"I've got quite a slew on em tew hum, mebbe a peck or tew. I got em
fer pay in the army. They're tew greasy tew kindle a fire with, an I
dunno o' nothin else ez they're good for. Ye're welcome to em, Ezry.
My little Bijah assed me fer some on em tew make a kite outer thuther
day, an I says tew him, says I, 'Bijah, I don' callate they'll do
nohow fer a kite, for I never hearn of a Continental bill a goin up,
but ef yer want a sinker fer yer fish line they're jess the thing.'"

There was a sardonic snicker at Ezra's expense, but he returned to the
charge quite undismayed.

"That ain't nuther here nor there," he said, turning toward Abner and
emphasizing his words with the empty mug. "What I asses yew is, wan't
them bills good fer suthin wen they wuz fuss printed?"

"They wuz wuth suthin fer a wile," assented Abner.

"Ezackly," said the other, "that's the nater o' bills. Allers they is
good fer a wile and then they kinder begins to run daown, an they runs
daown till they ain't wuth nuthin," and Ezra illustrated the process
by raising the mug as high as his head and bringing it slowly down to
his knees. "Paounds an shillins runs daown tew by gittin wored off
till they's light weight. Every kine o' money runs daown, on'y it's
the nater o' bills to run daown a leetle quicker nor other sorts. Naow
I says, an I ain't the ony one ez says it, that all guvment's got to
dew is tew keep a printin new bills ez fass ez the old ones gits run
daown. Times wuz good long in the war. A feller could git baout what
he assed fer his crops an he could git any wages he assed. Yer see
guvment wuz a printin money fass. Jess's quick ez a bill run daown
they up and printed another one, so they wuz allers plenty. Soon ez