Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-03-02
THE GROCER'S STORY.

Ours was quiet street at most times-a
lazy, shady place. where the green blinds
were forever closed, and where, there was
so little passing that spears of grass grew
SheTe and there between the flag stones, and
the stone curbs of the iron-railed areas
were fringed with soft green moss. Avery
quiet place. at most times, but late upon
one autumn afternoons, strange cry
sounded through it, which awakened all
its echoes, and called curious faces to the
doors and windows.
3 ssStop thief stop thiefp, 8 ESsA =
The strong voice of a policeman uttered
: the cry at first, and the shrill treble of two
boys at play near by took it up and repeat
Z ed it, and by-and-by there was a full, deep
chorus, like the cry of pack of hounds
3 sound you might have known at any dis
tance, however Ignorant you were of the
1ahguage, to be the cry OF men who hunted
something. b o 4HT
Policemen with their clubs, errand boys
: with their bundles, bakers with their bask-
etssen their arms, young gentlemen just
released from the academy close at hand,
and ragged urchins, whose school was the
gutter, all Joined in hot pursuit, and follow
ed the miserable wretch with bare, begrim-
ed feet and hatless head, that fitted along be-
fore them with speed which only fear could
1endto one so worn and wretched-a speed
which kept the crowd a long way OFF, and
made the burliest of his pursuers pant for
breath.
y They were ont of sight in moment; but
thief had baff1ed them and some among the
crowd rushed back to see if their prey had
doubled on his track and others, sulky and
indignant at the result of their useless
chase, came back muttering angrily or
swearing, with many violent oaths, that
they would have him yet. -as5
- One policeman, a Mell-fed fellow, with a
crimson face, made quite hero of himself
by asserting that he knew the fellow, and
would trap him before sundoWn. There
was good deal of sympathy felt for the
gentleman who had lost his pocket-hand-
kerchief, but none / could hear tor the
Door degraded wretch who had purlOined
it, .untiia placid voice at my elbow uttered
the following words, apparently in solilo--
'quy:
won't catch him." -
/ turned in surprise, and confronted our
grocer, on whose steps | had sought shelter
f, from the crowd, which, at such d moment,
could not be expected to think much Of the
safety Of a woman. ----,s-.----
Our grocer was a portiy man, with a
shining bald head, fringeds with q ring of
white hair, like the tOnsure of Roman
f. Catholic priest, and wearing atthe moment
a Holland apron and short blue jacket. /
"Yes'm," he went on, Il really hope the
miseTssle nj. era starved looking creature will
bsoSvThen you don't believe he picked the
gentleman's pocket ?is said /. EoIsla 11-i
6 I'M afraid its only too, certain that hes
did. man, said the man, shaking ht !
sIfead. sHe looked straight at me as he /
sassed, and he had hungry, desperate eyes
that looked, like theft, and murder, too, for
that matter."AO eI-sE 100
.sAnd yet you wish him to escape, when
he has broken the laws of the land, and
will probably do so again pa
e.God forbid that should help to break
the iaws,o said the grocer. "Good menil
made them, and they are right; but there
are other laws that I read in my BiblelI
SUNDAY nights that seem to be as binding.
one Of them is. ..Do unto others as you
would that others should do unto you."I
and another, "Loye thy neighbor as thy