The Press., 1885-03-19
A BOY WHO PAID HIS DEBTS

Il . Greens grocery store was near Mir. Ut- leys house, and Ned had lately grown quite old enough to go there alone upon errands. The great charm of Greens grocery for Ned was it's windows for MT. Green was really an artist iii window decoration. 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 dis play of foreign fruits, oranges, lemons, figs, dates, etc., around which circIed sort of halo of raisins, dried entrants, colossal plunes, and sugared citron and ginger. Sometimes tempting jars of jelly and jam, of every name and color, would be the heart of the great flower, and every sort of sweet, fancy biscuits the petals Some times sugars would be the main feature, and Ned, pressing his pug nose fiat against the large pane, would wonder to himself l into which box, the central one full of ma pie sugar, or one of the circling ones of Demerara or sdouble-reined, he would plunge his fist, should fire break cut on the premises and destruction be let loose upon | those windows.
 l. was Monday morning. Clean and bright as Il new silver dollar, Ned was on
 
 earlier than usual, therefore had quite time enough 10 stop a little while, and see what a delightful change Mir. Green had made in his windows since the peanuts, De cans, tilberts, walnuts and figs of Saturday night. There aO0s a change. Such raisins he had never seeu in all his life, as these great fat, imposing looking oues, that spread themselves, very much at their ease, upon dry branches, over background of artis- ticully mingled brown nuts.
 My p he exclaimed 'Phose raisins are like some grapes in our family Bible l phwat they call clusters of Eskle, and phwat takes two men to carry 'em ! Don t I just wish were Mr. Greens little boy P Ned looked lingrringly and long at those raisins. MT. Green, inside, slld to hi7 clerk:
 ''Look here, Joe! If eyes G 'uld eat, youngster would get!'
 All through his lessons that morning, Ned seemed, II not more thoughtful, at least less misch evous than usual.
 O. his way Il >me at noon he marched st1a aeht into Mir. Greens store.
 "Mv mother has sent me fDr some o1 your v,ry best raisins, MT. Green,' he said
 "An right, my little man. How many does she want ?'
 ''Oh, about lohree !' answt It d Ned, witt atfecta ion of great crs l. s-ness.
 MT. Green carefully selected three rais ins from the winClow H., then carefully weighed q them carefully did them up ill brown paper parcel, carefully tied the par eel with twine, aud carefully presente d i to Ned
 ssTo be charged" " said Ned, important ly, as he walked away
 That same afternoon MT. Utl-y stopped ill at Greens grocery to leave an order. The moment he appeared Mr. Green exploded with laughter Then he told Mr. Ul-, the funny joke about Neds wholesale pur chase of raisins Mr. Utley looked grave
 "My poor boy has been weaker than temptation p he said tu himself. "Hev can 1 give him lesson that punishmen always follows wrong -loing?"
 As Ned returned from school that after noon, MT. Green stood in his door.
 q find that your mother has no long, an account with me, Neddie," he sad y ''So you will oblige me by bringing tn n n money for those raisins on your way t. l. school tomorrow morniug."
 Ned was thunderstruck. He had scarce ly realized before that Mir. Green was pait |. for bis groceries. He had sort of din
 
 Q factor of humanity, who dispensed hi ' goods for the general bent fit of the public - without thought of selfish gain. Ali th afternoon long the thought had been tor 1 mt nting his heart. What a s:rat tping, ho rid blg lie to have tol l, but it ilnI neve, occurred t. him hefo,-, that a, wei as | s giaciIg himself by d 4ib"rate lie, he h4t got possession of something that really be lOugt q to :tnuther and that mus be ! al. for b fore 1T cou d be nj.
 ''Au 1 a stearr as we'll as tell-;,-li -.r {? fash+ q sharply through his bra,n
 You ought to have spel the poor ltt chaps chin drop,' said Mr. Greru to Jue II declare, if 1warn't for Mir Utiey I'd wistit d hadn't d dpne it, H.. just sait On and took to his legs like rabbit. D
 Ned went straight to his savings bank It was d, plorably light and pt rft c: ly empty
 He remembered then that he had shakel out its last cent on Saturday morning t buy jnjuhe paste, and that it had never hel more than two c:nts at time since he ha owned it. He Was Yer, downcast, aud hi conscience n.ver Ceased crying ''stt al-r a vt Ii ias It l-,,-i--tr
 When Mrs. Utley weDt up stairs to h.. room tLat night, she thought she lit ar sounds of crying from Neu's bed. Sll Included herself mistaken, however wllt Nee. caaiied tp htr:
 Mamma, how m oh do raisi IS ,st ?"
 Sil. thought him d., amiug, aud answe ed lightly
 ''Tnat depends, de'r. The best al sometimes as Ligh as twenty-five cent>. 7"
 "ItOenty,tue cents And I Ina PHREE'' groaned the boy to his pillow
 ri lit arly murnIug he lay aw ake tr,i to find out the cost of three la sllls at twel y-tive ceuts api C.. H. had not mad u ca culation alsy ci,s than that it W, more mois V thal be hal ,vtr Ii iii Il fife, or evsr expected to. Wil'.n H., tar . fo. school, Mir. Gr,e stood in hts .l..or.
 "Have you brought m my noney 1, the ralsips ?' he asked, gravely.
 "Inere wasn't ;.ny ill my bank !'' sa the frightenrd boy.
 "And be just swung them little legs his like castanets," chuckled Mir. Gree telling the incident to Joe.
 Poor Ned missed every one of his lessor - that forenoon, aud went from the head the foot of his class. He returned sorro, fully at noon, looking sharply aheal to s if anybudy stood in MT. Green s door. IT coast seemed clear, and he was rushiy by, as Mir. Green told Joe, ''Iike chic ell to dough pan,' when that fata De son called 10 him:
 "Ntd Utiey! Ned Utley! You haver