American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-01-31
CHAPTER v.


H0rne strangers came along the
road those days-hunters. peddlcrs
and the like---and their coming filled
me with a Joy which mostly went
away with them, i regret to say. None
Of these, however, appealed to my
imagination as did old Kate. But
there was one stranger grenter than
she-greater indeed. than any other
who came into Rattlerond. He came
rarely and would not be long detained.
How c~urlously we looked at him,
knowing his fame ard powerl This
great stranger al Money,
/ shall never forget the day that
my uncle showed me a dollar bill and
a little shiny, gold coin md three
pieces Of silver, MOI 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 !
am writing. i remember hearing him
Hay, one day Of that year, when /
asked him TO take US to the Caravan
OF Wild Beasts which was coming TO
the village:
"Im sorry, but It's been n hundred
Sundays since / had a dollar IN my
wallet for more than ten minutes"
! have his old account book for
the years OF 1887 and 1885. Here are
ONE of the entries:
.Bdinnced accounts with j. Doro-
thy and gave him my note for S2.15
TO be paid In snlts January 1, 1898.
Sold ten bushels of wheat to ID. 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 neighbour.
SO II win be seen that a spirit of
mutual accommodation served 10
help nj over the rough going. Mr..
Grlmshaw. however, demanded his
pay In cash and that l find was main
ly the habit Of the money-ienders.
We were poor but our poverty %
not like tfret of these days IN which
I am writing. II was proud and
cleanly and well-fed. Our fathers
had seen heroic service In the ware
and we knew 1t.
! was twelve years old when l be-
gan TO be tho reader for our little
family, Aunt Deel had long ON
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 u lives began 60
quicken It's pace and excite our inter-
est In It's coming chapters. 1t give
US enough to think of. God knows.
/. Wild speculations In land and the
American paper~monoy system had
brought us into rough going. The
hunks of the city OF New York had
suspended payment of their notes.
They could no longer meet their on
RAgements. 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 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 II. l didn't
know what n note was and | remem-
her that n night. when | lay think.
Ing about Il, ! decided that II must
he something Ia the nature of horse
collie. My uncle told me that a note
WINS a trouble which attacked the
brain instead OF the stomach.
One autumn day In Canton Uncle
Peabody srndsd three ssih.eea and tween,
~ bushels Of wheat for a cook stoy,
md brought II home tn the big wagon
Rodney Barnes came with him to heir
ret up the stove, He was a big ginu'
Of ! mnn With the Longest nose In the
township. ! have tften wondered how
any one would solve the problem q
kissing kr. Barnes in the immedIat,
.rnetus OF his nose. the same being Ii
the Antnra Of 4 defense.
That evening ! was chiefly inter
ested IN che stove. What a Joy 1
fas to- me with Its danper and grid