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Up the Skagit River about a mile or two above Mount Vernon was built a big Indian house, potlatch house. This house is great. There were totems in every post of the building. During the summertime the people generally moved down to Whidbey Island or Coupeville for fishing or some other things they did then.
Farrensby was quite a small boy when his mother died. His home was within a mile or two of this great big Indian potlatch house. When John’s mother died his father told him, “Now just think of how you are fixed. No one to look after you. We are poor. Now we have to just try to do the very best we can and you will have a chance to learn more about totems, for you are young. You must try to do all you can to find a good totem for yourself. Don’t depend on me. Now I want you to go out and look for a totem.” So Sahqualk, or John Farrensby, thought it best for him to go down towards this big potlatch house.
There was nobody in the house. They were all out on their summer trips. The first time Johnny went there he neither heard nor saw anything around the house and went home, for there was nothing doing. The next night he again went down to the same place for he thought he might learn something that would be of use to him out of this great big Indian potlatch house, so he would be like the older people that owned this big house when he became a man. The next night he again went there, went around the house down to the river. He thought that a totem might be down at the river, but nothing doing, so he came back up the bank. Finally he saw three men, all of different height, walking from the building down to the river. He went toward them and asked who they were. The three little men answered by saying they were brothers, that they belonged to this big house as a totem. Squa-dalich, Johnny Farrensby thought surely it must be a totem for him. At the time he was a little afraid of these boys so he was sure they were totems. Johnny was sure there was nobody in the house when he passed.
Johnny said to them that he was an orphan boy, that his mother died and that he went around looking for a totem. These three little men replied, “Here we are. We are a totem ourselves. We are a lucky totem. We can read people’s minds. We can see far. We look for anything that is lost and we can find it. We always are well fixed. Are you looking for us?” Johnny replied, “Yes, I am looking for you.” Well, those three totem boys told him that “We are going to be with you but listen- when you become a man, if you should make a totem, you want to be careful that you cut it out as three lucky totems.” “I can do wonderful work myself,” said the larger totem. The smallest brother of the three spoke quickly, “No, I am greater than all my brothers for I can do better work than they, so I always want to do the work and they watch me.” They all rushed toward Johnny to tell him their ways of work. So the smaller totem told Johnny his tune and how he could play any time. He told Johnny when he carved out a totem pole he should explain that they are brothers all together. They were harmless and they wouldn’t hurt anybody. Honest totems that bring a man to good, lucky ways and make him an honest and respected man.
After that Johnny Farrensby was still looking for a totem. He was not satisfied with these three little lucky totems he learned. Three or four months after he had learned of the three lucky totems he went up on the north fork of the Skagit River below Mount Vernon, way back in the woods on a hill, wondering if he could find more totems. He was fasting, had nothing to eat, was trying to be clean, so he would be able to meet any other totem. So while he was on the hillside, a dry and gravelly place, he fell asleep. He awakened and beside him stood a little man. The little man told him that he was a lizard and that he like to be with Johnny if Johnny would have him. The lizard told Johnny that he was a great little lizard. He turned himself into a lizard so Johnny would see that he really was a lizard. All this time Johnny was listening closely, taking in all that he said. After a while Johnny wondered whether to say that he wanted him for a totem when the great lizard told him that he was Johnny’s grandfather. That he belonged to Johnny Farrensby’s grandfather. “I am your grandfather,” the little lizard said to Johnny. I am a great totem of your grandfather. I would like to be yours if you would have me. I am mean. I can stand off any other totem of other people. I don’t care who they are or what they are.” So Johnny thought to himself that it was funny that this lizard talked the human language though nothing but a little animal, so he told the lizard that he would be glad to have the totem of his grandfather and at the same time have him for protection. So the little lizard told him of his action, taught him the songs and tunes of a mean little animal lizard and it now shows on the totem pole that he is protecting the three lucky, harmless totems. He is on there for the protection of the three lucky totems, Squa-dalich.
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