweater clay colored knickers tan shoes and all lL She the female bird of the same species adopted the simple black and red peppered tints with a small red cockade cockade cock cock- ade of a hat She wanted to look like the female pheasant but En En- contour appeared as spectacular spectacular-as a pair of scissors Thc They first firt drove dreve to Wet Wm Virginia lirginia inia to have a look at some bands of Mer Mer- ino end and and thence to the Delaine producing districts of Ohio Skipped through to New Mexico and Colorado but were not much moth impress impress- ed Reaching southern Utah he studied the breeds breccia s and breeding look book notes on the wind sand and water water condi conditions state of grazing soil noil whether thorny bushy or burry all of wl which he determined bad had a g on the growing c of Wool mool a and d might account ac ac- count fir the knots and DO nois must be w picked Clicked by bp hand from the fleeces on on Took notes note on tire the Mate of w weather since the lal last t clip ilip Jip cha changes es in r range and pasture from om wet to dry aD cof of which he fig fib ged wot would J have a potential Indication Indica indica- Hun tion of tender er or frowzy wools Inspected Inspected In In- branding fluids peeked eked in art ut lofts lolls and mangers manger to note the amount of dead or pulled pulle-d wool left in storage Leo ok ke ed l c over lr th the facilities ie at shearing J I corrals for possibilities S 'S of if sweating f through packing s sheds Eds and storage and to th the loading platforms platform noted their heir proximity ty te to wells ponds or creeks reeks relative to per cent of absorption tion ion of moisture from time of clip dip to tolate date late of weighing and finaly to the scales Notes s ote-s all completed with these and many other details duly recorded record record- ed this buyer buer felt and well he might that be he knew all there was from the back of a lamb to the shoulders of a aba ba ranker banker r or who ever it is that wears the best bert cloth They into Cedar City one evening e and were assigned suitable space for car and party in the tourist tourist tour tour- camp amp Soon struck tent te-nt but the thea a noticed the party spoke in syllables mono when they spoke at all 11 The lady had to go at once to the Store so she shook the ou ous garments from her sticky form and soon returned with excess tonnage tonnage ton ton- nage also had an effect upon her disposition The snack soon prepared prepared prepared pre pre- pared was soon over with and the buyer set out outto to the telegraph office to send the up tie-up message to the house bouse While away he got a supply of tobacco some candy and incident incident- ly being reminded of the cooler nights purchased two fine Navajo blankets at forty dollars each told his w wife e he only paid ten for the two and casting many aspersions on the conduct of the engine all day unfurled unfurled un un- furled the blankets under the bright rays of the head light The brilliant colors of the Navajos warmed warmed warm warm- ed the hearts o of both and the lady was so delighted that she also remembered remembered remembered re re- the rotten behavior of the and clutch and the artof ar arof art artof of the Indian triumphed The lady exhibited the blankets to neighboring campers and wrote al all her relatives of the beauty and price The lady campers canvassed the stores store but bat could auld not locate similar bargains The men tourists then made a more methodical examination without re re- suits The husband at first stated state that JP he h could T TIt rot t remember the particular particular par par- store at which they were purchased purchased pur pur- chased but had bad a distinct recollection recollection tion that the person who waited wafted on him was vuis s an Indian Italian and maybe those were the last blankets he had Hi His wife ife bad had no suspicion of the m mental menta elasticity of In which be he had hac spread the other seventy dollars over ove the expense account The conclusion reached by th the jO joint committee of rubber nee necks was wa the blankets were were net natt genuine am amone andone and andone one of the vis ig ladies had ugh temerity to gently make this hint t to the purchasers purchaser's wife who replied with wit much dignity that her husband was a wool buyer could not be cl cheated in woo Jor tor an any feature e of its manu manu facture The husband with secret ecret guilty dared l red not to risk his lion tion on positive identification of NavaJo Nava Nava- Jo construction nor to bring out the points of proof Two Two 1 lady still still tm envious discovered dis dis- covered the Ute village across across' the the- creek reek and at once harbored the theory now ow so generally applied to desirable articles not sold o oer over er the counter that there here existed an element of bootlegging leg bootleg b Ing ging in blankets also At the risk of dog Og bite and other miscellaneous