News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-08-27
THE COUNTERFEITERS.
BY NJ. CARRIE HYDE.

OihJ COioilIdl settlement. There Is
a legend which tells of a school-mas.
ter, who, reaching the little hamlet,
toot-worn and weary after an un-
avaIllng search for place i'm which
to open his school, exclaimed. "Eu-
reka! | have found It'll" as he saw
before him a brick school-house, new
ly built and teacherless. Since then
the small settlement, which had a
small school house before it had a
name, has been known as Eureky,
and bricks from the original school
house, in proof of this christening.
are carefully preserved. One June
day in the Revolutionary times a
niddle-a3ed man plodded along the
Crown Point road, which ran through
Eureky on its stony way across the
Green Mountains to Bennington, the
chief high road from New England
coast to the State of New York. He
was short and sturdy and carried un-
der one arm an iron box, secured by
a paddock. AS a numbering ox-team
or whistling wood-chopper passed
him on their way home from n long
days work, he pulled his hat well
down about his face, better to hide
his beetling brow and deep set eyes.
Coming at length to narrow by
path he struck off to the left of the
Crown Point road and reaching n
broad faced, well built house he look
ed sharply about and finding that he
was unobserved, tapped upon the
window pane.
"Hallo! McAndrew, is that you?"
called subdued voice from within.
"Black River" answered McAndrew
giving private countersing and the
door was opened.
Although the rumble of thunder
was in the air, a huge fire blazed in
the mammoth fireplace Of the room
which McAndrew entered, and it was
evident from the appearance of the
two unkempt men present that they
were engaged in some nefarious occu-
patton. Their voices were lowered
and they moved noiselessly in their
stocking feet from the fireplace to the
table, filling coin molds with smelted
metal.
"How much of it did you use at
CharlestOwn?' asked one of the men,
lifting McAndrew's box and shaking
it gently.
"a little is left," answered Mean
drew. But tomorrow will be our
day, for Stark goes through here on
his way to Bennington. and we will
treat his soldiers to their fill with our
illegal tender"
For few hours all three worked
like bees, smelling, molding and
stamping their bogus coin. Then
they dropped it, still warm, into Me-
Andrews box, and placed it for safe
Keeping in a cave dug in the bank
just back of the house.
This accomplished to theirsatisfac-
ton, they returned to the house,
threw wide the outside door in order
TO cool the rooms below, while they
went upstairs TO examine the trpas-
ure hidden there. Pushing back a
secret panel in the wall, they stepped
into a small, closely boarded room,
and opening a wooden box looked in.
"Those pesky rats have been at
work again." exclaimed one Of the
men, taking out a handful of nibbled
money.
"Let me see it," said McAndrew,
and cleaning among the bits he col
lected a quantity of counterfeit scrip,
which he distributed equally among
them.
Remember, lads" he said, "no
paper goes for less than three York
shillings; there's a deal of work in
making this" and he gathered up
and fondly looked at his share.
This paper currency was shorter
and narrower than the greenback of
to-day and had upon its face a pic
ture of an indian guiding his frail
canoe down a reckless stream, illus
trating the motto, Pass me along
printed below it. Many of the good
people of Eureky were not as ignor-
ant as they seemed of the counter
feiters plant in their midst, but in
those troublesome times twas deem
ed the better part of valor to leave
them undisturbed.
Patty Lockwood the hardy daugh-
ter of a pioneer race in which the
women were as fearless as the men,
had been watching long past mid
night with a sick neighbor (neighbors
were then far apart) and regardless
of flashing clouds and heavy thunder
had already gone half a mile on her
return home when the storm broke
into frenzy of wind and rain. Be
fore herwas the ecounterfeiters' house.
The door was still open, throwing an
alluring steam of light far into the
storm-beaten pathway and Patty
stepped inside for shelter without any
hesitation.
The counterfeiters, still upstairs,
had grown merry over the contents
of brown Jug, also kept in the panel
room and had become so ungarded
in the fancied security of the late hour
that Patty's quick ear caught the
words, "Here's to our good luck.
Another voice sang jovially:
Our money bright
Buys rum Mt night
For the weary soldier boy;
For what cares he,
Or what care We,
If it is all alloy.
And the others Joined in the chorus:
From daylight till dark
Wen cheat old Stark,
Yankee Doodle Do.
Hark! cried McAndrew, as Patty
ran out into the night, slamming the
door after her, what was that?
Only the wind shutting the door,
answered the soloist, you needn't turn
pale.
Hu-sh-sh! said the third, as they
went down stairs on tip-to.
The jingle ran so presistently in
Pattys mind that it disturbed the
hours for rest still left to her upon
reaching home. She was glad of the
first rays of morning light, showing
that it was time to dress and drive
home the COWS for their early milking.
From daylight till dark
Wen cheat old Stark,
she hummed, alternately with "coo
moody, coo mooly," as she climbed
the hills to the waiting cows and let
down the bars to their pasture.
"Coo moody, coo moody" she called
again; but they did not seem willing
to come, and, following the direction
of their raised heads, she saw "a large
troop of soldiers coming along the
road under the leadership OF General
Stark, on IN early march to Benning-
ton. Never had Patty seen so many
people at once. Standing one side as
they passed she stared hard at them
and at the heavy cannon dragged in
the rear.
General Stark was an entire strang-
er. for he had twice taken meal