The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-03-26
TWO GREENBACKs.

W. UhEEN NBAGhS.
One led a useless life, and was guilty
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 /:
yet how people bow to them, and strive
to get them, and submit to their power
The two particular greenbacks, the
adventures Of which it is the purpose of
this story to relate, were each of the
denomination of $40. One was bright
new one, and was one of q thick pile
that lay in the desk of a fat old fraud
in the shape of a wealthy citizen, whose
small eyes sparkled cOmplacently as he
contemplated his hoard, and whose
false tongue pleaded poverty in reply
to requests for the payment of honest
debts. That gTeenback's life was very
monotonous one. If it had had
tongue to speak it would have lifted up
its voice in loud protest at being penned
up in such a 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 No. 2 was a creature of
more fortuitous circumstances. 1t was
not so crisp and clean as the one that
was kept in confinement, but its scars
were honorable ones, won in q life of
activity and hard service. We first be-
hold it passing over the black-walnu
desk of a large manufacturing estab-
lishment into the hands of an honest
looking man with soiled clothes and a
dust-begrimed face. For convenience
sake we will give the man q name-we
will call him Luke Preston-though
that is a 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 his way
home and pay 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 stopped at the meat market and set
tied up, paying 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 him.
"Lucy, did old Garland saw that wood
this afternoon ?" he asked.
"Yes," was his wife's reply.
"Then I'll go around and pay him
after supper.
cit is SO cold and stormy tonight
wouldn't go out. He can probably just as
well wait until some time when you
happen TO see him.
"No," was Luke's reply. "He has
earned the money and may want 1t. 1t
would be too bad to keep it from him.
All he has comes from little jobs like
this. you know"
And after the meal was finished Luke
made his way through the driving snow
straight to the home of old Garland.
"Good evening, Mr.. Garland. 1
thought 1 would step around and pay
you for saving that wood. It's dollar,
/ believe"
"Thank ye, sir, thank ye, exclaimed
old Garland, while his wife looked up
over her spectacles from pair of socks
which she was darniDg. eyes, sir, that's
right. Much obleeged !"
'' Not at all. It belongs to you."
eyes, yes. You're right. But it
amt all of them as looks at it in that
way"
lis that so ?"
eyes there's lots of little debts
standin' out that I can't collect; aud
there's Squire Clinch, in particular, as
had ten cord of wood in his yard, which
1 took the sawin' of. jest finished the
Job yesterday. and of course asked for
my pay. But he allowed that he'd
been doin' me great favorlin givin'
me such big job, and said I'd have to
wait week or two, as he was hard up.
esquire Clinoh too hard up to pay
for his wood-sawing That sounds like
a Joke"
'"'Tain't much of a joke for me, for I
need the money. I had to borrow three
dollars of John Brady the other day to
buy some coal with, and he ought to be
paid But had only enough TO get a
little flour with tonight, and was won
derin' how I'd put John of. Howsum-
ever, I'll give him this dollar, and per-
haps he will wait for the rest. I was
going to get pair of new boots, too.
in when a man stands still all day saw
in wood. But I'll have to wait till
Squire Clinch isn't so hard up"
esquire Clinch doesn't act on the
right principle, said Luke, turning to
go. al hope he will pay you before
long. Good night.
"Good night, and many thanks to
you"
On his way home Luke saw light
across the way in the village printing
office. He crossed the street and en-
tered.
"Good evening, Mr.. Quill, " he said
"my time for your paper is just out,
believe, and wish to pay for another
six months ahead.
"Ah, thank you, Luke; I wish all
my subscribers acted on your plan"
"DOn't they?" asked Luke.
"No, indeed. You would be sur
prised if / shonld mention the names of
r
for from two to five years back.
s'WeIl, hope that won't ever be said
of me. The rich ones, / suppose, think
such small sums make no difference"
"There's where they are mistaken"
replied Mr. Quill "The life of trade
is in these small sums. And a poor
mans dollar is worth more than q rich
mans promise, any time: for material
and labor cannot be obtained without
money"
Before returning home Luke bought
some delicacies for a Sunday dinuer,
weekly literary paper and his wife's re-
hgious magazine. Besides, he gave ten
cents to little beggar girl, who held
out hand blue with cold from under
the shreds of tattered shawl. When
he finally reached home his pocket-book
felt considerably lighter. but his con-
science was clear. or the tfifle
over two dollars which he had left he
laid aside two dollars to deposit in the
savings bank, where there was already
quite respectable sum to his credit.
Meanwhile the various divisions of
his ten dollar greenbaek, now scattered
about in different hands, began to
ehuekle. They said, with one voice
" This is what like. I'll see something
OF the world, and in all probability do
some good"
Let US see how it was. The three
dollars and forty cents which he had
left at Skettle'a grocery went 10 help
make up the quarterly rent which Skes-
tie owed, and which was due that very