The Hickman courier., 1874-03-21
TWO GREENBACKS.

TWO GREENBACKS.
One led a useless life, and was gull ty
of enormous sins in the way of omis-
sion. The other passed through an
honorable career of real service and
we'll doing. To be sure, greenbacks are
not endowed with life and free Will :
vet how people bow TO them, and strive
TO get them, and submit to their power.
The two particular greenbacks, the
adventures OF which il is the purpose OF
this story to relate, were each OF the
denomination of so. One was bright
new one. and was one of thick pile
that Law in the desk of a fat old fraud
i'm the shane of a wealthy citizen, whose
small ewes sparkied complacently as he
contemplated his hoard, and whose
false tongue pleaded poverty IN reply
to REQUESTS for the payment of honest
debts. That greenback's life was very
n,onotonous one. If it had had a
tongue to speak it would have lifted up
its voice in loud protest at being penned
up in such lonely place, and beg to be
allowed to see something of the world
instead of being doomed to the dreary,
useless life it was leading.
Greenback Nc. , was creature OF
more fortuitous circumstances. It was
not so crisp and clean as the one that
was kept in confinement, but ITS scars
were honorable ones, Won IN lie OF
activity and hard service. We first be
hold it passing over the black-waI nut
desk of a large manufacturing estap-
lishment into the hands OF an honest
looking man with soiled clothes and
dust-begrimed face. For convenience
sake we viii give the man a name-We
Will call him Luke Preston-though
that is matter of little consequence
as regards the adventures OF his green
back The first thing he did was to
call at Skettle's grocery on hS way
home and nav his weeks bill. This
amounted to three dollars and forty
cents. and handing over his ten-dollar
greenback he received six dollars and
sixty cents in change. Further along
he STONED at the meat market and set
tied up. paving out two dollars and ten
cents. having then remaining four dol
lars and fifty cents. With these two
debts off his mind he went home and
sat down to a good supper which one OF
the best of wives had prepared for hlm;
Lucy, didnbld Garland saw that wood
Iss. Wa hts vsife7s 1,sisaa-,
Then ~ go aroHnd and pay HIN
after supper.
at is so cold and stormy tonight /
wouldn't go out. He can probably just as
we'll wait until some time when you
mo" was Luke's reply. He has
earned the money and may want 1t. Ii
wouId be too bad to keep it from hlm-
All he has comes from little Jobs Ike
this, you know.
made his way through the driving snow
/ straight to the home of old Gariand.
Good evening, Mr.. Garland.
| thought 1 would step around and pay
you for saving that wood. It's dollar
/ l believe"
"Thank We, sir, thank ye, exclaimed
/ old Garland, while his wife looked ~
over her spectacles from pair OF sock
which she was darning. ''1es, sir, that
right. Much obleeged !"
''Not at all. It belongs to you;
eyes. yes You're right. But !
amt ali of them as looks at it in tha
way"
"Is that so? ?"
eyes: there's lots of little debt
| standin' out that I can't collect; an'
| there's Squire Clinch, in particular, n
had ten cord of wood in his yard, whic
7 took the sawin' Of 1 jest finished tn
lob Yesterday. and of course asked TO
nv nav. But he allowed that he''
been doin' me great favorlin giviI
me such big Job, and said I'd have
wait a week or two, as he was hard up.
Squire Clinch too hard up to pa
for his wood-sawing That sounds Ik
joke"
"'Tain't much of joke for me, for
need the money. 1 had to borrow thre
dollars Of John Brady the other day [
buv some coal with, and he ought to
paid. But I had only enough to get
little flour with tonight, and was woI
derin' how I'd put John off. Howsun
ever. I'll give him this dollar, and pc
baps he will wait for the rest. Wa
Going TO get pair of new boots, to,
These old things let most too much col
in when a man stands still all day say
! in wood. But I'll have to wait Il
Squire Clinch isn't so hard up.
Squire Cliuch doesn't act on Il
right principle" said Luke, turning.
90. AZ hope he will pay you beto
long. Good night.
'FGood night, and many thanks
On his way home Luke saw a ig
! across the way in the village printil
office. He crossed the street and
r tered.
Good evening, Mr.. Quill," " he SAT-
= snv time for your paper IS just out
4 believe, and L wish to pay for anoth
: six months ahead.
t "Ah, thank you, Luke; L wish.
t my subscribers acted on your plan.
Y "Don't they?" asked Luke.
: "No. indeed. You would be ST
q prised if 1 should mention the names
9 some of our most wealthy men who o
for from two to five years back.
c "Weil, hope that won't ever be ss
e of me. The rich ones, l suppose, TIN
, such small sums make no difference
r "There's where they are mlstakeI
replied Mr.. Quill. "The life of ira
.s is in these small sums. And a p(
q mans dollar is worth more than r.
a mans promise, any time; for mater
~ and labor cannot be obtained wlthC
s. money"
Before returning home Luke bout
some delicacies for Sunday dinner
weekly literary paper and his wlte's
s Iicious magazine. Besides, he gave
&c cents to little beggar girl, who h
"a ont a hand blue with cold from un,
ID the shreds of tattered shawl. WI
e he finally reached home his pocket-bC
" felt considerably lighter. but his C
n science was clear. OF the II
ne over two dollars which he had left
Id laid aside two dollars to deposit in
s: s; savings bank, where there was aires
! IL ouite respectable sum TO his cree
| Meanwhile the various divisions
n, his ten dollar greenback, now seattle
al about in different hands, began
on chuckIe. They said, with one vol
Is "This is what 1 like. I'll see someth
at of the world, and in all probability
:, !. some good" -,
i'll Let us see how it was. The th
o. dollars and forty cents which he
left at Skettle's grocery weni 10 =
Inn make up the quarterly rent winch 81
lat tie owed. and which was due mat '
night, He paid it to Mr.. Balcslm, W