MARKIE 
by A. J. Bartling
One of the early settlers that should have more credit for his fatherly help for many, many people is C. J. Markstad. "Markie" was a business man who wasn't afraid to give credit. In 1928 we lived two miles east and one mile north on the old Romie McNitt homestead; we farmed the place. We had a very good crop that year. About the time the wheat was ready I looked over the grain binder, and found I needed a new eight foot platform canvas, also an elevator chain which operates almost all the machine. I had not enought money for this, besides which that we had a John Deere binder. There was no agent nearer then St. Paul. Markie had the I.H.C. dealership, so I went to town in the forenoon and told Mr. Markstad of my trouble. He said, "I am going to St. Paul in the afternoon and I will pick up these repairs for you." I said, "I don't have the money to pay for them." He said, "That's alright, you will, some day soon." Another time when wheat was only l8 cents a bushel some farmers asked Mr. Markstad to come with the truck and get a load of wheat. They wanted to pay some on gas they had on credit so he did, but instead of hauling it to the elevator, he took it to Vermilion to Weibe's flour mill. I was in his store one day, and he said "I got a ton of flour for you, one thousand pounds Garnet and one thousand Marquis." "How much?" I said. He said, "It only cost me 18C a bushel. I can let you have the flour for one dollar a hundred." I said 'I can't dig up twenty bucks right now." He said, "You will be hauling some tamarack in later. lam not worried about pay."
And that was the way it was with so many people in those short-of-money days.
