Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-01-16
THE. .GROCER'S STORY,

Ours was quiet street at most tines
lazy, shady place where thegreen blinds were
forever closed, and where there was so little
passing that spears of grass grew here and
there between the flagstones and the stone
eurbs of the iron rallied areas were fringed
with soft green moss. A very quiet place q
most times, but late upon one autumn alter
noon a strange cry sounded through it, which
awakened all its echoes, and called curious
faces to the doors and windows.
:.Stop thief stop thief!''
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 repeated
it, and by and by there was a full, deep cho
rus like the cry of pack of hounds-a
sound you might have known atany distance
however ignorant you were Of the language
to be the cry Of men who hunted something
Policemen with their clubs, GRAND boys
with bundles, bakers with baskets on their
arms, young gentlemen just released from
the academy close at hand, and ragged urch-
ins, whose schoc house was the gutter, all
Joined together in the hot pursuit, ard fol-
lowed the miserable object with bare, be-
grimed feet and hatlcss head, that fitted
along before them with a speed which only
fear could lend 10 one so worn and wretched
"a speed which kept the crowd lorg way
off, and made the burliest OF his pursuers pant
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 amongst
the crowd ruahed back to sec if their prey
had doubled on his track and others, sulky
ard indignant with tue result of their useless
chase, came back mHttering apGriy or swear.
ing, with many violent oaths, that they
would have him yet Oae poll ,cman, a we'll
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 good deal Of sympathy expressed
for the gentleman who had lost his pocket
handkerchief, but none that could hear for
the poor, degraded wretch who Lad purloined
it, until placid Voice at my elbow uttered
the following words, apparently in solilcquy:
"Well, may be wrong, but | somehow
hope they won't catch him y -.----zszz=szzzlE
turned in surprise, and confronted our
grocer, on whose steps | had sought shelter
from the crowd. which at such ,noment,
could not be expected to think much of the
safety of woman.
Our grocer was portly man, with shin.
ing bald head, fr;nsed by a ring Of white
hair, like the tonsure of a Roman Catholic
priest, and wearing at the moment Holland
apron and short blue jacket.
"Yes'm," lie went or, " I really hope the
miserable, starvcdlooking crca!urewil get off.
Then you don't believe he picked the
gcn,leman;s pocket" said I.
I'm afraid its only too certain that he did,
maam," said the man, shaking his head.
F" He loo ed straight at ME as lie passed. and
be had hungry, desperate eyes that looked
like theft, and murder, too, for that matter"
"And yet yuu wish him to escape, when
he has brnken the laws Of the land, and will
probably do SO again =
"God forbid that should help to break
the laws" said the Old grocer. "Good men
made them, aud they are right; bat there are
other laws that read in my old Bible Sun
day nights that seem to be as binding. One
OF them is Do unto others as you would
that others should do unto you : and another,
: Love thy neighbor as thyselr' When re.
member these words, I think that you may
betoo hard with poor sinful fellow being,
and not go beyond the limits Of the law
either.
"That rich gentleman who had his pocket
picked will go home to fine dinnep aud a
bottlc OF wine, no doubt. the wretch of thief
may have crust of Tread and a glass of
burning gin, if he can sell or pawn what he
stole for enough to get them. Somehow if L
could, wouldn't have him hunted down to.
night VOW wouldn't.
"Still, don't blame those young fellows ;
Id have been as furious in the chase as any
of 'cm years ago; but I learnt lesson at
once that never have forgotten, and hope /
never may. was young man and poor
one then, and had a hard struggle to make
my little shop keep my little family. 1t was
only by pinching and saving, an> keeping q
sharp look out for every bargain, that man.
aged it at all.
:" We lived in shabby street, and had only
very poor customers. A loaf of bread, a
quarter of pound Of butter, and two ounces
of black tea was quite an order, and most of
those who came wanted trust.
"As for laying in fine fruit or vegetables, l
never thought of such a folly. Diamonds
would have been rs saleaSle in that part of
the city, where washcrwomen and the poorest
laboring men were the aristocracy.
"Now aud then, when foreign ship came
to port with load Of ruined pineapplcs, or
dccaycd oranges, bought lot of these, and
charging next to nothing, sold them easily
enough. Although, own, my wife used to
say the miserable babies, who rolled about
the cutters, died off faster after every stocl,
of damaged foreign fruit sold in the old
shop, and am afraid that she was right.
We'll, as told you, struggled along as best
| might and after while things began to
improve, and began to have visions of a
clean store in good street, when l laid down
to rest at night
$50 one day when had been to market 1
brought home half dozen hams and hung
them mp about the door, more for show
than anything else, for hams were grand
holiday dinner in those regions and not an
every day affair can lell you. They went
off slowly, as thought they would. Now
and then some one would come in for pound,
and once I sold half Of the smallest one to u
woman who wanted it for her Sunday dinner.
She was to pay me on Monday morning, but
she never did, for on Sunday night her hus
band killed her with rum bottle and they
took her body past my shop its poor head
beaten out Of shape and bloody.
"And so the hams hung there through the
summer and through the fall, and quite on
into the winter.
at was Just as the December nights began
to grow long and dark and cold, that noticed
a new policeman on our beat-a young, hand.
some looking fellow, with very bright eyes.
but with such thin cheeks and hands, al
though he seemed to be powerfully built and