The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1866-07-19

with the result OF their useless chase,
came back muttering augrily or swear.
ing, with many violent oaths, that they
would have him yet. One policeman,
well fed fellow with a crimson face.
made quite hero to himself ty assert.
ing that he knew the fellow, and would
trip him before sun down. There was
good deal of sympathy for the gentle
man who had lost his pocket'handker
chief, but none that l could hear for the
poor, degraded wretch who had pur.
.oined it, until placid voice at my el-
bow uttered the following words, sppa.
rently in soliloquy:
Well, l may be wrong, but some.
how hope they won't catch him."
turned in surprise, and l confronted
our grocer, on whose steps ! had sought
shelter from the crowd, which At such
a moment, could not be expected to
think much of the safety ofs woman.
Our grocer was a portly man, with
shining bald head, fringed by aring Of
white hair, like the tonsure Of Roman
Catholic priest, and wearing at the mo-
ment Holland apron and a short, blue
jacket.
"Yes'm"I I went on, {" I really hope
the miserable, starved looking creature
will get off,"
"TheD you don't believe he picted
the gentleman's pocket" said 1.
"Tm afraid it's only too certain that
he did, ma'am," said the man, shaking
his head. He looked straight at me
as he passed, and he had hungry, des.
perate eyes that looketh like theft, and
murder too, for that matter"
"And yet you wish him 10 escape,
when he has broken the laws Of the
land, and will probably do so again ?"
"God forbid that I should help Ia
break the laws" said the old grocet
Good men made them, and they arr
right but there are other laws that
read in my old Bible on Sunday nights
that seem to be as binding. One Of
them is Do unto others as you would
that others should do unto you;' anc
another, Love thy neighbor as thy
SELF When remember these words
I think that you may be too hard with
poor sinful fellow.being, and not g
beyond the limits Of the law either.
"That rich gentlemen who had hi
pocket picked, will go home to I'm
dinner and bottle Of wine, no doubt
and the wretch of thief may have
crust OF bread and glass Of burning
gin, if he can sell or pawn what he stol
for enuogh to get them. Somehow, if
couldn't have him hunted down to.nigh
Il VOW I wouldn't.
"Still, don't blame those young fel
lows I'd have been as furious in th
chase as any of 'em years ago but
learnt lesson once that I never hav
forgotten, and hope never may. Iva
a young man, and poor one then, an
: had hard struggle to make my littl
shop keep my little family. 1t was onl
! by pinching and saving, and keeping
sharp look out for every bargain, that
managed it at all.
owe lived III Q shabby street. An
had only very poor customers. A loa
Of bread, quarter of pound of butte
and two ounces Of black tea was quit
an order, and most of those who cam
wanted trust.
GAS for laying in fine fruit or 7egeti
? bles, ! never thought Of such foil,
Diamonds would have been as salable i
! that part of the city, where washerwc
men and the poorest laboring men vel
the aristocracy.
Now and then, when foreign shi
came to port with load of ruined pin
4 apples, or decayed oranges, bought
b lot Of these, and charging next to notl
: ing, sold them easily enough. Although
!, l own my wife used to say the miser
e BILE babies. who rolled about the gutter
e died of faster after every stock of dan
e aged foreign fruit l SOLD in the old sho
d AID I'm afraid that she was righ
e Well, as told you, I struggled along
d best l might, and after a while thin,
a began to improve, and I began to ha,
y visions Of clean store in a good stree
L when / laid down to rest at night.
$50 one day when l had been