The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1902-01-08
PELTS AS CURRENCY
MlNkS AND Offers WE'RE LIKE UNTO
GOVERNMENT soNDs.

inc D"SS "heh MoskFnts ana Coons
and Foxes md wolves and Bear.
Were the Peoples Money, So TO
Speak. In New York State.
The man of leisure from New York
city who had been lazing away
fortnight or so Of his not particularly
valuable time at Kyscrick, in Ulster
county, N. Y, had made up his mind
to return to his haunts in the metropo-
lis and nonchalantly tossed the tavern
keeper n one hundred dollar note out
of which to take pay for his bill. The
landlord could not change the note.
Neither could Deacon Bllmber, who
was by.
1t was not until II had been sent all
about the neighborhood that any one
was found with currency enough on
hand TO 'break" the bill. Farmer
Beacks had just received pay for his
seasons tater crop and had change for
more than 500.
at beats all, an it's singular" said
the landlord as he counted out the New
Workers. change, "what folks goes an
does with all their ready money. There
don't seem TO be no curr, Ily no more
no currency a-clrculatin' at ALL"
This seemed to be Deacon Blimber's
opportunity.
you orto ben here. then" said he,
"when my folks settled, somethin' like
seventy-five years an more ago. There
was currency enough then. l want to
tell ye. 1t want silver. though. Nor
it want gold. Nor it want paper. 1t
was pelts.
'The circ'latln mejum o. the deestric
in them days run from muskrat clean
up TO bar. There was minks an there
was otters, an the man that could
manage to harvest plenty O. them crit
ters was the man that stood way up
in the money market. But il want ev-
cry one that could gether in minks an
otters, an so muskrats an cooDs an
foxes an wolves an bars was the real
circ'latin' mejum in them days.
"Minks an otters was what you
mowt call government bonds Muskrats
an coons an foxes an wolves an bars
was the peoples money, so to speak.
If you went to the tavern an planked
down your muskrat skin. you'd git your
snifter O rum and tanzy. but you
wouldn't git no change. If you planked
down n coonskin, though, you'd git
your snifter an two muskrat skins
change.
"a feller that went IN with n coon.
skin he was tol'able well fixed, but
with a foxskin or n wolfskip he could
shop around quite some. a man with
n barskin-oh, WE'LL Nobody didn't ask
no questions about a man that had a
b'arskin with him when he went trad
in!
at didn't seem pertic'lar queer In
them days the way things was run on
that pelt currency, but I've an idee it'd
strike folks n leetle sing'lar~ nowadays.
Pears to me I'd have TO snort out
laughin' my own self If a feller should
come to me an say:
"'Deacon. I'm leetle financially en-
barrassed today. Ken you lend me a
foxskin for a couple O days or sor
"That surely would make me snicker
II | heerd 1t now. An TO hear some
shoppin' goln' on today like | use to
hear 1t many a time | bet would set
me TO ggglin' like all possessed. some
thin like this, fer instance, over yender
to Uncle Slle's store:
"'How much fer them air cowskln
boots, Uncle Siler
"Them? Why fox an COON
"'Leetle high, Silas. Can't stan It
Give you three coons fer EN-
"'No. Can't be did nohow. Best l
ken do is three coons an a muskrat.'
"That'd be funnier to me than mig
ger show now. An somethin' like this
would bust my buttons, ] know 1t
would:
Deacon, ken you give me change
fer WOLFF
"'Yes. but I'll have to give you all
muskrats.'
"But we didn't think nothin' o. 1t In
them days, cause it was reg'lar busi-
ness That circlntin' mejum was lee
tie onhandy in one way. though. Folks
had to carry their currency around In
a bushel bag II they was out to do
much cash business, an If they was
b'arskin men, why, Judas preachin',
they had to carry 1t in n wagon.
"But them days O. pelt currency was
the good old days, tell you. STILL" said
the deacon after pause. 81 dunno but
ken manage TO slide along jest as
cheerful In these days o. gold an silver
an paper currency. even though 1t Is
all pervadin skeerce." - New York
Times.