Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-16
SWEET CHARITY.

Ours was quiet street at most times
A lazy, shady place, where the blinds were
forever closed, and where there was SO lit
tie passing that spears OF grass grew here
and there between the flagstones, and the
stone curbs of the iron-railed areas were
fringed with soft green moss. A very
quiet place at most times, but late upon
one autumn afternoon a strange cry
sounded through it which awakened all
its echoes, and called curious faces to the
doors and windows.
stop thief! Stop thiefp'
The strong voice of policeman uttered
the cry at first, the shrill treble of two
boys at play near by took it up and re
peated it, and by and by there was full,
deep chorus, like the cry of pack of
hounds-a sound you might have known
at any distance, however ignorant you
might have been of the language, to be the
cry of men who hunted something.
Policemen with their clubs, errand boys
with their bundles, bakers with their
baskets on their arms, young gentlemen
just released from the academy close at
hand, and ragged urchins whose school
was the gutter, joined in hot pursuit and fol-
lowed the miserable wretch, with bare feet
and hatless head, that fitted along before
them with speed which only fear could
have lent to one so worn and wretched-a
speed which kept the crowd long
way of and made the burliest pant for
breath.
They were out of sight in a moment :;
but in little while the cry was heard
that the thief had baffled them, and some
amongst the crowd rushed back to see If
their prey had doubled on their track, and
others sulkly and indignant at the result
of their useless chase, came back mutter-
ing angrily, or swearing with many violent
oatfs that they would have him yet.
One policeman, well-fed fellow with
crimson ,2ce, made quite hero of himself
by asserting that he knew the fellow and
would trap him before shutdown. There
was a good deal of sympathy felt for the
gentleman who had lost his pocket-hand-
kerchief, but none that / could hear of for
the poor degraded wretch who purloined
it, until placid voice at my elbow uttered
the following words, apparently in solil-
oquy:
well, may be wrong, but | hope they
won't catch him."
| turned in surprise and confronted our
grocer, on whose steps | had sought shelter
from the crowd, which at such moment
would not be expected to think much of
the safety of womanl
Our grocer was portly man, 4 shining.
bald mead, fringed with ring of white
hair, and wearing at that moment hol-
land apron and a short blue jacket.
" Yes'm,p he went on, II really hope that
the miserable, half-staryed creature will
get away
"Then you don't believe he picked the
gentleman's pocket" said /.
Pm afraid that it's only too certain that
he did, man," said the man, shaking his
head. He looked straight at me as he
passed, and he had hungry desperate eyes,
that looked like theft, and murder TOO, for
that matter
sand yet you wish him to escape when
he has broken the laws of the land, and
will do so AGAIN."
"God forbid that should help to break
the laws said the grocer. Good men
made them and they are right; but there
are laws that | read in my Bible Sunday
nights that seemed to be binding. One of
them is, Do unto others as you would that
Others should do unto you And another,
Love thy neighbor as thyself' When |
remember these words, think you may
be too hard with a poor, sinful fellow
being, and not go beyond the limits Of the
law either.
''That rich gentleman who had mis-
pocket picked will go home to a fine din
ner and bottle of wine, no doubt, and
the wretch of thief may have a crust of
bread and a glass of burning gin, if he can
sell or pawn what he stole for enough to
get them Somehow, if | could, wouldn't
have hunted him down tonight; | vow |
wouldn't
"Still, / don't blame those young fell
lows; I'd have been as furious in the
cause as any one of 'em, years ago; but
learned lesson once that | have never
forgotten, and | hope / never may. |
was young man, and poor one, too,
and had hard struggle to make my little
shop keep my family 1t was only by
pinching and saving and keeping sharp
lookout for every bargain, that managed
it at all. -
ave lived in a shabby little street, and
had only very poor customers \ loaf of
bread, a quarter of pound Of butter,
and two ounces of black tea was quite an
order, and most Of those that came wanted
trust.
s'As for laying in fine fruit or vegetables
never thought of such folly. Diamonds
would have been as salable in that part OF
the city, where washer-women and the
poorest laboriug men were the aristocracy
ssNow and then foreign ship came to
port with load OF ruined pineapples OF
decayed oranges. | bought lot of these
and charging little or nothing, sold them
easily enough, although my own wife used
to say that the miserable babies who rolled
about the gutter died off faster after every
stock of foreign fruit ! sold in the old
shop, and ! am afraid she was right. Well,
as / told you, | struggled along as best
might, and after while things began tc
improve, and when lay down to rest al
night, ] began to haze visions of a clean
store in a clean street.
$50 one day when had been 10 market
/ brought down half dozen hams, and
hung them about the door more for show
than ANYTHING else--for hams were goot
holiday dinner in those regions, and no
an everyday affair, can tell you. They
went off slowly. as | thought they would
Now and then someone would come in foi
a pound. and once sold half of the small
est one to a woman who wanted il for he
Sunday dinner. She was to pay me Mon
day morning, but she never did, for OF
Sunday night her husband killed her Will
rum bottle, and they took her body pas
my shop With its head all beaten ont 0
shape and bloody
Sand SO the hams hung there throGgl
the summer, and through the fall, an,
quite on into the winter.
g Ii was Just as the December nights lie
gan to grow long ard dark and cold, that