St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-09-07

crisis ON cow ISLAND.
reyyibIe Times When Old Man Hufchins
suspended Payment.


,otes a newspaper. He did not SUBJ
sor;be for it in a rash, unthinking
manner. but calmly, and because he
a i the need of it. This was in 1867.
He chose the Boston Telegraph be-
cause it was a steady-going, conser-
yative paper, and he has stuck to it.
He does not get the daily, of course,
hut the weekly edition which costs
one dollar year.
The Telegraph continued to be
steadv-going and conservative until
1887 when it got into financial diff
6culties and the management chang
ed A lawyer named Ananias W.
Shvster-or if that ISM his name, it
6ts him like a hemp collar-obtained
control, temporarily, and he got out
such paper as | would have said
that nobody but himself was bad
enough to read. But the subscriber
IN Cow island did not notice the
difference. Again the management
changed, and cultured gentleman
took charge. He made the paper so
literary" that even in Boston it
was but dimly understood. Yet Lem
Hutchins, of Cow island, read it
without a dictionary. The literary
epoch was succeeded by wild sensa-
tionalism. Get murder to lead the
paper ifyou have to kill subscriber"
said the new chief to the managing
editor, and it was done. But Uncle
Lem Hutchins thought it was the
same old Telegraph. The world had
grown wicked, that was all and he
had always said it would.
In the early part of this month the
managing editor of the Telegraph or
dered an article on the financial stu
alton. "And make it red hot" he
added. The young man who pre-
pared the article was working for
twelve dollars week, and he was
thus naturally disposed to take
somber and hopeless view of all
monetary questions. He wrote from
the heart; and it was almost no
trouble at all for him to cipher out
general bankruptcy. The article
went into the weekly and eventually
reached the subscriber on Cow ISL
and.
Old man Hutchins never doubted
anything that he saw in the Tele-
graph. He was doubly bound to
credit this particular article because
it boded disaster. Cow island is off
the main coast, and things havegone
wrong for so long down there that
the people believe calamity to be the
general rule ofnature.
"Bjinks, mother" said he to his
wife, after perusing the scare story
in the Telegraph, money seems to
be mighty skerse, jes' now. They
amt got none, even up in Boston"
What seems to be the trouble,
Lemuel ?" inquired the old lady.
wall, as near as l can find out,
the folks that have any money are
hangin' onto it,"
You can't blame EN- for that, I'm
sure" rejoined the prudent house
wife. Its what I've alters tried to
talk to you. How much did yeget to-
day for your fish over to Swans ISL
and ?"
Seven dollars an fifty-two cents"
What we goin' to do with it ~
wall, l was thinkin' some O pay
in what we owe down to the store"
How much is it ?"
Old man Hutchins got out diary
the covers of which had been bought
during the war. The interiors of
such diaries can be obtained separate
ly, thus saving half the cost of new
book. Some thoughtful Yankee de-
vised this scheme long time ago,
and doubtless got rich on it. Mrs.
Hutchins always gave her husband
the "6llin" for his diary as Christ
mas present.
ITS three dollars an eight cents"
he replied to his wife's question. He
shut the book with an air of deep
consideration. "An' | guess I'll
hang onto it, he added, "till we get
next weeks papers, anyhow. Then
we can see how things is goin'.
Moneys skerse enough here, that I'll
swear to. III bet there amt fifteen
dollars O. ready cash on Cow island"
Hutchins went down to the store
on the following morning to get
some over-ripe clans for trolling
bait.
Chalk 'em up" said he.
John Collins, the storekeeper, took
little canvas bag out of his pocket
and emptied it on the counter. He
then counted the coins which it had
contained in pleading and pathet-
ic manner. The total was $1.92.
Old man Hutchins was unmoved by
this mute appeal.
Pm sort O. hopin', Uncle Lem
said Collins, in an apologize tone,
that we might gi' me somethin' to-
day."
Cant do it, John" replied the
capitalist of Cow island. Moneys
tight-tighter'n it's ever been afore'
was readin about it in the paper
last night. Banks breakin' all over
the country and folks sendin' gold to
Europe to keep it out O. the reach O.