Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-03-20
A BOY WHO PAID HIS DEBTS.


Green's grocery store was near Mr..
Utley's house, and Ned had lately
grown quite old and wise eaough to 60
there alone upon errands.
The great charm of Green's grocery
for Ned was its windows; for Mr.. Green
was really ali artist in window decora-
rion. No grocery windows in the whole
town were so attractively arranged as
his, or so often changed in decoration.
Sometimes the central decoration would
be delicate display Of foreign fruits,
oranges, /. mons, H1s, dates, &C., arouni
which circled sort OF halo OF raislns,
dried currauts, colossal pruues, AMI su-
CARED citron and ginger. Sometimes
tempting Jars OF jelly and jam, OF every
name AMI color, would be the heart ot
the great flower, and every sort OF
sweet, fancy biscuits the petals. Some
times sugars would be the maiu feature,
aud Ned, pressing his pug-nose fiat
against the large pane, would wonder
" himself inlo which box, the central
one full of maple sugar, or one OF the
circlihg ones Of Demerara or "double-
refined" he would plunge his fist,
should fire break out OH the premises
and destruction be let loose upon those
windows.
1t WAS Monday morning. Clean and
bright AS new silver dollar, Ned WAS
on his way TO school. He was i've min
utes earlier than usual, therefore had
quite time enough to stop little while,
and see what delightful change Mr..
Green had made In his windows since
the peanuts, pecsns, hlberts. wslnuts
and figs of Saturday night.
There vas change. Such raisins he
had never seen in all his life, as these
great. tat, imposing looking ones. that
spread themselves, very much at ease,
upon dry branches, over a background
of artistically mingled brown nuts.
"Myl" he exclaimed. "Phoss raisins
are like some grapes in our family Bible
phwst they call clusters Of Eskle, and
phwat takes two men to carry EN-!
Don't l just wish | were Mr.. Green's
little boy"
Ned looked lingsringly and long at
those raisins. Mr.. Green, inside, said
70 his clerk:
"Look here, Joel IL eyes could eat,
what a jolly stomach-ache Mr.. Utleys
youngster would getl"
All through his lessons that morning
Ned seemed, il not more thoughtful, at
least less mI.chievous than usual.
On his way home at noon he marched
straight into Mr.. Green's store.
my mother has sent me for some Of
your very best raisins, Mr.. Green," he
said.
"All right, my little man. How many
does she wsntf"
ooh, about phres :" answered Ned,
with affectation Of great osrelesshess.
Mr.. Green carefully selected three
raisins from tie window. He then care
fully weighed them, carefully did them
up in brown paper parcel, carefully
tied the parcel with twine, and carefully
presented it to Ned.
"To be charged" said Ned, import
antly, as he walked away.
That same afternoon Mr.. Utley stop
ped in at Green's grocery TO leave an
order. The moment he appeared Mr..
Green exploded with laughter. Then
he told Mr.. Utley the funny joke about
Ned's wholesale purchase Of raisius.
Mr.. Utley looked grave. my poor
boy has been weaker than a tempta-
ton !" he said 10 himself. "How can l
give him a Lesson that punishment al-
ways follows wrong-doing!"
As Ned returned from school that sf-
ternoon, Mr.. Green stood in his door.
II find that your mother has no longer
an account with me, Neddie," he said.
$50 you will o5lige me by bringing the
money Tor those rsisins on your way 10
school tomorrow morning"
Ned was thHnderstruek. He had
scarcely realized before that Mr.. Green
WAS paid for his groceries. De hac
sort Of dim ides that the grocer wss
general benefsetor OF humanity, who
dispensed bis goods for the general ben-
eft of the public. without thought Of
selfish gain. All the afternoon long the
thought had been Iormenting his heart.
What q strapping, horrid. big lie to have
told, but it had never occurred to him
before that, as we'll zs disgracing him
self by deliberate lie, he had got pos
session Of something that really belong
ed to another, and that must be paid for
before it could b his.
cam abealoy m wall as a fail-z-lie-