Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-02-11
CHAPTER v.
The Great Stranger


me with a joy which mostly went
away with them, l regret to say. None
of these, however, appealed to my
imagination as did old Kate. But
there was one stranger greater than
she-greater indeed. than any other
who came into RattlerOad. He came
rarely and would not be long detained.
How curiOusly we looked at him,
knowing his fame and power! Ih1s
great stranger was Money.
1 shall never forget the day that
my uncle showed me a dollar DILL and
a little shiny, gold coin and three
pieces of silver. IOr can I forget how
carefully he watched them while
they lay in my hanGs and presently
put them back into his wallet. That
was long before che time of which
am writing. remember hearing him
say, one dag of that year, when l
asked him to take US to the Caravan
of Wild Beasts which was coming to
the village:
''Tsm sorry, but it's been hundred
Sundays since l had a dollar in my
wallet for more than ten minutes.
l have his old account book for
the years of 1887 and 1888. Here are
some of the entries:
BALANCED accounts with. ]. Doro-
thy and gave him my note for SID
to be paid in salts January 1, 1888.
Sold ten bushels of wheat to E. Miner
at so cents, to be paid in goods.
"Sold two sheep TO Flavius Curtis
and took his note for Sc, payable in
boots on or before March the first"
Only one entry in more than
hundred mention money, and this was
the sum of eleven cents received in
balance from a neighbOr.
So It will be seen that spirit OF
mutual accommodation served TO
help US over the rough going. MIR.
Grlmshaw, however, demanded his
pay in cash and that l find was main
ly the habit of the money-lenders.
We were poor but our poverty was
not like that of these days in which
I am writing. 1t was proud and
Clearly and well-fed. Our fathers
had seen heroic service in the wars
and we knew it.
l was twelve years old when l be-
gan to be the reader for our little
family. Aunt Deel had long COM
planned that she couldn't keep up with
her knitting and read so much. We
had not seen Mr.. Wright for nearly
two years, but he had sent us the
novels of Sir Walter Scott and i had
led them heart deep into the creed
battles of Old Mortality.
Then came the evil days of 1887,
when the story of our lives began to
quicken its pace and excite our inter-
est in its coming chapters. 1t gave
us enough to think of. God knows.
Wild specuIations in land and the
American paper-money system had
brought us into rough going. The
banks of the city of New York had
suspended payment of their notes.
They could no longer meet their en-
gagements. As usual, the burden fell
heaviest on the poor. 1t was hard to
get money even for black salts.
Uncle Peabody had been silent and
depressed for month or more. He
had signed note for Rodney Barnes,
a cousin. long before and was afraid
that he would have to pay it. didn't
know what note was and l remem-
Der that one night. when l lay think
ing about il, / decided that it must
be something in the nature of horse
collie. My uncle told me that note
was trouble which attacked the
brain instead of the stomach.
One autumn day in Canton Uncle
Peabody traded three sheep and twen-
ty bushels of wheat for cook stove
and brought 1t home in the big wagon.
Rodney Barnes came with him to help
set I'D the stove. He was big giant
of a man with the longest nose in the
township. l have often wondered how
any one would solve the problem of
kissing Mr.. Barnes in the immediate
region of his nose, the same being in
the nature of a defense.
That evening 1 was chiefly inter
ested I'm the stove What joy Ii
WAS to me with its damper and grid
dies and high oven and the shiny edge
ON its hearth 1t rivaled, in its nov
eIty and charm, any tin peddler's cart
thar ever came to our door. John
Axteu and his wife, who had seen it
pass their house. hurried over for a
look 1T it. Every hand was on the
stove rs we tenderly carried ii into
the house, piece by piece, and set ii
I'D. Then they cut a hole in the up
Der floor .and the stone chimney and
fitted the pipe. How keenly we
watched the building OF the fire. How
quickly it roared and began TO heat
the room!
When the AxteIIs had gone away
Aunt Deel said:
IT'S grand 1t is sartin-but I'm
fraid we can't afford lt-ayes be I"
I'VE can't afford to freeze any
longer 1 made up my mind that We
couldn't go through another winter
as we have was my uncie's answer.
aHow much did it costT' she asked.
Not much difrer'nt from thirty
four dollars in sheep and grain" he
answered
Rodney Barnes stayed 10 supper
and spent a part of the evening with
us
Like other settlers there, Mr..
Barnes was cheerful optimist. Every
thing looked good to him until II
rurned out hadsy.