Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-04-18
THE GROCER'S STORY.

, UlIC SlCCll DlllhAo WIN VI NlNo
ed, and where there were so little
passing that spires Of grass grew
here and there along the flag stones,
and the stone curbs Of the iron
rallied areas were fringed with soft
green moss. A very quiet place at
most times, butlate one autumn af-
temoon a strange cry sounded thrO'
it, which awakened all its echoes
and called curious faces to the doors
and windows,
Stop thief"
The strong voice of a policeman
uttered the cry at first, and the
shrill trebel Of two boys at play
near by took it up and repeated it,
and by-and-by there was full,
deep chorus, like the cry Of a pack
Of hounds-a sound you might
have known at any distance, how
ever ignorant you are of the Ian
guage, to be the cry Of men who
hunted something,
Policemen with their clubs, er
rand-boys with their bundles, ba-
kers with their baskets on their
arms, young gentlemen just released
from the academy close at hand,
and ragged urchins whose school
house was the gutter, all joined to-
gether in the hot pursuit, and fol
lowed the miserable object with
bare, begrimmed feet and hatless
heads that fitted along before them
with a speed which only fear could
lend to one so worn and wretched
"A speed which kept the crowd Il
long way Oft, while the burliest Of
his pursuers painted for breath.
They were out Of sight in a mo-
ment, but in little while the cry
was heard that the thief had baftied
them, and some among the crowd
rushed back to see if their prey had
doubled on his track, and Others,
sulky and indignant with the use
less chase, came back muttering an
grily, or swearing with many bitter
oaths that they would have him yet.
One policeman, a well-fed fellow
with crimson face, made quite a
hero Of himself, by asserting that
he knew the fellow and would trap
him before sundown. There was q
good deal Of sympathy for the gen
tleman who lost the pocket hand
kerchief, but none that | could hear
for the poor degraded wretch who
had purloined it, until aplacid voice
at my elbow uttered the following
words, apparently in soliloquy:
''Well, l may be wrong, but |
somehow hope they won't catch
him."
turned in surprise, and CON
fronted our grocer, on whose steps
| had sought shelterfrom the crowd,
which, at such a moment, could not
be expected to think much of the
safety of a woman.
Our grocer was portly man
with shining bald head fringed by
a ring of white hair, like the ton
sure Of Roman Catholic priest, and
wearing at the moment Il Holland
apron and sholt blue jacket.
eyes M" he went on, 81 hope the
miserable, starvcd-looking creature
will get off"
"Then you don't believe he pick
ed the gentleman's pocket?" said |.
"I'm afraid its only too certain
that he did, ma'am,' said the man
shaking his head ''EIe looked
straight at me as he passed, and he
had hungry desperate eyes that
looked like theft-murder, too, for
that matter"
"And yet you want him to es-
cape when he has broken the laws
of the land and will probably do so
again"
"God forbie that l should help to
break the laws" said the old gro
Ger,
"Good men make them and they |
are right; but there are other laws
that read in my old Bible Sunday
nights that seem to be binding
One of them is DO unto Others as
you would that others should do
unto you,' and another, Love thy
as thyself,' When l re
these words, l think we
may be too hard with poor, sinful
fellow being, and not 90 beyond the
limits of the law either.
The rich gentleman who had his
pocket picked will go home and find +
a dinner and a bottle of wine no
doubt, and the wretch Of a thief
may have crust of bread and a
glass of burning gin, if he can sell
or pawn what he has stole, for
enough to get them. Somehow, if
l could, l wouldn't have him hunt
ed down tonight VOW would
not
Still, / don't blame those young +
folks; I'd have been as furious in
the chase as any of 'em, years ago,
but l learnt lesson once that l
never forgot, and I hope / never
may. / was young man and a
B, = -, .-...-. H., -. ! III =, L,uI - A.,,yr |