The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-01-30
CHAPTER v.
The Great Stranger

Some strangers came along the
road those days--hunters. peddlers
and the Ike-and their coming filed
me with a Joy which mostly went
away with them, 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 ut him,
showing his fame and power! This
great stranger was Money.
l shall never forget the day that
my uncle showed me dollar bill and
little shiny, gold coin and three
pieces of silver. nor can forget how
carefully he watched them while
they lay in my hands and presently
put them back into his wallet. That
was long before the time of which
am writing. I remember hearing him
say, one day Of that year, when /
asked him to take us to the Caravan
Of Wild Beasts which was coming to
the village:
'Tm sorry, but it's been a hundred
Sundays since 1 had dollar in my
syailet Tor n5fc ThE2 :~minutes." :
d I have his old account book for
the years Of 1887 and 1888. Here are
some of the entities:
Balanced accounts with J. Doro-
thy and gave hiTl my note for $2.15
TO be paid In salts January 1, 1888.
Sold ten bushels If wheat to e. Miner
at 90 cents, to be paid in goods.
"Sold two sheep to Flavius Curtis
and took his note for SO, payable in
Boots on or before March the first"
az Only one entry in more than a
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. Mr..
Grlmshaw, however, demanded his
pay in cash and that find was main
" the habit of the money-lenders.
We were poor but our poverty was
not like that of these days in which
am writing. It., was proud and
cleanly and well-fed. Our fathers
had seen heroic service In the wars
Ind we knew It
~ was twelve years old when be-
gan to be the reader for our little
family. Aunt Deel had long COM
pjained that she couldn't keep up with
her knitting and read so much. We
3bad not seen Mr.. Wright for nearly
ytwo, years, but he had sent us the
novels of Sir Walter Scott and had
led them heart deep into the creed
battles of Old Mortality.
AZ 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
as enough to think Of. God knows.
N Wild speculations in land and the
american paper-money system had
Wrought us into rough going. The
banks Of the city Of New York had
ks1spended payment of their notes.
rheyY could no longer meet their en-
sageHh ents. As usual, the burden fell
heavid est on the poor. 1t was hard to
get m oney even for black salts.
UNCLE Peabody had been silent and
depre2b sed for a month or more. He
had tgned a note for Rodney Barnes,
= couysin, long before and was afraid
mat he would have to pay It. didn't
know what note was and remem-
Der tjhat one night, when I lay think
ing Iabout 1t, decided that II must
be lsomething In the nature Of horse
col &c. My uncle told me that note
wab trouble which attacked the
braip instead of the stomach.
4 O4e autumn day in Canton Uncle
eabody traded three sheep and twen-
"a bushels Of wheat for cook stove
~ brought It home in the big wagon.
Kidney Barnes came with him to help
!. lpp the stove. He was big giant
haman with the longest nose in the
S~ship. I have often wondered how
would solve the problem of
r. Bafnes In the immediate
Nc pse. the same being In
.s defense.
4; i was chiefly inter-
stove. What q JOY Il
III In damnor ana rid