As the people grew more numerous, and their trade with one another increased, the want of money was still greater. To supply the demand, the general court passed a law for establishing a coinage of shillings, sixpences, and threepences. Captain John Hull was chosen to manufacture this money, and was to have one shilling out of every twenty to pay him for the trouble of making them.

Hereupon all the silver in the colony was handed over to Captain John Hull. The battered silver cans, I suppose, and silver buckles, and broken spoons, and silver buttons from worn-out coats, and silver hilts of swords that had figured at court, all such curious old articles were doubtless thrown into the melting pot together. But by far the greater part of the silver consisted of bullion from the mines of South America, which the English buccaneers— who were little better than pirates-had taken from the Spaniards, and brought to Massachusetts.

All this old and new silver being melted down and coined, the result was an immense amount of splendid shillings, sixpences, and threepences. Each had the date 1652 on the one side, and the figure of a pine tree on the other. Hence, they were called pine-tree shillings. And for every twenty shillings that he coined, you will remember, Captain John Hull was entitled to put one shilling into his own pocket.

The magistrates soon began to suspect that the mint-master would have the best of the bargain. They offered him a large sum of money if he would

but give up that twentieth shilling, but he declared himself perfectly satisfied. And well he might be; for so diligently did he labor, that, in a few years, his pockets, his money bags, and his strong box were overflowing with pine-tree shillings. This was probably the case when he came into possession of Grandfather's Chair; and as he had worked so hard at the mint, it was certainly proper that he should have a comfortable chair to rest himself in.

When the mint-master had grown very rich, a young man, Samuel Sewell by name, came a-courting his only daughter.

His daughter-whose name I do not know, but we will call her Betsy—was a fine, hearty damsel, by no means so slender as some young ladies of our own day. On the contrary, having always fed heartily on pumpkin pies, doughnuts, Indian puddings, and other Puritan dainties, she was as round and plump as a pudding herself. With this round, rosy Miss Betsy, did Samuel Sewell fall in love. As he was a young man of good character, industrious habits, and a member of the church, the mint-master very readily gave his consent.

"Yes, you may take her," said he in his rough way, "and you'll find her a heavy burden enough."

all

On the wedding day, we may suppose that honest John Hull dressed himself in a plum-colored coat, the buttons of which were made of pine-tree shillings. The buttons of his waistcoat were sixpences; and the knees of his smallclothes were buttoned with silver

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threepences. Thus attired, he sat with great dignity in Grandfather's Chair, and, being a portly old gentleman, he completely filled it from elbow to elbow.

On the opposite side of the room, between her bridesmaids, sat Miss Betsy. She was blushing with all her might, and looked like a full-blown peony, or a great red apple.

There, too, was the bridegroom, dressed in a fine purple coat and gold lace waistcoat, with as much other finery as the Puritan laws and customs would allow him to put on. His hair was cropped close to his head, because Governor Endicott had forbidden any man to wear it below the ears. But he was a very personable young man; and so thought the bridesmaids and Miss Betsy herself.

The mint-master, also, was pleased with his new son-in-law, especially as he had courted Miss Betsy out of pure love, and had said nothing at all about her portion. So, when the marriage ceremony was over, Captain Hull whispered a word to two of his menservants, who immediately went out, and soon returned, lugging in a large pair of scales. They were such a pair as wholesale merchants use for weighing bulky commodities, and quite a bulky commodity was now to be weighed in them.

"Daughter Betsy," said the mint-master, "get into one side of these scales."

Miss Betsy or Mrs. Sewell, as we must now call her-did as she was bid, like a dutiful child, without

any question of the why or wherefore. But what her father could mean, unless to make her husband pay for her by the pound (in which case she would have been a dear bargain), she had not the least idea.

"And now," said honest John Hull to the servants, "bring that box hither."

The box to which the mint-master pointed was a huge, square, iron-bound, oaken chest; it was big enough, my children, for all four of you to play at hide and seek in. The servants tugged with might and main, but could not lift this enormous receptacle, and were finally obliged to drag it across the floor.

Captain Hull then took a key from his girdle, unlocked the chest, and lifted its ponderous lid. Behold! it was full to the brim of bright pine-tree shillings, fresh from the mint; and Samuel Sewell began to think that his father-in-law had got possession of all the money in the Massachusetts treasury. But it was only the mint-master's honest share of the coinage.

Then the servants, at Captain Hull's command, heaped double handfuls of shillings into one side of the scales, while Betsy remained in the other. Jingle, jingle, went the shillings, as handful after handful was thrown in, till, plump and ponderous as she was, they fairly weighed the young lady from the floor.

"There, son Sewell!" cried the honest mint-master,

resuming his seat in Grandfather's Chair, "take these shillings for my daughter's portion. Use her kindly, and thank Heaven for her. It is not every wife that's worth her weight in silver!"

-Nathaniel Hawthorne.

HELPS TO STUDY

1. Read as quickly as you can to get the main points of the story. These questions may help you.

a. Why is it given this title?

b. Where is the scene of the story laid?

c. What characters are mentioned? Describe each and give your opinion concerning each one.

d. Who will discuss what money is? The kind of money used in the colony? What were pine-tree shillings?

2. Plan your scenes. They might be as follows:

I. What was used for money in the new colony.

A group of colonists discuss the money question.
First person-What money is.

Second person-Scarcity of English and Spanish coins.
Third person-Articles used in barter and exchange.
Indian-Wampum and furs.

Minister How his salary is paid.

II. The need for coins, pine-tree shillings provided.
1. The general court meets, passes a law to establish
coinage, and appoints Captain Hull as mint-master.
2. Old silver is called in-people bring their treasures.
3. The new pine-tree shillings.

4. Toll taken by Captain Hull annoys magistrates.

III. What happened at the Sewell-Hull wedding.

1. Mr. Sewell asks for Betsy.

2. Betsy in the scales. 3. "Worth her weight in silver." Other Selections: Any good History Text. Every Day Life in the Colonies, STONE AND FICKETT.