Wisconsin herald, and Grant County advertiser. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1844-1845, 1845-04-05
BY CHARLES DICKENS, ESQ.
THE FOURTH QUARTER.
Concluded.

Concluded.
Lard, mushroom hup,stay-lacess
loavcs Of bread, shuttlccocks, eggs and
slate pencils: every thilg was fresh that
came to the net of this greedy little
shop, and these articles were in its net.
How many other kinds of petty mer
chandizc were there, IT would be dill
cult TO say, but balls Of pack7thread.
ropes of onions, pounds of candles, cab
bage nets and brushes hung in bunche:
from the ceiling, like extraordinary
fruit; while various odd canisters, emit
ting an aromatic smell, established the
yeracity Of the inscription over the out
crdoor, which Informed the public that
the keeper Of this little shop, was Ii
cenccd dealer in tea, coffee, tobacco.
pepper and snulf.
CHANGING at such Of these items as
visible in the shining Of the blaze, and
the less cheerful radicnCe oftwo smoky
lamps which burnt but dimly in the
shop its If, as though its plethora sat
heavy on their lungs; and glancing then,
at ono Of the two faces by the parlor
fire; Trotty had small difficulty in re-
coanising in the stout old lady, Mrs,
ChickenstaIkar; always inclined to cor
pulcncy, even in the days when he had
lived and dealt in her establishment.
she havinga small balance against him
in her accounts. I
The features of her companion were
less easy to him. The great broad
c.in with crcases in it large enough to
hide a finger in; the astonishcd eyes,
that seemed to cxpostu.atc with them
selves for settling deeper in the yield
Ing fat of the soft face; the nose affiict'
cd with that disordcred action Of its
functions, which is generally termed
the snufflcs; the short fat throat and la
boring chest, with other beauties of the
same description; though calculated to
impress the memory, Trotty coul Id at
first alot to nobody he had ever known
and yet he had some recollection OF
them too. At length, in Mrs. Chick
enstalker's partner in the general line,
and in the crooked and eccentric line
of life, he recognised the former porter
of Sir Joseph Bowley; an appoplectic
inoccnt, who had connected himself in
Trotty's mind with Mrs. Chickenstalk-
or years ago, by giving him admission
to the mansion, where he bad confess
Ell his obligations to that lady, and
drawn on his unlucky head such grave
reproach.
Trotty had little interest in a change
like this, after the changes he had
seen; but association is very strong
sometimes; AMI he looked inyoluntari-
ly behind the parlor door, where the
accounts of the credit customers are
usually kept in the chalk. There was
no record of his name. Some names
were there, but they were strange to
him, and infinitely fewer than OF old !;
from which he argued that the porter
WAS an advocate of ready money trans
actions. and on coming into the busin-
e's. had looked rather sharp after the
Chickenstalkcr dcfaulters.
30 desolate was Trotty and so mourn
fully for the youth and promise of his
blighted child, that il was a sorrow to
him. even to have no place even in
Mrs Chickenstalkcr's ledger.
What sort of night is it, Annef
Inquired the former porter of Sir Jos.
Bowley, stretching out his legs before
the FIRE, and rubbing as UGH Of them
as his short arms could reach, with an
air that added, here am il its bad,
and don't want to go out if it's good
Blowing and slceting hard,' return
ed his wife, and threatening snow
Dark and cold
I'm glad 10 think we had mullins,
sad the former porter, in the tone of
tne who had set his conscience at rest.
it, sort Of night that's meant for
aims. Likewise Crumpets. Also
Sally Inns,