The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-12-29
sCHUlzHEIN, GROCER.

no means extinct, even in the great
cities. Schu1zhein's grocer, on the
corner of South Halsted street, Chica-
go, and one of the little dark alleys
which lead out of this thoroughfare,
is typical Clutch grocery" of the
kind seldom seen nowadays Schulz
helm himself is staid and kindly old
German who says little, but sells
groceries cheaper than anyone else in
Chicago. He has been doing this so
long that the low prices have ceased
to astonish anyone but the residents
of the social settlement near by.
"What is the social philosophy un-
derlying your cut rates, Mr.. Schulz
helm ~ one of the residents asked
him, half humorously, near the last
day of 1899. Mr.. Schulzhein did not
receive the query in quite the spirit
she had expected.
II haf no philosophy" he said,
quietly, "but I beliefe some t'ings,
and I know some t'ings. Dey are
poor people who lif here, and dey can
not pay much. I haf nobody but
mine own self to take care of, and
need not large profits. Dere you haf
der whole case in Won word"
"Have you always been alone in
the word ?" inquired the visitor, won
dering. The sudden contraction of
the old storekeeper' eyebrows told of
a pain somewhere.
milne wife, she dead 80 years, +"
was his quiet reply, and mine little
daughter, she lofe a bad man, more
dan 20 years back, and she run away
NIT him. He tell her I disown her
if she marry him, SO she did not tell
me. l would not hafe done so, but
she beliefe it. Dis is in anodder city,
and I hear not from her since. Dat
is der reason I haf heartaches some
times, and need not large profits.
Der money in der bank, who shall I
1eafe it to?"
What lots of trouble there is in
the world" remarked the visitor,
picking up the sugar purchase for
sick neighbor. "Now, the poor wo-
man l am taking this to lost her
husband last summer, and she has an
invalid mother and tiny baby to
support. And now she has been too
i'll to work for six weeks"
Poor ting" said Schulzhein,
sympathetically. "Take her bas-
ket of groceries nit you.
"Why don't you take them your
self ?" asked the settlement lady,
seized. with a sudden inspiration.
1.-The mother is of your nation, and
it would do her good to talk German
with you. Go and wish them Hap
py New Year, Mr.. Schulzhein, for
kindness sake"
"Vell, 1 t'ink l vill," said Schulz
helm, greatly to his own astonish-
ment. II go dis efening, after clos
ing-time."
Closing-time came very late to
Schulzhein, who thought it hard for
tired men and women to be compelled
to think of everything they needed
before half-past seven, and still hard
er for sleepy children to be dragged
out of bed unnecessarily early on cold
winter mornings to run over to the
store, and who kept open later than
ever in the holiday season. But he
did get the store closed and the bas-
ket of groceries ready at last, al
though he went back several times
after extra delicacies. And he was
climbing the stairs of the Ewing
street tenement to which he had been
directed before it occurred to him
that he did not know the name of the
people he meant to visit.
A door stood open on the second
landing, however; some God given
instinct sent Schulzhein straight to
that door, and when, next day, the
settlement resident dropped in at the
always open grocery to wish Mr..
Schulzhein Happy New Year there
were sounds of women S voices in the
little room back of the store.
''Dat vas mine own little Gretchen,
dat sick modder," Schu1zhein told
her, brokenly, "and dat poor young
widow woman vas mine grandchild,
and der baby vas der first great
grandchild of der family. And 1
brings dem all ofer here to lif nit me
dis morning. Come in, come in, and
say nit dem Happy New Year p
And the settlement visitor was no
more ashamed of the tears they were
both shedding than was the old store
keeper himself.
A DIFFICULT PROBLEM.