SOLVED. Fantasy/horror short story. Human sells rope to dwarves/gnomes [s]

[Justanotherbiblophile]

SOLVED: "The Man Who Sold Rope To The Gnoles" (info) by Idris Seabright (aka Margaret St. Clair) (RIO)

edit: my description (below) is off/incorrect in some details.

I read this like 20+ years ago, and it could be 40+ years old (I had access to old books). It was a fantasy/horror short story. I believe it was in a collection of short stories.

Basically the smallfolk were scary, so humans didn't have intercourse (business, no sex) with them. But an enterprising young fella for some reason got crosswise of them (trespassing?) - and was going to be killed, when they discovered that he had rope samples - and was a rope salesman?

So, they let him go, and gave him a hefty order, and paid him with gems. He thanked his good fortune, and started making bank, delivering their orders and taking new ones....

Until one day... (view spoiler)[when he got greedy and asked how much rope for one of the jewels they used as eyes, would cost. They cooked him up and decorated him in his own rope. (hide spoiler)]

I think I've got the details right on this, but I could well be wrong.

[Peter]

The Man Who Sold Rope To The Gnoles, by Idris Seabright, who was apparently actually named Margaret St. Clair. This page lists all the books it's been printed in:

http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cg...

This page has the story itself:

http://www.www3.reocities.com/Paris/v...

[Justanotherbiblophile]

You're the bomb! How did you find it? I should like to learn new tricks :D

[Kris]

Justanotherbiblophile, which of the anthologies listed above (on isfdb.org) should be shelve for this short story? For example:

Beyond Human Ken (1952)?
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories My Mother Never Told Me (1963)?
Nine Strange Stories (1974) - published by Scholastic?

Note: These books may have additional covers.

[Justanotherbiblophile]

None of them? All of them? Any of them?

I was looking for the story, not a book. Found the story; got the correct title and the author's name. Yes, it might be a misuse of this forum, but I have been misusing it this way for awhile now :D

[Kris]

That's okay. Glad you found your short story. I thought one of the book titles or images might trigger a memory. If you have no preference, I'll simply shelf the first book.

[Peter]

Justanotherbiblophile wrote: "You're the bomb! How did you find it? I should like to learn new tricks :D"

No trick, I'm afraid. I first read the story years ago and think I would've remembered the title because my mind works that way. As it happens, though, I re-read the story just a few weeks ago when I pulled out my beat up copy of Alfred Hitchcock's Monster Museum, so it was fresh in my memory.