The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-09-15
THE NICKEL's STORY.

and ! was proud of my rich home;
but word came that l was wanted in
the small trade, and 1 was shipped
off to a country town. There 1 fell
into the hands of a man going to
large city. When he arrived at the
city he called small boy, and told
him that he would give me to him if
the small boy would carry his valise
across the street. The small boy
stiffened up, and, with leer, said:
"Hey what dye take me for? I
don't carry no valise for no OF
nickel"
Before recovered from the shock
a man with torn coat, frayed
trousers and badly-torn shoes told
the gentleman that he would carry
his valise. Now, thought, can
do some good to the poor. The poor
man took me and straightway went,
not to bakery, but to a saloon, and
bought some nasty smelling stuff,
which he carried away in a can.
Maybe he intended to carry it home
to wash the bedsteads, so that he and
his poor children would not be both
cred so much in their sleep at night.
I was put in drawer with many
other nickels, all of whom said that
they had been brought there and ex-
changed for the same kind of bed
wash, or for rolls of tobacco that
must have been rotten, for the people
Immediately set fire to it and it burn
ed with horrible smell.
When I got out of that disagreed
BILE place was given to a street-car
man, who took me to the company's
Office, where I was thrown upon a
pile of nickels that a boy was wrap
ping up in equal-sized packages.
The boy began to curse us, and
wonder why nickels were ever made
to be such bother to him. After
that little girl got possession of me,
and went right off to the candy store
and bought gum with me. She said
she did it because the gum would
last longer than candy, and she
could get only little bit of good
candy anyhow for a nickel. She
thought her mamma was real mean
to give her only nickel.
Then a man took me home and
gave me to the baby, who came near
swallowing me. The baby's mother
put me in the baby's bank, but the
next day she shook me out of it with
some other coins and took us to a
bargain counter, where she paid two
prices for something she did not need,
but her neighbor, Mrs. Somebody,
told her it was just lovely and every
body who was anybody was using it.
1t seemed that was of very little
account anywhere. had lost the
great opinion I had had of myself,
and with it almost all my hopes Of
ever giving pleasure to any one,
when one day l found myself in the
pocket of great man. There were
silver coins and gold pieces and a.
snug roll. of bills with me, and at last
felt that / had found my proper
place. The great man wore fine
clothes, and he had richly-furnish-
ed house and a downtown Office.
He always gave ten cents for his
cigars, and when he treated a friend
he called for a Scotch high-ball and
smoke for two. In paying he
would peel off bill from the roll,
and give portion of the change to
the polite waiter who served them in
the little private apartment of the
White House Exchange. He gave
a dime to the bootblack, and another
to the colored man who brushed off
his coat and hat at the barber shop.
The great man was prominent
citizen, and I found out that he was
a Christian, for, when Sunday come,
he went to church. There was a
special collection announced for that
Sunday, and when the box was pass
ed around the great man fumbled in
his pocket and, singing me out from
among the more worthy coins, he put
me in the box as his tribute to his
God. Of course, felt proud, but
as the box passed along it came to a
poor woman who was plainly but
decently dressed. She opened a
slender and well-used, purse, and be-
tween her fingers, which were worn
and hardened by toll, could see
that her little store of money consis-
ted of a nickel and a quarter. I
could hear her sigh that she had so
little to give, but l was glad that I
would have the company of another
nickel, when, to my surprise, she
dropped the quarter in the box, ana
it fell right on top of me. I peeped
out from under the edge of the quar-
ter, and I saw that the great man
was not ashamed but was asham-
ed, and I was glad to lie there hid
den while I thought how time had
turned things around in this world,
and how some people ought to be in
some other people's place.