Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1855-06-23
The London Pawnbroker.

Men are prone to vaunt the rectitude, the
Tents Of their tralcsmen. MY wine NOR
chant Ng bootmaker,' even Ny Attorney
bat who ever yet startled the delicacy
of company, with My pawnbroker.'
TO the pawnbroker, the civillity almost
essential to the other tradesmen is wholly
superfuous. He places no quick-eyed
shop-man at the door-no tenacious Solici
tor of the lingering customer to enter and
trade. Not he; he stands in his shop, the
deputy of Mammon; his customers are not
to be wheedled, coaxcd grinned at, protes
ted to; he need not bow his back, or crush
his face up into smiling wrinkles, at the
hcSitating purchaser. No; his customers,
the people who contribute to him 80 per
cent, for the most part address him with
respectful weakness; many with shamefac-
cd hesitation, as though they begged his
aid, the free offering Of his money, on
pledge, on profitable hostage left. Other
tradesmen make it part OF their craft to
presume the possession of wealth in their
customers. To the pawnbroker, they
come, the best of them for the time, bran
ded with the mark of necessity. How diff
erent that face-there, thai one in the third
box from the door-how different that
sweet, meek countenance, from the face oi
FIVE years since. 1t is lady, young
creature; with cankerous sorrow at hel
heart; fair thing, with that suffering, yet
resigned look Of grief, more profound y
touching than the widest anguish. With
the gentle pet he itating grace of the lady,
and faint smile at her lip, she presents 8
small trinket to the pawnbroker how
different the money lenders manner from
the oppressive obsequiousness Of the jew
eler, who five years since, sold he trinke
to her The tradesman with cold eye
turns over the trinkets whilst the woman
it is almost the last of her ornaments
and there is poverty anil hungry babes a
home--fnds herself waiting, with stinte
breath, the sentence Of the pawnbroker-
Atlength he condeSccn Is to ask, 'Whs
do you want on this 2 and-God hel
her her heart is easel at the condescer
sion.
The pawnbroker may, from the inde
pendence of his calling, by the exemptio
from the idle courtesies assiduously cult
waited by other tradesmen, be as joculs
as his native wit would allow him wit
many of his well known customers
Again and again he may crack his jol
upon the coat withdrawn on the Saturds
for the Sabbath wea", and duly returned
his safe guardianship on the Monday
Goats will wear ont, the nap pwill lose i
gloss, and the pawnbroker will have b
Joke upon the frailty of broadeloth, al
Joking, offer less and less upon the fadi
ra:nent. AS for the wife, who for t
twentieth time hath left the coat in pledl
she must good-humoredly fence with I
wit of the pawnbroker, who carries
pleasan ry just as far as suits his hum
ending the parley with an emphatic avo'
not to lenl farthing more, gruffiy i
ing the woman take the rag away
knows she cannot take it away, andtht
fore She receives both the impertinenc.
the shopkeeper and the money he YOU
safes her. Strange, that tradesmen
differ in manners How verr civil
Lubin Goslin, the tailor who made
coat!
The pawnbroker asort Of King Mi
in squalid neighbood; he is a poten
sought by the poor, who bear with hisje
his insolence, his brutality ; who in tat
bow down to him; and with want in Il
limbs, with empty bellies and despair
hearts, make court to him that will
pleased to let them eat. What offeri
are madeto him How he is prayed,
plored, to see some value in that which
inexorably deems worthless to coin,