The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1866-06-21
THE GR0CER'S STORY.

Ours was quiet street at most times
lazy, shady place, where the green
blinds were forever closed, and where
there was SO little passing that spears of
grass grew here and there between the
fagstoDes, and the stone curbs of the iron
rallied areas were fringed with soft green
moss. A very quiet place at most times,
but late one autumn afternoon a strange
cry sounded through it, which awakened
all its echoes, and called curious faces to
the doors and windows.
"Stop thief! stop thief ~
The strong voice of a policeman ut
tered the cry at first, and the shrill treble
of two boys at play near by took it up and
repeated it, and by-and-5y there was
full, deep chorus, like the cry of pack
OF hounds-a sound you might have known
at any distance, however ignorant you
were of the language; to be the cry of
men who hunted some thing.
Policemen with their clubs, errsnd
boys with bundles, bakers with baskets on
their arms, young gentlemen just released
from the academy close at hand, and
ragged urchins, whose school-house was
the gutter, all joined together in the hot
pursuit, and followed the miserable object
with bare, begrimed feet and hatless
head, that fitted along before them with
speed which only fear could lend to one
so worn and wretched-a speed which
kept the crowd long way off, and made
the burlIest OF his pursuers pant for breath
They were out of sight in moment,
but in little while the cry was heard
that the thief had baff1ed them, and some
amongst the crowd rushed back TO see if
their prey had doubled on his track and
others, sulky and indignant with the re-
suit Of their useless chase, came back NUT
tcring angrily or swearing, with many
violent oaths, that they would have him
yet One policeman, well fed fellow
with crimson face, made quite hero of
himself by asserting that he knew the
fellow, and would trap him before sun
down. There was good deal of sympa-
thy tor the gentleman who had lost his
pocket handkerchief, but none that 7
could hear for the poor, degraded wretch
who had uurloined it, until placid voice
at my elbow uttered the following words.
apparently in sohloquy:
"Well, may be wrong, but somehow
hope they won't catch him"
l turned in surprise, and con fronted
our grocer, on whose steps [ had sought
shelter from the crowd, which, at such
moment, could no. be expected to think
much of the safety Of a woman.
Our grocer was portly man, with
shining bald head, friuged with ring of
white hair, like the tonsGre of a Roman
Catholic priest, and wearing at the moment
u Holland apron and short blue jacket.
eyes M" he went on, II really hope
the miserable, starved-looking creature
will get off"
''Then you don't believe he picked the
gentleman's pocket" said [.
"Pm afraid it's only too certain that he
did, ma'am," said the man, shaking his
head. "He looked straigh. at me as he
passed, and he had hungry, desperate
eyes that looked like theft, and murder,
too, for that matter"
"And yet you wish him to escape,
when he has broken the laws of the land,
and will probably do so again %
"God forbid that should help to break
the laws" said the old grocer. "Good
men made them, and they are right but
there are other laws that l read in my
old Bible Sunday nights, that seem to he
as binding. One of them is-'Do unto
others as you would that others should do
unto yOu;' and another, Love thy neigh