Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1919-05-02
CHAPTER v.
Tho Great Stranger

B. a4
The Great Stranger
Some strangers came along the
oad those days-hunters, peddlers
and the like--and their coming filed
me with a Joy which motly 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 poweri This
great stranger was Money.
l shall never forget the day that
my uncle showed me a dollar bill and
a 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. / 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 hundred
Sundays since / had q dollar In my
wallet for more than ten minutes"
1 have his old account book for
the years of 1887 and 1888. Here are
some of the entries:
Balanced accounts with J. Doro-
thy and gave him my note for $215
to be paid in salts January 1, 1888.
Sold ten bushels of wheat to E. 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 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. It was proud and
cieanly 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 had
led them heart deep into the creed
battles Of Old Mortality.
Then came the evil days of 1897
when the story of our lives began tC
quicken its pace and excite our inter
est in its coming chapters. It gave
as enough to think of. God knows.
Wild speculations in land and the
American paper-money system hat
brought us into rough going. The
banks of the city of New York hat
suspended payment of their notes
They could no longer meet their en-
gagements. AS usual. the burden fel
heaviest on the poor. 1t was hard t.
get money even for black salts.
Uncle Peabody had been silent AMI
depressed for month or more. HI
had signed note for Rodney Barnes
4 cousin. long before and was afrait
that he would have to pay It. didn'
know what note was and remem
Der that one night. when lay think
Ing about 1t, decided that 1t mus
be something In the nature Of hors
collie. My uncle told me that a not
was a trouble which attacked tn
bra1o instead Of the stomach.
One autumn day In Canton Uncl
Peabody traded three sheep and TWEEN
ty bushels ofSwheat for cook stow
and brought 1t home in the big wager
Rodney Barnes came with him to he'll
net up the stove. He was big gian
| Of . man with the longest nose in tn
township. 1 have often wondered HOY
any one would solve the problem q
kissing Mr.. Barnes in the immediat
region of his nose, the same being
he nnture OF defense.
That evening was chiefly intel
ssted IN the stove. What Joy !
-. to me with is damDsr and grit