Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1864-07-26
the fsNE TREE sHTILINa.
a sroRY o. fnE otoEN rIME

ousipesss iOI ~ early Gays OF toe colony
the current coinage consisted Of the gold
and silver money of England, Portugal
aud Spsin. These coins being scarce, the
2sople were often forced to barter their
commo1ifies instead Of selling them. For
| instance, if a man wan: Sd buy coat.
be perhaps exchanged bear skin for Il:
IL he wished barrel of mulasees. be mieht
purchase il for pile Of pine boards. Mus-
sket balls were used instead of farthinRs.
The Indians bad q sort of money called
wampuo, which was made Of clam shells:
aud this strange sort Of specie was like
wise taken 10 payment Of debts by the
English settlers. Bank tills bad never
been heard Of. There was not moaey
enough Of any kind, in many parts of The
country. to pay their ministers;so that theV
bad sometimes 50. take ouiptaIs Of hs6.
bushels OF c9rnl, or cords of wood, instead
OF silver ana gold. - :.
As the people grew more numerous and
their trade with one another increased, the
want OF current money was still more SER
sibly felt To supply the demand the gen.
eral court passed law fcs establishing n
coinage Of sbillipes and six penses. Capt,
j. Hull was appointed to manufacture this
money, and was to have about one shilling
out Of every twenty. to pay him for bis
trouble in Tsking them.
Hereupon, ell the I'D silver ip the colo
ny was handed over to CAPTAIN Hull. The
battered silver cans and tank rrds. I stfbS
pose, and silver buckles and broken sboons.
and silver hIlts Of swords that had fieured
at court, al. such curious old articles vsre
doubtless thrown into the melting Dot to.
| gether. But by far the greatest part OF
silver consisted of bullion from the mines
of S nth America, which the English bvc.
| cancers (who were little less than pirates,I
hal taken from the Spaniards and brous ht
10 Massachusetts.
AL this old and new .siISer being melted
| down and coined, the result was en- IT,
mense amount of splendid sbillings, six.
pences and threepences.-Each had the
date oil 1902 on one side, and the figure Of
pine tree Oh the other side. Hence ttey
we're called pine tree. shilIings. And for
every twenty shiliings that be coined, voc,
will remember that Captain John. Hull
mint master very readily gave his consent.
was entitled to put one shilling 10 his DOG
ket The magistrates soon begaa 20 susS
pect that the mint master would have the
best of The bargain. They offered him d
large sun Of money if be would give un
the twentieth shilling. which be was con.
tinually dropping into bis pocket. Bus
Captain Hull declared that he was perfect.
ly satisfied with the shilling. And well
he M ght be. for so diligently did be la.
Dor, that IN few years his pockets, Sid
money bags, and his strong box were over.
flowing with pine tree shillings. This was
probably the case when he came into DOS
session of his grandfather's chair and aa
be worked 81 hard at the mint, it was GER.
tainly proper that he shruId have a CONF
forcable one to rest himself on.
when the mint master was grown very
Ilch'. young man, Samuel Sewell By name,
| came counting his oily dauehtsr. His
oang6ter-whose name do not know, but
We will call her Betsy-Was foe, hearty
dsmsel, by no means as slender as some
| young ladies of our own DAYS. On tia
contrary. having always, fed heartily on
pumpkin pies, dougbnutr. Indian pudding
and other puritan daInties, she. was a.
round and plump as pudding. Wit6 his
round. rosy Miss Betsy, did Samuel Sc.
well fall 10 love. As he was a youug man
OF good character, industrious in his bins.
Iness and member of the church, the
mint man very readily gave biz cons ut.
Yes you may take her. said be in bis
rough way. and you will find her a beayv
burden enough
On the wedding day we may. sunpose
that honest John Hull dressed in a Main
c'st all the buttons Of which were made
of pine tree shillings. The buttops of bis
waiftcoat were sizpences; and the knees
of his small clothes were buttoned with
se.lssr tbr5epences. Thus attred hs sax
with great dignity in his graudfather's
| chair; and being pOrtly old gentleman.
be completely filled it from elbow to ell
bow. On the opposite side of the room.
between her bridesmaids sat his Betsy
She was 6lushiu9 with all her might, and
looked nike full blOwn penny. great red
apple, or any other round aed SCARLET obiact
ihere: to- was the bridegroom, I drsss;.
ed 10 foe purple c"at snd old JsIa
waistcost, with as much other fnsrv AZ
the puritan laws and customs would al
low them to put on. His hair cropt cIosai
90 DIS head, because Governor Endieott rad
forbidden any man to wear il belJw bis
ears. But be was very personabIs Young
man, and so thought the bridesmaids. AMI
Miss Betsy herself.
The mint master was slso pleased With
his new son'in law. especially as he had
said nothing at ali about her portion. 81
when the marriage ceremJny was over
Captain Hull whispered word or two IN
bis men servants. who immediately vent
out, and reternsd Juggling 10 a large pair
OF scales. They we're such pair as whole.
sale merchants used fer weighipc;a buIkv
cOmmoditywas now 10 be weighed in them.
ID lighter Bstsy,' said the mint master.
! 90 into one side o. the gales.
Miss Betsy-.or Mrs. SsWeli, as we r11,itiiss
now call bef-diI as she was hid. like a
dutiful child, without any question of wby
or wherefore But what her father couId
mean, unless to make her husband nav for
her nv the pouud. lin which case she
woull have been dear bargain, she has
not the least idea.
The box tn which the mint master roint-
ed, was a huge. square, iron bound OAK
che't; it was big enough. my chilcren. for
ell four % you to Ily hide and seek 10.
The servants tagged with might and
main. but could not lift this enormous re-
aeptacle, and we're finally obliged to drag
il cross he-hnor
Captain Hull then soot key ont Of iiisf'
grill. gclsrked the chest, and lifted itO.
pOndro1a lid. Behold it was foil T. the.
brim Of bright pine tree shillings, fresl
from The mint. and Samuel SeweIl tbouoht
that bis father-in-lsw had got possession
of all the money in the Massachusetts
treasury But IL vas the mint masters
honest share Of the coinage.
Then the servants. at, CAPTAIN HuIl's
command. beared double band-fuIIs of
shillings intn one side If the scales. while
Betsy remained in tie. other. jingle,
jingle want the shillings, bandful after
bsrdful we're thrown ins till pa MP and
Or rieroCs as she was, they Weighed the
YOUNG lady from the floor. There, son
SeweIl.' cried the h.nest nj 3 master,
resuming his ssst 10 his Rrandfather;s
hair, take these shillinss for my dauebk-'
en- portion, Csc her kindly and thank
| Heaven for her. fes tits not every wife
tbatis worth her veighti1 silver
The children laughed. heartily AT th;.