Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-12-18

the eXecrable taste displayed in th'
former was worthy of all reproha
tion), her eye was attracted by thu
glare of gas, plate glass, and gild
ing. She looked at the building
for a moment, and found, among
other labels, embossed in colder
letters, in the window: "Fine old
Jamaica Rum, eighteen pence u bot
tle." The words seemed to cast q
singular spell over Trottie, and she
could not keep her e.oe r-~-- .r~...
At loo. 4,.O truth of the proverb
"What is done cannot be undone, ,
came across her mind, and she re
solved to enter the gin shop anG
purchase a bottle of rum. But at
tractive as the show and finery O
the place might have appeared from
the outside, and although the gild
ing and appointments on the inside
were even more lavish than on the
exterior, she soon found that she
was in a most uncongenial atmOs
phere. There was a crowd cOmpOs.
ed of women of the lowest charac
ter, workingmen (and, alas ! some
also had their wives with them)
soldiers from the Tower, sailors, and
Others, few being quite sober, the
majority slightly intoxicated, and
some positively drunk. There was
considerable uproar going forward
at the time, caused by the attempt
of the barman to push out of the
shop wretched, ragged, drunken
middle,aged woman, who screamed
and fought with great energy. Of
those present, some took her part :
others were for her expulsion. Pos
sibly neither party were much inter.
ested in her cause, but simply inter
fered from love of the fnn it Great.
ed.
Disgusted with the scene, Trottie
left the shop, and went into tho
street, determined TO continue her
road homewards. She had not,
however, succeeded in passing the
shop, when she saw on a side door,
written also in gold embossed let.
ters: "Bottle Department." Be-
ing somewhat of a determined char
acter, and having resolved that she
would carry home the rum, she ell
tered this department, where she
could make her purchase quietly
and unobscrved.
This, however, was hardly the
case, for she found it filled, though
with d somewhat more decent set of
customers than in the bar-room
but every sound and blasphemous
expression used by those she had
just left was as audible as if she
had been among them. She could
hear that the barman was evidently
succeeding in turning out the wo.
man, her defenders at the time
making still more noise, and using
more horrible execlatiOns as they
found the other party the stronger.
Trottie could support this no lon
ger, and, before making her pur-
chase, she left the place, at the same
time as tho woman was expelled
from the other door. When outside
the house the woman continued her
vociferations as loudly as ever, to-
tally Indifferent to the remOnstran.
ces of a policeman, who earnestly
advised her to go home, or he would
be Obliged to lock her up.
"You ungrateful vagalDond!" she
rOared out to the barman and 9th.
ers employed in the snop; ''you
ought to be ashamed of yourself, for
you know you huvn't a better Gus
toner than me. Why,this very even
ing l pawned the shoes Oft my chill
dren's feet; and now I've spent all
the money I've got you refuse to
give me credit for another quartern.
Oh ! you're a precious set of Chris
tians, you are! l wouldn't have
my soul in any of your hodies for
anything"
Here the policeman managed to
drag her away, while poU Trottie,
thoroughly disgusted with the whole
scene, continued her way homeward,
leaving all thoughts of the bottle
of rum behind her.
When TrOttie arrived at the
h hOuse she found all the family as
but gloomy indeed was
their appearance. The stamp of
hunger was on the faces of all, and
not without cause, for that day,
with the exception of half quart
ern loaf, they had eaten nothing.
wien she noticed their ex.
preston, was very pleased she had