Ellsworth American., 1864-12-09
The Country Store.

LII Suiaii COuuIiJ NllaSC tuC oVoio
is the prominent feature, It is usually
on corner, built of wood, and may be
known by dry.goods boxes ostentatiously
placed on the front, denoting that the
proprietor has heavy transactions with
importers and jobbers. Those boxes are
capital loafing places on pleasant sum-
mer evenings, and many are 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
rakcs and forks. bunch Of brooms, q
pair Of scales, and i'll moving time p
scythe Or two.
A broad door at the side affords ingress
to the cellar for barrels of molasses, sug-
ar, pork, &C., an operation which is great.
ly facilitated by means of '.takel, as
the boys call it, depending from beam
which protrudes from the roof. The
junior clerk and the village boys amuse
themselves by swinging on the "takel
when the proprietor has gone to the city
to buy goods
1t is called the "corner store" to dis.
tinguish it from the grocery store OF in.
ferior pretensions across the street.
When the proprietor, by strict attention
to his business, frugality and economy
gets little "forehanded," he moves the
wooden store back and builds .magnif-
cent two.story structure Of red brick
has new sign painted, and from that
time on the store is known as "the brick
store"
The wooden store affords storage room
for merchandise of various kinds, includ-
ing flour, fish, feathers, aad paper rags
which serve the purpose, of mo ey at the
store. The boys are the princip pal sap.
pliers of old iron. They con6scatc all
supsranuated stove plate Or retired
"andirous" they may find about the house
and exchange them at the store for pow
der and shot in squirrel time, or powder
without the the shot when the Fourth OF
July is near at hand. Wicked little boys
sell old iron at the front door, and after
it has been conveyed into the storehouse
they clip around to the back door and
steal it to sell over again, thereby giving
cheerful impetus to trade and CON-
mercc.
In every properly conducted store there
is u department devoted to the sale OF
candy, raisiGs, tiss, nuts, Nc, which is
ti.u great attraction for the little country
oy, v hose mother pnrmits him to ae-
company her to the village for tho pur.
pose Of doing little trading" Ia.
cunning ''storckeeper" Chat is the title
&c is known by. } knows that little candy
lavished Oh the boy will prove good ill.,
vcstment, as the heart Of a mother j.
quickest reached through her child, and
he accordingly swcctens up little johnny
graduating his liberahry according to tn,
uuinbcr of acres OF unencumbered iarm
ing hand which father" possesses, anc
the consequent "a ue Of the fam y Gus
tom. We remember that the sticks ol
gratutous candy which the storekecpel
thrust into our juvenile pockets were moi
only "seldom" but exceedingly abbreviat
e!. Our paternal "acre and a half
didn't seem to dazzae the storekeeper tt
any alarming extent.
The village children believe that every
thing in the way of comforts or luxurles
is kept at the store, and they accordingly
look upon the storekcepcr's children as
the most favored mortals on earth. The
latter may have candy and swcetmeats
just when they want them. They weal
,.storc clothes every day. The store.
keepers girl has the finest and most
richly dressed doll in the neighborhood
and the storekcopcr's boy has the hand
soonest sled and the b, st pair OF skates
OF any boy FER miles around. How many
country boy has wished that his father
was a "storekeeper.
Frequently the proprietor of the coun
try store is person OF considerable I'M
portapce-in his neighborhood. We
have known cases where he possessed the
confidence of his eighbors to such al
extent that they elected him "Towl
Clerk" If by honest industry and at
tentiou to business, he has elevated HIM
self from tho humble position of clerk t
the dignity and Importance of sole pro
prietor Of tie "brck store,' the settlers
still call him "Arthur,' if that is hi
given name, the sanre as they did wheI
as boy he weighed out sugar for them
and filled their moiasses jugs with 1.-TWO
anI-six."
a visit to the simple village in which
one was raised" after an absence o
years during which the boy has become
man, dissipates, many carly impressions
The church looms not half SO grandly
the village green, which to your boyisl
Imagination resembled a boundlcs
prairie, on which you and your school
mates used to chase the imaginary buffalo
has dwnded to the proportions OF ba:
rem and scanty goose pasture, and th'
brick store on the corner, which once ap
peared more magnificent than Steward /
does now, looks dingy and old, and tn
hand of time ahas apparently hit it ;
severe rap on the ridge, chacklng it abou
half story ito tie ground.