Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-02-15
The Groeer's Story.


of grass grew here and there between
1agstones 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, strange cry sounded thro'
it, which awakened all it's echoes, and
called curious faces to the doors and
windows.
"Stop thief! stop thiefF'
The strong voice of a policeman
uttered 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 a dull, deep chorus
like the cry of a pack of hounds, a
sound you might have known at any
tl:~t....ov, however ignorant You were
of the language, to be the cry Of men
who hunted something.
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 begrimed feet, and hatless
head, that fitted along before them
with speed only fear could lend to
one so worn and wretched-a speed
which kept the crowd a long way off,
and while the burliest of his pursuers
painted for breath.
They were out Of sight in a moment,
but in a little while the cry was heard
that the thief had baffled them, and
some among the crowd rushed back
to see if their prey had doubled on
his track; and others, sulky and in
dignant with the result of their useless
chase, came back muttering angrily
or swearing with many violent 0aths
that they would have him yet. One
policeman. a we'll known fellow with
a crimson face, made quite a hero Of
himself by asserting that he knew him,
and would trap him before Sundown.
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 who had purloined it, until a
p'acid voice at my elbow uttered the
following words, apparently in So
liloquy.
well, | may be wrong, but | some
how hope they won't catch him"
turned in surprise, and confronted
our grocer, on whose steps | had
sought shelter from the crowd, which
at such moment could not be expect
ed to think very much of the safety
Of woman.
Our grocer was a portly man with a
shining bald head, fringed with ring
of white hair, like the tonsure of a
Roman Catholic priest. and wearing
at the moment a Holland apron and
short, blue jacket.
"Yes'm," he went on, Il really hope
the miserable, starved looking crea-
ture will get off,
"Then you don't believe he picked
the gentleman pocket? ?"
.1m 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 hun
CRY, desperate eyes that looked theft
and murder too, for that matter" :"
"And yoa wish him to escape wher
he has broken the laws of the land
and will probably do so again ?"
"God forbid that [ should help tC
break the laws" said the old grocer
Good men have made them anC
they are right, but there are othel
laws that | read of in my old Bible
Sunday nights, that seem to be a
binding. One of them is-'do unto
others as you would others should d.
unto YOU and another-'lOve tn,
neighbor as thyself.' When remem
+ Der these words, | think you may b,
too hard with a poor, sinful fellow
being, and not 90 beyond the limit
) of the law either"
, "That rich man who had his pocket
picked will 90 home to find a Dime
; and a bottle of wine, no doubt, an,
| the poor thief may have a crust o.
) bread and a glass Of burning gin, i
r he can sell or pawn what he stole 70
: enough to get them. Somehow, if
could [ wouldn't have him hunte
: down tonight.
"Still, / don't blame those youn
r fellows; I'd been as furious as any o
them a few years ago, but | learne
lesson once that [ have never fo
Y gotten, and | hope never may. wa
n young man and poor one the
and had hard struggle to make m
little shop support my little famil
V 1t was only by pinching and savin
and keeping a sharp lookout for ever
bargain that | managed at all.
O ave lived in a shabby street, an
had very few customers. A loaf {
bread, quarter of pound of butte
and two ounces Of tea was quite {
order, and most of those who can
to deal wanted trust.
"As for laying in fine fruit and veg
u tables, | never thought of such foil
Diamonds would have been as eatat
'' il that part OF the city, where washt
o. women and the poorest laboring M
IN were the aristocracy.
n "Now and then, when a forei
ship came to port with load
ruined pineapples, or oranges,
bought lot of them, and chargi
them nothing, sold them easily enoue
Although | own, my wife used to $
that the miserable babies who roll
about the cutters died off faster af