This reminded the Doctor of a story, and at the general request he told it.
CHANGE FOR A DOLLAR—BEFORE AND AFTER.
A traveller stopped one night at a tavern in the interior of Minnesota. On paying his bill in the morning, he received a beaver skin instead of a dollar in change that was due him. The landlord explained that beaver skins were legal tender in that region at a dollar each.
He hid the skin under his coat, walked over the street to a grocery store, and asked the grocer if it was true that beaver skins were legal tender for one dollar each.
"Certainly," answered the grocer, "everybody takes them at that rate."
"Then be kind enough to change me a dollar bill," said the stranger, drawing the beaver skin from under his coat and laying it on the counter.
The grocer answered that he was only too happy to oblige a stranger, and passed out four musk-rat skins, which were legal tender, as he said, at twenty-five cents each.
"Please, Doctor," said Mary, "what do you mean by legal tender?"