The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1864-12-09
af[istellaleous.
The Country Store.

The Country Store.
e In small country villages "the store" il
the prominent feature. Ii is usually on q
corner. built of wood, and may bs known
by dry-gSods boxes osten'atiously placed or
the front, dcnoting that the proprietor ha'
heavy transactions with importers and job
bers. Those boxes are capital loafng places
on pleasant summer evenings, and many art
the profound topics, politics, religion. &c..
that have been carried on by the occupants
of the "box seats" Along the side Of the
store are exhibited some barrels, few rake:
and forks. u bunch of brooms, pair OF scales
and in moving time scythe or two.
A broad door at the side affords ingress to
the cellar for barrels OF molasses, sugar
pork, &C., an operation which is greatly fa
cilitated by means Of "takel, as the boys
call it. depending from beam which pro
trudcs from the roof. The junior clerk ant
the village boys amuse themselves by swing
ing on the "thkcl" when the proprietor has
gone to the city to buy goods"
Ii is called the "corner store" to distin'
guish it from the grocery store Of inferior
pretensons across the street. When the pro
prietor, by strict attention to business, fru
glli;y and economy, gets u little "torehand
ed" he moves the wooden store back and
builds magnificent two-story structure o
red brick. has new sign pIinted, and from
that time on the store is known as ''the brick
store"
Tho wooden store affords storage room fol
merchandise of various kinds, including flour
fish, feathers, and paper rags. which serve
the purpose of money ut the store. The
boys are the principal suppliers of old iron
They contiscate all superannuated stove plate
or retired "andirons" they may find abou,
she house, and exchange them at the stor,
for powder and shot in squirrel time, or pow
der without. the shot when the Fourth of Ju
ly is near at hand. Wicked little boys sell
old iron ut the front door, and after 1t ha,
been conveyed into the storehouse they slip
around to the back door and steal it ovel
again, thereby giving cheerful impetus to
trade and commerce.
In every properly conducted store there Il
a department devoted to the sale of candy
raisins, figs, nuts, &C.. which is the great ut
traction for the litto country boy, whose
mother permits him to accompany her to the
"yillage" for the purpose Of "doing u little
trading" The cunning 'storekeeper" (that
is the title he is known by.) knows that q
little candy livished on the hoy will prove a
good investment, as the heart Of u mother is
quickest reached through her child, and he
accordingly sweetens up little Johnny, grad.
uatins his liberality according to the mum.
her OF acres OF unsDcumbered farming Land
which .'lathcr" possesses, and the consequent
value Of the family custom. We remember
that the sticks Of gratuitous candy which
the storekeeper thrust into our Juvenile peck
cts were not only seldom" but exceedingly
abbreviated. Our p,t,rnal "acrs and hall'
didn't seem to dazzle the storekeeper to any
alarming extent.
The village children believe that everything
in the way of comforts or luxurirs is kept aI
the store. and they accordingly look upon
the s,orckecper's children rs the most favored
mort,ls on earth. The latter may have can
dyand sweetmeats just when they want them
They wear "store clothes" every day. The
storskeeper's girl has the finest and most
richly dressed doll in the ueishborhood, and
the storekeepar's boy has the handsDmes'
sled and the best pair Of skates of any boy
for miles arornd. How many country boy
has wished that his father was a "storekeep
er."
frequently the proprietor Of the country
store is a person OF considerable importance
lin his neighborhood. We have known
casrs where ho possessed the confidence OF
his neighbors to such an extent that they
have elected him ''rown Clerk" II by hon
est industry and attention to business, he ha,
elevated himself from the humble position OF
clerk To the dignity and iuportince of solr
proprietor of the '.brick store" the settlers
still call him "Arthur," IL that is his given
name. the same as they did when as a boy he
weighed out sugar for them. and filed their
molasses jugs with "two.and six"
A visit to the simple village in which one
was raised" after an absence Of years dur
ing which the boy has become man. dissi'
pates many early Impressions. The church
looms not halt 40 grandly; the village green,
which TO your boyish Imagination rsscmblcd
boundless prairie, on which you and your
schoolmatcs used to chase the imaginary b f
falo, has dwindled to tho proportions OF a
barren and scanty goose pasture, and the
brick storo on the corner. which once appear
ed more magnificent than Stewards does now,
looks dingy and old. and the hand Of time
has apparently hit il severe rap on the
ridge, chuckins 1t about half story into
the ground. t