The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-03-20
CHAPTER v.
The Great STRANGER

The Great stranger
Some strangers came along the
road those days-hunters, peddlers
and the like-and their coming filled
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,
knowing his fame and p0werl This
great stranger was Money.
I 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 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. 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:
"pm sorry, but it's been a hundred
Sundays since had 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 J. DOrO-
thy and gave him my note for $2.15
to be paid In salts January 1, 1888.
Sold ten bushels Of wheat to Il. 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."
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 viii be seen that spirit Of
mutual accommodation served to
help M over the rough going. Mr..
Grlmshaw, however, demanded his
pay In cash and that I 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. It was proud and
cleanly and well-fed. Our fathers
had seen heroic service In the wars
and we knew II.
I 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. VIZ
had not seen Mr.. Wright for nearly
two years, but he had sent us tht
novels Of Sir Walter Scott and hnt
led them heart deep into the creet
battles Of Old Mortality.
Then came the evil days of 1887
when the story Of our lives began Il
quicken Its pace and excite our inter
est In its coming chapters. It gave
us enough to think of. God knows.
Wild speculations in land and thu
American paper-m0ney system hat
brought us into rough going. Th'
banks Of the city Of New York has
suspended payment OF their notes
They could no longer meet their en-
gagements. As usual. the burden fel
heaviest on the poor. It was hard t
get money even for black salts.
Uncle Peabody had been silent ant
depressed for q month or more. HI
had signed a note for Rodney Barnes
cousin, long before and was afrai'
that he would have to pay 1t. ! didn'
know what note was and remem
ber that one night, when lay think
ing about It. I decided that It mus
be something in the nature Of hors
collie. My uncle told me that a not
was a trouble which attacked tn
brain instead Of the stomach.
One autumn day in Canton Uncl
Peabody traded three sheep and twen
: ty bushels Of wheat for cook stow
and brought It home in the big vagor
Rodney Barnes came with him to hel
set up the stove. He was big gian
Of . man with the longest nose In tn
township. I have often wondered ho'
any one would solve the problem Z
kissing Mr.. Barnes In the immediat
region Of his nose, the same being !
the nature Of defense.