Miss Chicken of Granite Creek!
Fortunes had flown south for Miss Chicken and her flock of fallen Doves.
Miss Chicken ran a clean house, but business was a bit off and the
Victrola that had sweetened the atmosphere of her little bordello Just didn't wow the clientele like it had for years previous. It was with a twinkle in her eye that she found out that one of her less attractive girls could play the piano very well and knew all the latest ditties. Only one thing was missing, Miss Chicken didn't own a piano.
But she had a plan. She would borrow the money from the bank just down the road in Coalmont. After all she had borrowed before and the bank Manager was a good customer. (She may have been late the odd time but he knew she was good for it.)
Off to the Bank she strolled dressed in all her finest and her French perfume (at least that is how it was advertised in the Eaton's catalog.)
Miss Chicken Got her loan of $900.00 for her Piano and made her payments when she could. As the miners were not getting as many shifts at BLAKEBURN the coal mine camp up the road. Their money staid in their pockets and not Miss Chickens purse.
So it was a loan slightly diminished to $700.00 that the new bank manager "Ed Lucas" inherited from his predecessor. The Banks Head office told Ed to get the money they really did not offer any suggestions about getting blood out of a stone.

Now Miss Chicken didn't just fall off the Banana Boat yesterday. She was a good manipulator of people, her Girls, her customers and just maybe this new bank manager. The morning that Ed went out to the house to collect.
Miss Chicken broke into tears, did he think himself not a heartless brute, was he not a gentleman. Miss Chicken said through her tears "well I can't make you a loan payment for the piano, how about just a short term loan for 25.00 dollars today and I'll pay you back double on Monday after the weekend"?
The Manager thought about it and agreed handing over 25.00 dollars.
This arrangement went on month after month. You see the Manager lent her the money from his own pocket. When she repaid Mondays and she always paid this loan, the excess was put on her outstanding piano loan. When the bank pulled the little branch out of Coalmont the loan by Ed's efforts had been reduced to $300.00

Unfortunately I could not find out when Miss Chicken and the girls left Granite Creek, maybe one of our readers will know and I'll put it in the story.
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