I was a good deal thunderstruck myself; for that was the first I had heard of the proclamation, and my old man was pretty much in the same fix with Jeff.  We both stood a moment staring at one another without knowing what to say.  At last says I, “Mr. S______ let me look at that paper.”  He handed it to me, when I read the proclamation over.

“There now,” says he, “did you ever see such a piece of impudence and imposition as that?” I saw Jeff was in a good tune for saying some ill-natured things, and so I tho’t I would just argue a little on the contrary side, and make him rant a spell if I could.  “Why,” says I, looking as dignified and thoughtful as I could, “it seems pretty tough, to be sure, to have to raise silver where there’s none to be raised; but then, you see, ‘there will be danger of loss’ if it ain’t done.”

“Loss! damnation!” says he.  “I defy Daniel Webster, I defy King Solomon, I defy the world—­I defy—­I defy—­yes, I defy even you, Aunt ’Becca, to show how the people can lose anything by paying their taxes in State paper.”

“Well,” says I, “you see what the officers of State say about it, and they are a desarnin’ set of men.  But,” says I, “I guess you ’re mistaken about what the proclamation says.  It don’t say the people will lose anything by the paper money being taken for taxes.  It only says ’there will be danger of loss’; and though it is tolerable plain that the people can’t lose by paying their taxes in something they can get easier than silver, instead of having to pay silver; and though it’s just as plain that the State can’t lose by taking State Bank paper, however low it may be, while she owes the bank more than the whole revenue, and can pay that paper over on her debt, dollar for dollar;—­still there is danger of loss to the ‘officers of State’; and you know, Jeff, we can’t get along without officers of State.”

“Damn officers of State!” says he; “that’s what Whigs are always hurrahing for.”

“Now, don’t swear so, Jeff,” says I, “you know I belong to the meetin’, and swearin’ hurts my feelings.”

“Beg pardon, Aunt ’Becca,” says he; “but I do say it’s enough to make Dr. Goddard swear, to have tax to pay in silver, for nothing only that Ford may get his two thousand a year, and Shields his twenty-four hundred a year, and Carpenter his sixteen hundred a year, and all without ’danger of loss’ by taking it in State paper.  Yes, yes:  it’s plain enough now what these officers of State mean by ‘danger of loss.’  Wash, I s’pose, actually lost fifteen hundred dollars out of the three thousand that two of these ‘officers of State’ let him steal from the treasury, by being compelled to take it in State paper.  Wonder if we don’t have a proclamation before long, commanding us to make up this loss to Wash in silver.”

And so he went on till his breath run out, and he had to stop.  I couldn’t think of anything to say just then, and so I begun to look over the paper again.  “Ay! here’s another proclamation, or something like it.”