Two Bits: (from answers.com)
United States

"... a holdover from colonial America, when Spanish dollars ... were deemed equivalent in value to a U.S. dollar. To provide smaller denominations, they were cut into eighths, or "bits". Thus, twenty-five cents was dubbed "two bits," as it was a quarter of a Spanish dollar. Correspondingly, the terms "four bits" and "six bits" referred to fifty and seventy-five cents, respectively.

Because there was no one-bit coin, a dime (10 ¢) was sometimes called a short bit and 15c a long bit. For example, "Six-Bits Blues" by Langston Hughes included the following couplet: Gimme six bits' worth o'ticket/On a train that runs somewhere…."

By the way, Kendall, it's cold and slippery and snowing steadily here. The chickens refuse to have anything to do with their chickensitter, Mrs. W. Coyote, or her good friends young Ms Weasel and Mr. Jeremy Fisher. And they thought they'd enjoy the ride to S. Portland, but when I read them the post about chicken recipes, that was the end of that! So we'll be staying here for New Year's.

However, if we drive down during August, fellow mudcatters in attendance might return to their cars the next morning to find 'em filled with zucchinis and our extra roosters. Be afraid. Be very afraid...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

Yours truly,

meek maeve