Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-06-21
A SILVER DOLLAR.
BY ARTHUR C. GRIssoM.

- anu IN - pitiSSOh.
The Green Mountains were beautiful
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 shrubberv,
afforded a contrast as novel as it was
beautiful.
AT the foot of the mountains, peaceful
and picturesque lay the village of Mead
owvale, which was like many towns of
rural New England. The place possessed
no distinguishing characteristic; it was
one Of the sleepy old haunts that abound
IN the Vermont hills, with no claims to
fame, no ambition, no distinction but ex-
lstence. Not startling event marked
its municipal record, and its progress
for score of years could be told in a
breath
Climbing upward from the village to-
ward solitary and dilapidated little hut
which hung on the mountain-side, was
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
tattered.
But his eyes were bright and his ex
preston showed spirit of honesty and
resolution.
The path was steep and rugged, and
presently the boy paused for breath. He
seated himself on convenient rock, and
gazed with melancholy air down upon
the village.
All the region was silent. 1t was
early morning, and not yet time for the
sound of the woodchopper's axe to echo
through the mountains. Volumes of
white-fringed smoke rose hesitatingly
from the chimneys of the little weather
worn dwellings, and vanished in the
hungry atmosphere. Far down wide,
irregular street, almost at the end, he
could discern his own humble home.
dearly beloved, for he had never known
a better.
From one of his patched pockets the
/ boy drew half-dozen old coins, of al
most no intrinsic value, and began to
/ jingle them in his hand. The sound
was pleasant to him. 1t was not often
/ that he heard money rattle, aud although
these pieces were practically valueless,
| they were his own, and as they ratified
musically he could imagine them gold.
He really priced them highly, not for
what they would purchase-that was
little, indeed-but for their age and
/ their peculiar character
/ Two or three weeks before some Bos-
ton dealer in old and rare coins, having
| somehow secured his name and address,
had sent him a catalogue with descriE-
tions and prices of ancient money pieces,
and it had interested him. Straightway
he had become a oin-collector. In the
bottom 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 in size-two or
three times as large as ordinary 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 collec-
ton. 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 collector after all.
As he ratified the copper and faneied
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 type-writing school in
the city and learn to be a typewriter,
and then get a position at twenty dollars
a month. She's been dreamin' of that
this long time-ever since she read that
piece in the paper, Then-then I'd
have new pair of shoes, sure's I'm a livin
boy. No secondhand shoes of Sam
Ragland's then"
This fine air castle was suddenly dashed
to ruins by the sound of approaching
/ footsteps, and, turning around, he be-
held boy of about his own age, but
heavier and warmly dressed, coming
down the steep path.
The newcomer carried a gun on his
shoulder, and wore belt of cartridges
about his waist. At his heels trotted a
dog, big, shaggy fellow, that GER
teinly had no claim 20 beauty. The an
mai resembled his master in this respect,
for the latter had coarse, unpleasant
features and an awkward body.
"Hullo, Henley" said the young
sportsman, famiiarly. "You seem to
have lots of money this morning. l
heard the chink of your coins way up
yondcr?"
Harry Henley smiled family. ",ot
very much money" he said shortly.
"Has old Miser Brown paid you off,"
''Not yet, was the reply I'm on my
way up now to finish the job, and then
he'll pay me, l suppose. I'll get through
j about noon, l guess. These are some old
copper cents mother gave me"
/ ACb ihG AObh at tlls Sitti tIt Otn6ls
He leaned his gun against the rock
where Harry was, and sat down on a
! rock near by.
g tramped up the mountain to find
something to shoot, but l haven't seen a
cottontail this morning." he remarked
This afternoon I'm goin' over to Car
ter's Pond; hear there's a lot o ducks
over there"
He took the coins in his hand and
/ glanced over them carelessly.
"All copper cents, amt theyi" said
he.
II wish one of EN- was dated 1898,
/ Sam, exclaimed Harry.
"WhyF
"It'd be worth two dollars There's a
premium on coppers of that date, be-
cause they're made different from Others
| and are scarce.
'sWho'll pay two dollars for one, I'd
| like to knowl"
"There's man in Boston that would