Foreshadowing is a hint the author makes in the story about what is going to happen in the future. When Mr. Shiftlet first appears, he seems very Christ-like in his demeanor and attitude. He is a carpenter, he does not care about money, and he seems to care mostly about nature.
Fifty cents is a plural noun since it is talking about more than one cent. In the example, you would say, "fifty cents <em>is </em>how much I owe you".
