The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-02-22
cHAPTE v.
The Great Stranger

The Great Stranger
Some strangers came along the
road those days-hunters, peddlers
and the like and their coming hllen
me with joy which mostly went
away with them, l regret TO say. None
If these, however, appealed to my
Imagination as did old Kate. But
there was one stranger greater than
she-creater 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 Il dollar bill ana
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. mat
was long before the time of which L
am writing. l 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 l had dollar in my
wallet for more than ten minutes"
| have his old account book for
the years of 1897 and 1888. Here are
some of the entries:
Balanced accounts with ]. Doro-
thy and gave him my note for S215
TO be paid in salts January 1, 1888.
Sold ten bushels of wheat to +. Miner
at 90 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 a
hundred mention money, and this was
the sum of eleven cents received in
balance from n neighbor.
So II will be seen that Il spirit OF
mutual accommodation served ~
help us over the rough going. Mr.
Grimshaw, 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
| / am writing. 1t was proud and
cleanly and well-fed. Our fathers
had seen heroic service in the wars
and we knew 1t.
| 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 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 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 tC
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 hat
DIOuSul Us lhlO SOlhS. he
| 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 tC
get money even for black salts.
Uncle Peabody had been silent anC
| depressed for a 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 note was and l remem
Der that one night. when / lay think
/ ing about Ii, / decided that 1t mus
/ collie. My uncle told me that a not,
was trouble which attacked tn,
/ 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 1t home In the big wagon
| Rodney Barnes came with him to hell
set up the stove. He was a big gian
" VI a man WIN ihV iohSNSN hoSt III til'
township. | have often wondered how
any one would solve the problem O
kissing Mr.. Barnes in the immediat,
| region of his nose, the same being II
/ the nature of a defense.
That evening | was chiefly inter
1 ested in the stove. What a Joy /
was TO me with its damper and grid
/ dies and high oven and the shiny edg,
/ on its hearth 1t rivaled. in its nov
city and charm, any tin peddlers car
I thar ever came 10 our door. JOhr
Axtell and his wife. who had seen I
pass their house, hurried over for
look at 1t. Every hand was on tn,
stove as We tenderly carried 1t int,
the house. piece by piece, and set 1
up. Then they cut a hole In the I'D
per floor and the stone chimney anC
fitted the pipe. How keenly W,
watched the building of the fire. How
quickly II roared and began to hea
the rooml
When the Axtells had gone ava,