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

The Gr0cer's Story.
Ours was a quiet street, at most
times lazy, shady street, where the
green blinds were forever closed, and
there was SO little passing that spears
of grass grew here and there between
hagstones and the curbstones 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 thiefl"
The strong voice of policeman ut
tered the cry first, and the shrill treble
of two boys at play near by took it up
and repeated it, and by and by there
was dull, deep chorus like the cry of
pack Of hounds, 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, errand
boys with their bundles, bakers with
baskets on their arms, young gentle
men just released from the academy
close at hand, and ragged urchins,
whose school house was the gutter
all joined together in hot pursuit, and
followed the miserable object with bare
and begrimmed feet, and hatless head,
that fitted along before them with a
speed only fear could lend to one so
worn and wretched--a speed which
kept the crowd n long way off, and
while the burliest of his pursuers pant
ed for breath.
They were out of sight in a moment,
but in little while the cry was heard
that the thief had bafiled them, and
some among the crowd rushed back to
see if their prey had doubled on his
track; and others, sulky Ind indignant.
with the result of their useless chase,
came back, muttering angrily or
swearing with many violent oaths that
they would have him yet One police
man, a well known fellow with Grim
son face, made quite hero Of himself
by asserting that he knew him, and
wouid trap him before slndown.
There was a good deal of sympathy
for the gentleman who had lost his
pocket handkerchief, but none that /
could hear for the poor degraded
wretch that had purloined it, until a
placid voice ut my elbow uttered the
following words, apparently in solilo-
guy:
"Well, / may be wrong, but l some
how hope they won't catch him.
l turned in surprise, and confronted
our grocer, on whose steps | had
sought shelter from the crowd, which
at such a moment could not be ex-
pected to think very much of the safe
IT, of woman.
Our grocer was portly man with a
shining bald head, fringed with ring
of white hair, like the tonsure of Ro-
man Catholic priest, and wearing at
the moment Holland apron and a
short, blue jacket.
"Yes'm," he went on, II really hope
the miserable starved looking creature
will get off.
"Ihen you don't believe that he
picked the gentleman's pocket 2"
Pm afraid that it's only too certain
that he did maam,' said the man
shaking his head. HE looked straight
at me as he passed, and he looked
hungry, desperate eyes that looked
theft, and murder too, for that mat
ter"
"And you wish him to escape when
he has broken the laws of the land, and
will probably do so again y
God forbid that l should help tc
break the laws, said the old grocer.
"Good men have made them and
they are right, but there are other laws
that / read of in my old Bible Sunday
nights, that seem to be as binding
One of them is-'do unto others as you
would others should do unto you, anc
another love thy neighbor as thy
self. When remember these won DIS
think you may be too hard with {
poor, sinful fellow creature, and moi
90 beyond the limits of the law eth
CT"
THAT rich man who had his pockets
picked will go home to find a dinner
and n bottle OF wine, no doubt, ano
the poor thief may have crust o
bread and a glass of burning gin, II h
can sell or pawn what he stole 10.
enough to get them. Somehow, II
could l wouldn't have him hunteC
down tonight.
"Still, don't blame those young Eel
lows; I'd been as furious as any o
3 them few years ago, but l learned
lesson once that hope l have neVe.
forgotten, and hope l never may:
, was a young man and a poor one then
; and had n hard struggle to make IN.
! little shop support my little family
II was only by pinching and saving
and keeping a sharp lookout for ever.
boruoi,, that / managed at all