Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-01-01
CHAPTER v.
The Great Stranger

Some strangers came along the
road those days-hunters, peddlers
and the like-and their coming filled
me with 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 at him,
knowing his fame and power! This
great stranger was Money.
shall never forget the day that
my uncle showed me dollar bill and
a little shiny, gold coin and three
pieces Of silver, nor can l 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 I
am writing. I remember hearing him
say, one day Of that year, when l
asked him to take us to the Caravan
Of Wild Beasts which was coming to
the village:
"I'm sorry, but it's been a hundred
Sundays since had dollar in my
wallet for more than ten minutes"
have his old account book for
the years Of 1887 and 1888. Here are
some of the entries:
$c 0ryft
thy and gave him my note for $2.15
to be paid in salts January 1, 1888.
Sold ten bushels of wheat to E. Miner
at 80 cents. to be paid in goods.
"Sold two sheep to Fla yius Curtis
and took his note for Sc, payable in
boots on or before March the first"
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
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 ia the wars
and we knew it.
was twelve years old when be-
gan to be the reader for our little
family. Aunt Deel had long COM
planned that she couldn't keep NJ 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 l 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 speculations 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. It was hard to
get money even for black salts.
Uncle Peabody had been silent and
depressed for month or more. He
had signed a note for Rodney Barnes
a cousin, long before and was afraid
that he would have to pay it. I didn't
know what a note was and remem
Der that one night, when 1 lay think
ing about it, l decided that it mus
be something in the nature Of horse
collie. Ny uncle told me that note
was a trouble which attacked thu
brain instead of the stomach.
One autumn day in Canton Uncle
Peabody traded three sheep and TWEEN
ty bushels of wheat for cook stow
and brought it home in the big wagon
Rodney Barnes came with him to hell
set up the stove. He was a big gian
of a man with the longest nose in thu
| township. I have often wondered how
any one would solve the problem O
kissing Mr.. Barnes in the immediate
region of his nose, the same being il
the nature Of a defense.
That evening was chiefly inter
/, ested in the stove. What a joy !