The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-12-10
THE THREE BALLS.
THE MELANCHOLY INTEREST A
PAWN aRoKER'5 1P Pos3sss7s.
The Visits Of Customers Described bv an
Eye-witne,s--A Dreary and Gloomy
Procession "A First Expert
enoe -Romanoe, Tragedy.
Now York Rnn.l

New York Sun,
Glance into the wlndows OF any OF the
various pawnbrokers shops In Chatham
street. the Bowery, aud Third, Sixth,
Seventh and Eighth avenues, and there Is
displayed the same tangled heap Of "per.
sonal property thrown together In the
same confused, dusty, neglected jumhle,
There Is the same triple row Of watohe Vt
every do'crIptinn, gold, silver, nickel and
brass, soms with chains attached Rnd some
IN all stages OF direpute and unre.
pair, hung across the raar Of tho window
There Is the same assortment OF vulln', dusty
and di'u'ed hung up at tho side, and In
the heap at the bottom Of the window there
Ia almost everything rings, match boxes,
acoordlons, pipes, opera glaseq carved
hol lera, decorated fans revolver',
flatirons, padlocks, watch-ehain' bracelets,
necklaces, lamp standards, fancirul ink bot
tlai, sclNors, Eyeglasses, paper cutter, sill
Yer cups, prlae medals steel handcuift sets
OF sllyer'platsd fork, gold penholdera,
knives Of every conceivable description,
raEora, cigar cases, mu,ca instruments,
mechanical tools Of all trades AMI endless
trinketi and brc'a-brac.
A DREARY PROCESSION.
Stand near tho door Of any ono Of these
shops AMI watch tho mon anl women who
go In and out II Is not very stra SO, but
II Il an index 10 the character Of the place,
tho fact that tho greatoit number OF GUS
toners come Just about du'k They dislike
n go In In op,n da,, when they may DO do
tected on the stepsi an neither do they do
sire 10 ontor at nIgit, whom tho lights inside
make them conspicuous from the street IL
h dreary and gloomy procession that on
tors the portals under tho gilled balls
Want has brought tho great majority OF
them there, and poverty In stamped their
features How familiar an tho Types Of
and how haclnoyed tholr do
scription sounds A woman with pinchod
and aaddenel features wearing q fadel
shawl aud carrying underneath ~ folds
package done up In u new'plpor, entor' tho
door with which she Ia too familiar and
goes up to tho end Of tho counter " lero u
big man OF Semitic cast of visago stands
serene and majestic In hltshIrt sleeves A
young man, whom nature has stamped aa
his son, Ia NJ hi, side The woman draws
the package from under her sha vi and lays
ID on tho oiuntor Father and son pay hor
no attention. but continue converaatlon
relative 10 tho respective merits OF tho
black cIgar' they alternately place between
their lips and thon withdraw ~ contemplate
tho color OF the ash at tho ond
Tho woman opens tho paper and disolnsos
n neatly Oldod hrown droA of some woollon
IN torIal, aud thon waits woarIly until tho
younger man suddenly j,rRH II toward him
and lnqulresi
allow much you want"
"Can you gIvo mo tl,' she askS
"Ffty CONT says tho older man, with
one glance at tho garment
The younger man looks NJ II moro care.
fully, AMI thon aayi "lortY conta' Tho
old man mods approyIngly AMI turns TO his
paper%
"All right tho woman says knowing
from hlttor experience that no amount Of
pleading can mako one penny dilroronco
In tho result
Tho young man tosol tho dress 10 one
side, makes out two tiokota NJ tho dOak,
pins one 10 tho dress, reaches Into n drawer
that sounds an alarm bell when II IL opened,
aud tossca tho other tickot and ~ conta on
10 tho counter
HIS FIRST EXPERIENCE.
A young man Ia the next customer He
has aaunterod M tho street whlsilng, with
an ovorcoat ION his arm, IN II II were too
warm 10 wear II, though tho air Is sharp
and biting, Ho stops earolo'sly at tho
pawnbrokora window and looks In at tho
triple row OF watches, whose hands, all
pointing 10 dIlroront timos Of day, gIyo
an air Of rocklcssnoss md lmprovIdonco 10
tho interior that aoom, woll suitcl 10 Us dis
NAL usngoG Tho young man looks In for
some time at tho window, not hooau.o no IL
undecided what eoura, 10 pursue, but In
order 10 wait until tho other young man,
who cem' Interested In tho scrutiny OF n
pair Of duolIny pistols has gone
away, Then tho young man with tho
oycrcoat glanoc' hastily abut and
ontors tho door, llo throws tho ovcrcoat
down nt The nearest end Of tho counter and
waits for ono of tho black eyobrowod gon.
toman 10 como and look At H. llc waits
for several minutes and then carries II up
b their end of tho counter II IL obviously
his ar,t cxporiono, with tho money londor
Tho young man with tho prominent noso
looks curiously at tho coat Onl ,ayG "rwo
dolartn
"on no,' says tho other young man with
n forced smilo with which hn Intends 10
convoy tho lloo that ho IA not 10 be takon
IN. ~ paid S85 FOR that coat, anl I've only
worn II n little while twOnt e. on H."
The young man bohInl tho counter gIyo,
the garment Il push toward u, ownor and
turn, calmly away The othor Young man
wait, two or three minutes for him 10 turn
and tako 10 back, but ~ no indication OF
any such action h ovIneod, ho inquiries
mildly
"Well, how much viii you glver
ile OF thu prominent nose turns AMI says
hurhlyj "l told you ~ lfyou don't want
10 take H. pick up your coat aud glt out OF
tho shop"
Tho young man docs pick up his coat and
walks rapidly toward the door, He II
biting his lips and can II DO possible that
ho is trying 10 keep back toar,.-woaN
clremnato tcOrs llo stops AZ the door with
his hand on tho knob and thon turns about
and walks back 10 tho counter
"couldn't you give mo esq ho aska
tlmidly.
"Dld you hear mo say only glvo you ter'
demands the pawnbroker's son
AN right" responds tho other, meokly,
and tho same rapid transfer of tIokota,
coat, and money 10 made NJ In tho former
instance.
ROMANCE, TRAGEDY, CRIME.
Perhaps tho next customer Ia n ragged
child who obtains or 10 cents upon Hat
iron, and then bent and aged mechanic
enters and with trembling hands places a
ohlscl or hammer upon tho counter and re-
ceivoa a trinlng amount OF coin with Tho
tickot Az some OF tho shops ono might
chance 10 SEQ gIldod youth enter and OBJ
tain % upon han laome gold watch,
which he will redeem whom he receives bis
allowance, or perhaps n laly's maid comet
In with pair OF diamond earrings or val
uablo jewel, upon which the owner will OBJ
tain n temporary loan 10 tide over do
nestle crisis II Is possible that tho well.
dressed gentleman who obtains large nd
vance upon the expensive jewelry bo bring
IN In n thieves gosbetween, aud II may bC
that the jcwolry the pawnbroker Is caro-
fully packin away has boon obtained al