The Coconino weekly sun., 1893-11-23

mighty! an I'll hev the law on ye to- morrerl"
 But by .his time the sheriff had col- lected himself, and, with the aid of the landlord, succeeded in restoring rela- tions between the Old Settler and the Squire which, if not entirely amicable, were at least not noisy.
 "Shurff," said Che Old Settler, feeling in the glass for the lump of sugar, 'speakin' O confidence bein' all gone an the kentry feelin bad an circerla- tion bein' shrunk wuss'n dried eel skin, ye orter ben ln the Sugar Swamp deestric' durin' the hard times O '23, Them was times ye'd remember to yer dyin' day! The currency was-hut, fust along, mus tell ye that the cur rency in Sugar Swamp lii them days were leetle sing'lar. It want silver, an it want gold, an it want paper. It were belts, b'gosh! It run from mushrat clean up to bar Ina was minks an tha was otters, an man ca could git plenty O them were the man ez stood way up in the money market O the deestric'. But tha want every body ez could ketch minlxs an otters, an so mushrats an 'coons an foxes an wolfs an bars was the circerlatin' mejum O Sugar Swamp in them days. Minks an otters was gover' ment bonds. Mushrats an 'coons an foxes an wolfs an bars was the peoples money. If ye went to the tavern an planked down mushrat skin ye'd git yer snifter, but ye wouldn't git no change. If ye planl1ed down a 'coonskin ye'd git yer snifter an two mushrat skins change. When feller went in with 'coonskin he were torable well fixed, but he could do consid' able shoppin' with fox or wolfskin. A man with b'arslin--oh, jewhizz, shurff! A man with b'arskin nobody didn't ast no questions bout
 'It didn't seem p'tic'lar sin'glar then, but reckon it'd ruther make folks snicl1er nowadays the way things run on that pelt currency O Sugar Swamp. Wouldn't they kinder bust larfn' now if they'd hear feller come to me an say;
 "'Sile, I'm hard up ez Sam Hill. Kin ye lend me fox skin till to-morrcrT
 ''That'd tickle 'em, wouldn't it? An to hear folks shoppin' sumpin' like this'd set em gigglin', m bate farm: "'How much fer them boots, Caleb?' "'Fox an coon.'
 "'Too much. Give ye three coons fer 'em'
 |" Can't do it. Best kin do is three coons an mushrat'
 Then this here mowt strike folks nowadays ez sorter comic:
 "'Kin ye gimme change fer wolf?'
 "'Yes, but I'll hef to give ye all mushrats.'
 But we didn't think nuthin' bout it them days, cause it were reg'lar busi- ness. That circerlatin' mejum were leetle onhandy in one way, though. Ye had to carry yer money round in a bushel bag, if ye were gointer do much business, an if ye were a b'arskin man, gosht'lmighty! ye had to carry it in wagon.
 'Wull the fall O '2S bars holed up 'arly. The snow were so deep that foxes an wolfs didn't know were they was, an nobody couldn't find out. Mushrats was onstiddy, an coons was hidin' enough to make ground mole want to know their tricks Noar Tidfit had bought up ev'ry durn bit O cur rency tha were in the deestric', an had shipped it all outen the kentry. Con sekence were, ev'rybody were strapped. Folks was offerin' coonskin interest on the lendin' of mushrat fer a week, an no takers. Things looked blue. Tha want enough confidence in the