sm smaller mailer Her nips their investigation remained remained re reo fruitless With the applied to his other ther studies the young husband concluded concluded con- con he would Mould add to his accomplishments the he manner of classifying the he true Navajo blanket Knowledge is best acquired at its source so he con confided with some of the he old time ranchers one of whom told old him to invite a couple of veteran t sheep heep herders to his camp for a visit vist vis vis- it t show the blankets ask questions likely to provoke an argue argue- ment merit arrange for some one to take notes and he would gain first hand In In- formation He did this his wife wile had hadeen been een a stenographer and from a hidden hid den position took down the conversation conversa conversa- tion ion which transcribed read about as follows Well Welt theys Navajos and theys Navajos Navajos Navajos Na- Na ways of telling em Some right some wrong In the first place always look at the borders you'll notice netice that for lor about two or three inches every sure Navajo is always black or blue the r reason ason for this is the Indian never has plenty of water and more often has dirty fingers fingers fing fing- ers en they make the borders dark so that the finger marks wont show Of course easily imitated Next pl place Cl if it you got got soft hands ha like a alady alady alady lady just run em ern over the piece a time or two and if you find burrs and stickers Chats another way The Navajo Navajo Navajo Na Na- vajo dont don't h have ve no fine sense of feeling feeling feel feel- ing in his hands or skin either andI and I he dont don't find these The imitator dont don't dare to leave these in because the buyer might find em and kick Another way is to strip right down downto to your bare skin likin wrap yourself in a Navajo for n II few hours and add then have somebody look at your back If I youre you're full of red spots like you got small pox and think youre you're just breaking out then that's good sign At first the little spots were were dents in your skin made by the and knots in the wool which th the Indian dont don't notice When you take tak the blanket of oft off the flesh dents puff out and you ou think the disease ha has has' taken The imitator dasent leave these lumps in so they might spoil the sale sak There is an old chestnut chestnu way of thinking you got the rea real thing Now the Navajo yarn is dyed ded before fore it is we-aved we some times the weaver will wiH lI miscalculate the number number number num num- ber of feet of yarn in the ball and in making the figures he will use nse too much of any anyone one kind Und of color at the start when they are about to finish they find lind they haven't avEnt got enough so they have to skimp a little and make it go as far as it will Thais Thai's why the bars and figures figares aint the same in width or length irregular you yoa might say but easy to imitate because they can make the machines or looms cheat as well wen as the Indian And the Indians are next to tD that too they know the tenderfoot looks at that the first thing and practice the game as a kind of a trade mark Say Bill you know cockeyed cockey d Mike that near Navajo Chief down Kanab way Well there was a rancher ranch or er down that way wanted to ship to toi i Kansas Cit City with th a bunch of steers so he hired this Mike to drive them themI I do to the road and ride em ern in to K C. C I He gave Mike some money for expenses ex ex- expenses and told him to get what more h M he needed from the broker At At K C. C Mike checked up and the broker advanced advanced advanced ad ad- him thirty-one thirty dollars and to show what a chump Indian will do je to had to spend the thirty some way way way- In Ina a red hot caboose on the way east he nearly perished with the cold shiv shiv- vered like a colie when he saw th the e frost en n the windows of passenger trains They wouldn't let him return in the caboose boose so he in twentysix twentysix six ty-six dollars dollars and bought him what the man said was a real Navajo and now h. h his J squaw and kids are cockeyed too trying to imitate the patterns on the phoney he brought back No Siree Sirel Theys only one cinch way to tell a Navajo I The lady took it all down Just let leta a switch engine put in a couple of shifts witts running over it h and when you OU think it is limbered timbered UP op and you desire desire de de- sire to damn near freeze to death pick out the coldest night there is iB wrap yourself up in a couple of Navajos Navajos Na Na- and if it you wake up froze stiff litiff you got the genuine article The Navajo blanket has a way of snuggling snug snug- snuggling gling up to your our prostrate form just like a barrel stave they're soft oft and pliable like a bundle of stove pipes and fit like you was sleeping ping in a hogshead The Boston student buyer told his friends that he got his best lesson Jesson in wool from a sheep ep herder and no won won- der |