Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-12-25
TrOttie's Dream.
A CHRISTMAS STORY.

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"What can Go for you, ma'am =
said one of the shOpmen.
81 want half crown on those,'
said the woman, putting something
down on the counter, but Trottie
could not see what, as the shopmall
stood between her and the woman
Taking up the article she had put
down, the shopman carried them "a
pair of child's shoes) under the gas.
light to examine them more minute
ly. .7.
ts-A,, jos. ,n"y oAvininc Jucm us
much as you please" said the
woman ; "they are very little worn;
l gave six shillings for them not
long ago, and the boys only worn
them on Sundays" Or.
"Eighteen pence" said the shop.
man. 5-..
"Eighteen pence won't do," said
the woman.
"Take them back, then," said the
shopman, throwing them on the
counter.
":Say one.and-nine," said the
woman.
"Eighteen pence or nothing" re-
piled the shopman.
cpl take the money" said the
woman.
The man now proceeded to tie to.
gcther the shoes aud make out a
ticket, and the dead hand drew
Trottie from the shop.
How it was she could not tell,
but, without hurrying or making
scarcely any movement, Trottie the
next moment found herself in a
room overhead. 1t was fitted up
in a singular manner, with racks
and shelves raised round it and in
the center; and these were filled
with objects of most varied de.
many of them folded up
in cloths, while others we're open
to the eye, all having labels Oh
Them, and arranged in the neatest
order. There were two men also
in this room-one of them an assis.
jant in the house, the other a visitor.
They were conversing together on
some common subject when a noise
vas heard in one part of the room,
which seemed to proceed from a
small cupboard in the corner. The
assistant went and opened the
loor, and there, on a shelf, he found
evidently the same pair of shoes
which had been pledged by the
woman below. The man having
the ticket on them, took
hem to a shelf where a number of
,ther pairs of shoes about the same
'ize were arranged.
GLOW l do hate having to do
With these things" said the man to
lis companion.
"Why "he asked.
III don't like them; all tell the
anne tale" was his reply. "There
sn't one pair of the whole of these
hoes on this shelf that hasn't been
aiken off the feet of the child of a
lrunken mother"
"How do you know that 5" asked
lis companion.
"a sober woman" he replied,
may be in distress, and bitter dis
ress, too, but she will part with
'verythffig she has sooner than
'awn her chiIdren's clothes; while
he drunken mother makes no scru.
lie Oh the occasion, and in ninety.
line cases out of a hundred before
lalf an hour has passed since she
eceived the money every farthing
# it is gone in the gin shop. 1t
would be very curious to trace
he stories of those families whose
shoes are on that shelf.
Iany tale of the most heartren.
ling description would be found
onnected with them, and every
PORTION of the misery endured, the
ault of a drunken mother. Now
IS to these very Shoes" he contin-
led, IL can tell the history Of the
goman who pawned them )" so say.
ng, he mechanic ally examined
hem under the light. "YOu see
hey're we'll made; there's no slOp-
york here. l can almost tell by !
he look of them that the child's
Mother has never pawned them
,efOre. . 1 shO uld like to have seen
Ter when she was in the box offer
ng them, an d then l could have
old. When | used to be below in
he shop l could always tell when a
offered pair of her chill.