The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-04-05

| Will suuueil dStoHiShiHelt, DuC ner nnSel
cluthed over the coin, and then, without
word or gesture of thanks, off she wen
muttering and droning to herself along til
street.
Arthur thought he might as we'll folio,
her example, at least by taking himself of
and postponing his visit to n more oppol
$tune time; but just then Nathan Levi him
self entered the shop, looking wild an
haggard-more like maniac than san
mainland more hideous than ever. Arth
ur, who had never seen him before, starte
at the sudden apparation. Surely he mus
have been mistaken in the address: thi
notwithstanding wretch on whom natur
and poverty seemed to have set the seal o
evil, who inhabited this miserable abode
and who appeared. either from greed o
from necessity, to have left his own mothe
die of hunger, could not be even the tenn
porary possessor of the Great Emerald OF
kandahar. But still even he, young as hi
was, had lived long enough in the world tt
know that all things are possible, in which
respect he was, so far, wiser than Mr.
erode. The Jew also started on seeing q
gentleman in his shop; and, rubbing his
head all over with his large red hands
ringless now-as if to awake himself from
dream, hurried behind the counter.
"E OF can do for yoo, mishter?"
The voice, too, was startling to unac,
customed ears, being weak and shrill and
grating.
"Pray, is your name Levi - Nathan
Levi"
@ am Nathan Levi, mshter."
"And mine is Cranstoun."
Cranshton p asked the Jew, with a
sudden trembling all over, as he glanced
unconsciously toward the door of his treas
gentleman vot 'anged 'imshelf?''
The first impulse of Arthur was to swing
the monster over the counter, and to send
him in a heap into the corner of the shop,
or into the gutter outside; but the question
was SO plainly dictated by want of delca-
cy Of nature, rather than from any often
sive intention, that he stayed his hand -
Besides, the Jew himself saw that he had
made a mist axe, though he was incapable
of seeing in what way.
81 am the son of the late Mr.. Cranstoun,
of Cranstoun,' answered Arthur, "of
whom l beg you will! speak with proper
respect, or-but now to business. My
father-in-law, Mr.. erode, has told me some
curious news an emerald belonging to the
Gar of Caspia, which, it seems, ought to
be in my possession, but which he asserts
to be in yours"
"In mine?" exclaimed the Jew, throw
ing up his hands in well-acted amazement.
IAN emerald in these handsh - he went
on, holding them out, as if for Arthur's
inspection, and grooming. Certainly they
did not look likely hands to be so honored.
"Do you know Mr.. Grode?" asked
Arthur.
"Know i'm? l should think sho: e is
the greatesht schoundrel unhung."
"You may not know that you are speak
ing of my father-in- law, Mr.. Levi" But
the indignation this time in Arthur's eyes
was not so severe as his words.
81 beg of you a thoushand pardonsh,
Mishter Cranshton. But all the shame,
Mishter erode doesh not always shay vot
ish true; and if he ash told you that
ave thsh Emerald, or anything but moth
ing e ash told you lie ash big ash Shaint
Paul sh''
"Then, if that is SO, perhaps you will
have no objection to tell me all you know
about the matter. OF course, | do not ask
you to do anything for nothing; if you
know anything about the Emerald, it will
be worth your while to tell me-"
Arthur spoke with more compassion in
his voice-the man and his surroundings
looked so miserably, SO hopelessly poverty
stricken.
81 would tell you all l know for Won
shinsle shikshpensh, for-'elp me Moshesh.
i ave not tashted food thish day. 'ad
Won 'a'penny to buy myshelf shome bread,
and that ave losht out of the Window
Jusht you give look around, mishter.-
Jusht you look at theshe old shlopsh, that
no Won will buy; at that old candleshick;
.jusht you look at me. No table, no bed,
no chair, no shtove; and jusht you look in
there" he went on, throwing open the
door of the back room, which looked even
more poverty stricken than what was called
the shop. "There, that ish my bedroom;
that cap of shtraw ish on vot lie. You
shee the window ish broke, and l cannot
ave i'm mended; for Wy? l ave not
money to buy crusht. All yesterday
vosh raking the gutter for shtalksh of cab
bagesh. am poor, wretched, shtarving
old man. Yesh, jusht look round vunsh
my 'oushe; and you come here to look for
Emeraldsh"' he exclaimed, with shrill
and bitter laugh, clasping his hands to-
gether, and shedding tears that turned his
peck marks into briny pools. "Do you
think l keep Peru locked up in my pocket
that l who shtarve should refushe vot
they ave offered me-von 'undred and fifty
thoushand guineash - two 'undred and
twenty five thoushand pounds %
His arguments, his proofs, were irresist-
ible; and Arthur looked down in a sort of
shame. He had himself known the first
bracing sting of poverty; but absolute,
utter want, such as this, he had never even
seen; and there is always something in
such sight that makes one almost asham-
ed. Is it that we then feel how wholly we
set at naught the plain command that has
been laid upon us to sell that we have and
give it to the poor?
Arthur, in his excess of delicacy, consid-
cred how he could not but beleve-with-
out wounding susceptibilites that might
lie hid even beneath this loathsome outside.
But his deicacy was supertluous.
"Mishter Cranshton," said the Jew,
"can you shpare mo a few coppersh to buy
me meal? vosh rich man vunsh, and
l find it ard to shtarve."
Arthur emptied his pockets. There, p"
he said "that is all have about me; l