The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-07-29
THE P1NE-TRBE SHILLING.
A s,e,y OF me OIaeu Time.


Captain John Hull was the Mint Master Of
Massachusetts. and coined all the money that
was made. His was a new line of business for
In the eaily days Of the colony the current cun-
age consisted OF the gold and silver money OF
England, Portugal, and Spain. These CONS being
scarce, the people were often forced 20 harter
their mmOdites ius'eadof selling them. For in
staDce, # man waniod ~ buy coat, be perhaps
exchanged a benrbsin Tor &C.; ifhe wished barrel
OF mOhsses, he might purchase IL Tor pile OF
pibe-bOaids. Mn ket-bas were u.Cd iustyad Of
fartbirgs. The Indians had sort Of mpncy
called wsmpum, which was made clim-,hells;
and this strange sort Of specie was likewise taken
ia pay ment Of debt by the EBglisl settlers.
Bark bills had never been heard Of There
was not money enough OF any kind In many
parts Of The country, 10 pay their ministers; so
thHt they bad sometimes to take quintals OF ish,
bushels Of corn, or cOrus Of wood, instead OF sil-
yer and gold. A. the people grew more nume-
rOus and their tJade with one nuother Increased,
the want Of current money was still more scnsi-
bly, felt. To supply the demand the general
court rasset Law fer esiahl shug a cOinigs Of
Rhillines and sixpences. Captain Hull was no.
pointed 10 manufacture this money, and vas TO
have about one shilling out Of every twenty, 10
p0y him for his trouble iu making them
HercupOn, al the old n yer In the colony was
balded over 10 captain Hull The battered silver
cans and tanknrds, suppose, and silver buckles
and broken spoons, Hnd silver hits OF swords
that figured a. court, all such curious Old articles,
were doubt ess thrown into tho melting pot o.
getbcr. But b, tar the greatest part Oftho silver
consisted Of bullion tom the mines of South
America, which the English buc ane rs (yho
were little less than pirates) had taken from the
Spaniards and broUghtto Massachusetts,.
All this old and new silver biug melted down
and coined, the result was an immense amount of
splendid shilings, siNpeucCs, aud three gcnccs.
Each had the date OF 1852 on ono side, md the
npuie Of n pire tree on The other side. Hence
they were cGlled pine tree shiuings Aud for
every twfDty sbilngs that he rOined, YOU will
remember, Captain John Hu was entitled 10
put one tbl ing 10 his packer. The magistrates
soon began e. suspect that the Mint NJ gster would
have the best Of the bargain. They offered him
a large sum of money IL he would give up shat
twentieth shilling which was continuity drop
ping into his pocket. But Captain HUI declared
that he was perfectly satisfied vi the shilling.
And well he might be, for so diligently did be
labor, that In few years, his pockCta, his money
bags, and bis strong box were overlooking with
pine TIE sbiliDPs. This was probably the case
when he came II 10 posse ssiOn Of his grandflthcrs
chair and ~ he worked so hard at the Mint, il
was certainly proper that he should have com.
Portable one to rtst himself on.
Whtn the Mint Master was grown very rich, a
young man, Samue Sewel by name came court
ing his only daughter. His daughter, whose
name do not know, but we will call her Betsy,
was fine, hearty damsel, by no means as
slender hs some yOhng ladies' Of our own days.
On the contrary, having always fed heartily on
pumpkin pics, douPhnuts, Indian pudding, and
C'her Puritan duintics, she was w round and
plump as a pudding. With This roInd, rosy Miss
Betsy did Samuel Scwcll fall in love. As he
was young man Of good cbara, ter, industrious
10 business, and member Of church, the Mint
Master very readily gave his consent.
eyes, yOu may take her" said he, in his rough
way, "and you will lind her a heavy burden
enough"
On the wedding day we may suppose honest
John Hull dressed In plain coat, all the buttons
Of which were made of pine tree shillings. The
but ons Of bis waistcoat were sixpences and the
knees of bis small clothes were bnttOned with
silver threepeDces. Thus attired he sat with
great dignity on his grnndiather's chair; and
beirg a portly old gentleman, he completely
filled il from elbow to elbow. On the opposite
side of the room, between her bridesmaids, sat
his Betsy. She was blushing with all her
might, and looked like a full-blowu peonY, q
great red apple, or any round and scarlet object.
There, too, was the bridegroom, dressed in Il
fine purple coat and gold lace waistcoat with
as much other iinery as the Puritan laws and Gus
toms would allc W them to put on. His hair crOpt
close 10 his head, because Governor Endicott had
forbidden any man to wear Ii below his ears.
But he was very peTsOnable young man and
so thought the bridesmaids, and Miss Betsy her
self.
The Mint Master was also pleased with his
new s0n.in-law, especially as he had said no hing
at all about her portion. So when the marriage
ceremony was over Captain Hull whispered a
word or two to his new servants, who immedi-
ately went out and returned lnggng in pair ~
scales. They were such n pair as wholesale
merchants used for weighing bully commodity
was now to be weighed in them
Daughter Be sy," raid the Mint Master ego
into one side of the scales"
Miss Betsy--Or Mrs. Sewell, as we must now
call htr-d as she was bid like duiful Chi d :,
without any question Of why or wherefore. But
what her father could me n, unlessit was TO make
her husband pay for her by the pound Cn which
case she would have been dear barg lin), she
bad NOT the least idea.
"And now" said honest John Hull to his ser
wants, "bripg me that box hither."
The box b. which the NJ mt Master pointed was
n huge, square, iron bound UaG chest il was big
enough, my children, for ali you four 10 play
bide and seek in.
The servants tugged with might and main, but
could not lift this enormous receptacle, and were
finally obliged to drag IL across the floor.
Captain Hull then took key out Of his girdle,
unlocked the chest, and lifted its ponderous lid.
Behold, IL was full to the brim Of bright pine
tree sLilliDgs, fresh from the Mint, and Samuel
Sewell thought that his father-in-aw had got
possession of all the money in the Massachusetts
treasury. But IL was the Mint Masters honest
share OF the coinage.
Then the servants, at Captain Hulls command
heaped double handsfuls of shilliugs into one
sice of the sc9les. while Betsy remained in the
after bandiul was thrown in, till plump and pom
derous as she was, they weighed the young lady
from the floor "Ihere, son Sewel," cried the
honest Mint Master, resuming his seat in his
grandfather chair, take these Shilngs for my
daughters portion. Use her kindly, aud thank
Heaven for her, for il is not every wife that 8
worth her weight in silver"
The children laughed heartily at this legend,
and would hardly be convinced that grandfa her
had made il ont of his head. He insured them
faithfully however, that he found it in the pages