The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-07-01
A STORY OF STOLEN FRUIT.
This Time It Was an ORANGE Instead

This Time 1t Was an Orange Instead of
an Apple that Caused the Trouble.
There are a great many things that any
given number of people had rather do
than work. crowd had rather gather
on street corner at any time of the day
or night and listen to an argument or
watch difficulty than to engage in the
most pleasing kind of useful ayocation
Imaginable
The streets may be as still as the walks
of a deserted cemetery and the city as
silent as the lamps that burn on graves
so to speak, but let an encounter of the
most minute Importance or difficulty the
most slight occur, and all is at once
changed The crowd gathers from every
direction. 1t pours out of what were APP
parently tenantless doorways a moment
before; 1t appears from corners and angles
and highways and hyways which were as
banquet halls deserted until the first note
of the conflict.
Last night, Being Sunday, Main street
was practically deserted. 1t was not yet
O'Clock, and the pleasure seeking crowds
which went out in all directions during
the afternoon had not returned.
To interpoate n phrase borrowed from
the vernacuar of George AIDE, there was
"no;hing doing"
Suddenly a crowd began TO gather. 1t
came up with greater rapldity than does
an electric storm after heat -ladened day.
Men who had been hunkered up on the
SHADY side of the street all the after
noon, and those who had been lounging In
hoIel lobbies making oyertures to Morpheus
with palm leaf fans began to stir them
selves A general ebullition of excitement
and Interest chased the tpprid zone out OF
the atmosphere, and renewed interest in
life babe dull care depart for the time be-
Ing A pebble had been dropped into the
sea Of inanition, and the ever widening
cddies babe fair 10 touch all the shores of
human interest, in that vicinity at least
so tense were the nerves and so intense
was the interest which characterized the
crowG, that for the time being 1t booked
IKE any Old thing might occur
But the elements of material nature did
NOT resolve themselves back Into original
I chaos, neither was the symmetry and per-
fection Of our planetary system seriously
| disturbed BY the encounter. The mysteri-
ons tuid that feeds the arc ineandescent
circuits continued to flow and the cars of
the Houston Electric Street railway ran
larlty.
| The gorgeous Imagery Of the above WAS
occasoned by the hlching Of a single or
e from fruit stand and the pursuit
and capture of two small boys BY the
4 owner OF the orange. Both Of the cnlprits
were OF tender years, but tough propensl-
/ ties aud one OF them strove with a zeal
worthy Of "A better cause 10 use a knife
I on his captor, while the owner Of the al
I legged purloined fruit. whose personal APP
/ pearanee rcsembled that Of Hawthorne's
3 Marble taun. was engaged in lodging
( the knife thrusts. One of the boys sue
I ceeaed m getting away The wielder Of
/ the knife struggled to free himself. In the
! meantime making the atmosphere cerulean
Z with imprecations against his captor. Then
I big man IN the crowd made the Dago
Z lei the boy go and two minutes afterward
4 there Was nothing stirring, not even q
I policeman.