The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-05-29


Carpenter Bailey for some repairs done on
her little cottage. Bailey settled up his
coal bill, the coal merchant paid one of
his teamsters, the teamster walked straight
to the butcher shop and paid for his week S
meat and tho butcher put the money with
another pile and paid it to the farmer for
good fat COW. And what did the farmer
do? Why he went and bought wagon
at the factory that had paid the ten dollar
bill to Luke Preston over its black walnut
desk.
And the dollar that went to old Gar
land? He did as he told Luke he should
paid it to John Brady as part of the
borrowed sum. John Brady said he had
need of the whole amount, but would get
along as best he could. OF this dollar fifty
cents went for provisions, and the other
fifty to poor old cobbler for mending
Johnny's shoes. This had to be expended
at the hardware store to replace broken
awl, and the hardware man paid it to a
boy for shoyeling snow off the sidewalk
The boy ran home in exultation to his
rheumatic mother to inform her of his
good luck.
And the dollar that went to Editor
Quill he sent to his "devil," from whose
hands it went to a poor woman who made
him coat, and who held body and soul
together by the earnings of her needle.
The beggar girl to whom Luke had given
ten cen cents bought loaf OF bread, thus
allaying the pangs of hunger that were
torturing half dozen brothers and Sis
ters.
And the thirty odd cents expended at
the newsroom went into 4 box of small
change, which was subsequently counted
over and pinned in neat packages of one
dollar each and sent to the News Company
whore the supplies of papers and maga-
zines came from. These small sums, from
five to forty cents, enabled the dealer to
maintain his little stand, and greatly to
the convenience of those who depended Oh
it for their periodical supplies of reading
matter.
The two dollars remaining Luke depos-
tied, as has been mentioned before, in the
savings bank.
''Ah, ha ~ eXclaims some surly, short
sighted reader who begin to see the point
of this sketch, % so Luke boards up mon
ey too. Isn't it just as bad in proportion
for him to consign his two dollars to idle
ness, as for the fat old fraud to keep his
money so close'
But pause and consider for moment
The savings bank pays Luke five per cent.
interest on his deposits, and how could it
do that if the money lay idle in its vaults !?
No, such is not the case. The savings
bank took Luke's money and put it with
that of a few other depositors and lent
it to well-tOdo farmer who wished to
make some improvements in the way of
building fences and barns, and purchasing
choice breeds of stock. The farmer laid
out the money to good advantage, and
paid the bank seven per cent. interest, the
extra two per cent. going to defray the
running expenses of the institution, and
affording its stockholders small divi-
dend.
Now, about the time the farmer was
ready to begin his improvement, business
was slack in the establishment where Luke
worked, ana there was a prospect of his
being thrown out of employment for a
month or moro. But he Glanced to learn
that the farmer required some labor that
was in his line, and straighsway entered
into an engagement with him. And so the
money he had put into the savings bank
was loaned to the farmer and by him paid
into Luke's hands again and Luke receiv-
ing interest on it all the time.
And now we must leave Luke Prestons s
greenback to its fate. We have of comse
related only tithe of its entire history,
but we have seen it fairly launched on the
tide of life, and the prospect is that its
career will continue to be busy one.
Now let us take look at the idle green
back that lay in the desk of the cold fat
fraud" This individual was no other than
the same Squire Clinch that had refused
to pay old Garland for saving wood If he
had paid his debt promptly, Garland could
have paid Brady in full and on time, and
bought the boots he SO much needed. AS
it was he had to go without the boots, and
in consequence his feet were severely frost
bitten while on a bitter cold day he was
engaged in saving wood. This was a
great misfortune, for he was disabled ex-
cept to limited extent, from following his
usual occupation, and forced idleness
brought with it winter of hardship and
dependence on charity. --
But the ten dollar greenback, along with
its fellows, lay in Squire Clinch's desk for
some time. The Squire had in tow grand
stroke of business. He held mortgage
on certain piece of valuable property,
whose owner was embarrassedin his tinan-
cial matters. The mortgage would soon
become due, ard then he meant to offer to
buy the property at a price far below its
real value, and in the event of his victims
refusing to come to his terms, to threaten
instant foreclosure. With this transaction
in view (and he always had some similar
schemes ahead he kept his cash in readi-
ness in his own private desk, preferring
not to deposit in bank, as the times are
rather ''panicky," and the tighter and
scarcer money was the more the Squire
thriyed. He was a cautious, safe man