The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-10-02
tering about the stupidity Of athese blast
ed foreigners. Noyaoich Bulletin.
The Paw NBROKER,S SHOP !.

I@ VIC ~ GnG most curious ana interest
ing Of the many strange ways Of making
i q livelihood, is the business Of the pawn
A broker. The business world looks upon
II as q pursuit OF doughtful responsibility.
1 The law recognizes it as legitimate; but
the police know it is we'll to scan the con-
tents Of the pawn-shops and keep an eye
on their customers.
In the forlorn train which pass, daily,
ir and out beneath three prophetic giled
i balls, mingled with honest poverty and
i misfortune, are criminals Of every class
and grade of crime. Hands from which
blood stains have been hurriediy washed,
! pass over to tho keeping OF the pawn
broker, gold watches and chains which
will never be redeemed thieves bring
here, tied up in dirty rags, rare heir
looms Of old family silver; gamblers and
bunko men change here their spoils,,
i which they have fleeced from the unwary
coIntryman, into dollars and cents; pick.
i pockets part, here, for a trife, with val
liable pocket-books whose contents they
have emptied; here, too, are gathered lost
i valuables of every description, for which
an owner was never sought. OF those
whose shadows darken the pawn shop,
and whose lives cast deeper shadow up
on the house which they inhabit. the VIC
/ tins OF intemperance form no small pro-
portion. To the pawn shop they stagger
In their half-crazed, drunken wanderings,
/ bearing some little ornament, the last Of
many which once frightened their homes,
or some cherished toy torn from the very
hands of their little heart broken children,
who can scarcely lisp the words of father
or mother. 5ts5
From the window of my office on South
Clark street can see a pawn shop in the
next block, and from time to time during
the day as sit at my desk I catch a
glimpse of the pawnbroker's customers
To anyone who has not observed them
closely they may appear but little differ
ent from the men and women who 90 in
and out Of the shoe store which is the next
| door beyond it; to me there is q peculiar
ity which stamps itself upon then.so Tat
| can guess with almost certainty who
of the passers on the street are to be the
pawnbroker's customers. Let US watch
the pawn-shop together from my window,
For the next customer.
| 1t will not be long. Oh There is one
on the oppisite side Of the street; a young
man who is walking slowly along, now
and then casting furtive chances across at
the pawn-shop, and gathering courage to
face the passers by who shall see him
enter it. he has evidently been some time
out of work, and is forced to seek the only
aid which proffets itself, until he can find
mething to do, Presently there is a
lull in the travel on the street, taking adj
| vantage of it he quickly passes over, hold
| ing down his head, and enters the shop.
Here comes another, woman with a
bundle under her shawl. She pauses in
front of the shop, looks up and down the
l street, and steps to the edge of the side
| walk as if waiting for a car or bus. A
policeman passes by and takes his posi-
ton on the next corner, md she moves on
until q more favorable. opportunity pre-
sents itself. IN the crowd which now
jostles along is {. ragged street. boy Of ten
or twelve years. He is just stepping into
the shop when he catches sight of the
blue coat on the corn,r, and lodging
again into the crowd he slips from sight
into the first alley This singular shy
ness about entering his shopi is the pecu-
liarity which I have noticed as marking
| the pawn brokers' cutomers.
| Curiosity recently led me inside Of this
shop which had so long excited my in
terest. It was, undoubtedly, with a SIM
liar appearance to the others whom I
had watched from my window that I APP
preached it, and perhaps with similar
feelings I entered it to get glimpse of
| its contents, under the guise OF mo uiring
| the price Of q chess board displayed for
sale in the window. The paWnbroker, q
1 little old Jew, with short, curly black
1 hair, and very hooked nose, came at
i once from small room in the rear of his
shop as I entered The chess-board was
| produced and purchased, and while it was
being wrapped up I looked ABOUT me.
One Of the first objects which caught my
eye was a very handsome pocket Bible,
bound insRussia leather. 1T was one Of
the very last things should have expect
ed to see ina pawn-shop. 1t must have
been. aaWled. Yes, there was q pawn
1 ticket beside it.
4 rs that Bjtle for sale,'' asked.
1 The pawnbroker took it down and
looked at the ticket
4 Yes, was forfeited week ago.
! There seemed to be a kind Of exulta-
i ton in the manner Of the pawnbroker as
he handed the Sacred Book to me- 1t
may have been all my Imagination, and
it may be that he really did exult in the
| thought that the Gentiles would even
pawn their Bible to aJew for money.
Il took the book and opened it. One
q of the hy-leaves had been torn out;
/ there was no writing obout to tell to
i whom it once belonged. The leaves
opened of themselves to leaf which had
been turned down. The place was the
beautiful fourteenth chapter Of John
The first three verses were enclosed with
a pencil mark, and on the margin was
written:
/ when you are in trouble, Ellen, readthese
Il precious verses
There was no name to tel whether
! these words had been written by ten.
!. der mother, or a faithful sister, but the
& loving advice had been unheede1.
r Beneath q show case was a small plain
v gold ring which | asked permission Il
!. examine. It was an engagement ring
and on it was engraved the word
Miapah." Why was this precious EN-,
+ hlan of Milo hted live Tins rajaptpd anC