The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1867-05-03

ana Two ounces of tea was quite an or
der and most of those who came to
deal wanted trust
'As for laying in fine fruit and vego-
tables, / never thought of such folly
Diamonds would have been as eatable
IN that part of the city, where washer
women and the poorest laboring men
were the aristocracy.
Now and them when foreign ship
came to port with load of ruined
plneapples, or oranges, [ bought lot
OF them, and charging them nothing,
sold them easily enough. Although
own, my wife used to say that the
miserable babies who rolled about the
cutters died off faster after every stock
OF damaged fruit / sold in the old
shop, and Pm afraid she was right.
Wei, as | told you, struggled along
as best J. might, and after n while
things began to improve, and began
to see visions of clean store in good
street when l laid down to rest at
night.
$50, one day when / had been to
market l brought home half dozen
hams, and hung them about the door.
more for show than anything else for
hams were great holiday dinner in
those regions, and not an every day
affair | can tell you. They went on
slowly as ! thought they would. Now
and then some one would come in for
a pound, and once l sold half the
smallest one to woman who wanted
it for a Sunday dinner. She was TO
pay me on Monday morning, but she
never did it, for on Sunday night her
husband killed her with a rum bottle,
and they took her body past my shop,
with her head beaten out of shape and
bloody
And 50 the hams hung there
through the summer, and through the
fall, and quite into the winter
ut was Just as the December nights
began to grow long and dark and cold,
that noticed a new policeman on our
beat "A young handsome looking fell
/ low with thin checks and hands, al
though he seemed to be powerfully
built, and made for stout man, that
could not help watching him, and
wondering whether he had been i'll or
not.
"The first time noticed him was at
sunset, and he passed the windows a
dozen times, looking all the while at
those hams, which dangled from the
frame of the awning.
81 hope he means to buy one" said
to my wife as we sat together over
the tea-table, "apd l shouldn't wonder
if he did, for he seemed to have taken
quite a fancy for them.
But the evening passed, and though
l saw him on the opposite side of the
street, looking across with his bright
eyes straight at the hams, he did not
come in or speak to me Oh the subject
And Sc I made up my mind lie would
send for it in the morning, and some
how made sure of it, that whenever |
saw a decent looking woman go by
with basket on her arm, said that's
the policeman S wife coming after the
ham" [ was mistaken, however, and
after the street lamps were lighted up
that night, began to see the man
pacing up and down with his eyes
fixed, as they had been the night pre-
yious, upon the ham.
Once he caught me peeping at him,
and then turned so red and looked al
me with such q glitter in his eyes that
grew angry, and said to myself, 'it's
well that Keeping unstable articles i
not a crime in this country, for if il
was, l should expect to be arrested.
SO | gave him back his look, turned
upon my heel and walked back into
the shop.
Il did not see him again that night
but long after everything had beer
taken in and locked up, and l was
snug in bed | heard Il tramp, traml
on the pavement, and knew that it was
the policeman, and that he was look
in at the hooks where the hams hung
as well as though had seen him.
"On the third evening he was there
again; that, you may say vas no won
der, for it was his duty to be upon
that beat, and 10 other, but it was
curious that he should keep on staring
Mt those hams with those bright vol
fish eyes Of his | didn't like it
though | could not have said for why
"A vessel had been wrecked at SCI
about that time, and an extra with tn
latest news of the disaster came tina
evening l bought a paper and sa
down behing the counter to read it
1t was very stormy night, and bu
few customers came in and between
both reading and thinking, time passed
, on until the clock struck eleven, and
had not yet taken III my goods or pu
| up my shutters.
"Just as [ was about to do so, m.
: door opened and an old woman cam'
. in. She was a scottish, miserable crea
| ture, known about the place as lrisl
| Kate, and with her red nose, bleare'
: ewes and bloated limbs, was as ugly
, picture as any one ever cast eyes up
/ on.
"Another dram, l suppose" ! san
: to myself, going round to the bar a
once, for l wanted to get rid OF her u
) soon as possible. But she to my sur
r prise, came up to me and put her re'
| paw on my arm.
I've made discovery, Mister, SAT-
Q she. "You have not been keeping a