Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1890-07-11
a SILVER DOLLAR.


full in a garb of perfect white, their
huge, conical forms strongly outlined
against the dun winter sky. The
snow lines limit was abruptly marked
a thousand feet above the level, and
the dark earth below, with its bleak,
brown shrubbery, afforded contrast
as novel as it was beautiful.
At the feet of the mountains, peace
full and picturesque lay the village OF
Meadowvale, which was like many
towns of rural New England. The
place possessed no distinguished char
acteristic; it was one of the sleepy old
haunts that abound in the Vermont
hills, with no claims to fame, no am
bition. no distinction but existence.
Not a startling event marked its mu-
nicipal record, and its progress for a
score of years could be told in a
breath.
Climbing upward from the village
toward a solitary and dilapidated
little hut which hung on the noun
tain side, was u slender, wan-faced
boy, poorly clad for that season of
the year. Through his ragged shoes
his worn stockings could be seen, his
hands lacked mittens, and his jacket
and pantaloons were thin and latter
ed.
But his eyes were bright and his ex-
preston showed a spirit of honesty
and resolution.
The path was steep and rugged,
and presently the boy paused for
breath. He seated himself on con
venient rock, and gazed with mel
ancholy air down upon the vii
lage.
All the region was silent. 1t was
early morning, and not yet time for
the sound of the Wood-chopper' axe
to echo through the mountains.
Volumes of white-fringed smoke rose
hesitatingly from the chimneys Of the
little weatherworn dwellings, and
vanished in the hungry atmosphere.
Far down a wide irregular street,
almost at the end, he could discern
his own humble home, dearly beloved
for he had never known a bet
! ter
From one of his patched pockets
the boy drew a half-dozen old coins,
of almost no intrinsic value, and be-
gan to Jingle them in his hand. The
sound was pleasant to him. 1t was
not often that he heard money rattle
and although these pieces were
practically valueless, they were his
own, and rs they ratified musically he
could imagine them gold. He really
priced them highly, not for what they
would purchase-that was little, in
deed-but for their age and their
peculiar character.
Two or three weeks before some
| Boston dealer in old and rare coins,
| having somehow secured his name
and address, had sent him a cata-
logue with descriptions and prices of
ancient money pieces, and 1t had in
terested him. Straightway he had
! become a coin. collector. In the bot
tom of one of the old bureau drawers
where his mother kept odds and ends
| he remembered TO have seen some
curious old copper cents, large i'll size
two or three times as large as or
dinary cent pieces. Eagerly he went
to learn their dates, but none Of them
was quoted at any price.
These old coppers his mother had
saved as relics of her girlhood, since
! they had been the first money she
had ever owned, and now being
given to him, they served to establish
the foundation of his collection. But
just there his collecting stopped. He
had no money to pay for other coins,
nor did he know of any one who had
coins TO exchange. So he was not
much of d collector after all.
As he ratified the copper and fan
cied it gold, he began to think what he
would do with so much money, and
the shadow on his face lighted and
his eyes danced.
Medicine for mother that would
make her well right away that the
first thing" he soliloquized. Then
Mary should go to that typewriter
and then get a position at twenty
dollars a month. She's been q
dreamin of that this long time-evel
since she read that piece in the paper
Then-then I'd have a new pair oi
shoes, sure's I'm livin' boy. No
second hand shoes of Sam Ragland':
then"
This fine air-castle was suddenly
dashed to ruins by the sound of ap
preaching footsteps. and, turning
around, he beheld boy of abou
his own age, but heavier and warmly
dressed, coming down the steel
path.
The newcomer carried gun OIL
his shoulder, and wore belt OF car
tridges about his waist. At his heel
trotted dog, big, shaggy fellow
that certainly had no claim to beauty
Tie animal resembled his master il
this respect, features and an awkward
body.
"Hullo, HenleyI' said the younl
sportsman, familiarly. "You seem t.
have lots of money this morning.
heard the chink of your coins wa.
up yonderf''
Harry Henley smiled faintIy. mo
very much money" he said short