That was long before the time of which I am writing.

I remember hearing him say, one day of that year, when I 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 I had a dollar in my wallet for more than ten minutes." I have his old account book for the years of 1837 and 1838.

Here are some of the entries: "Balanced accounts with J.Dorothy and gave him my note for $2.15, to be paid in salts January 1, 1838.

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 $6, payable in boots on or before March the first." Only one entry in more than a hundred mentions money, and this was the sum of eleven cents received in balance from a neighbor.
So it will be seen that a spirit of mutual accommodation served to help us over the rough going.

Mr.Grimshaw, however, demanded his pay in cash and that I find was, mainly, the habit of the money-lenders.
We were poor but our poverty was not like that of these days in which I am writing.