The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-05-06
The Coming
of Hagar


he was called "Skinhint." If he pos
sessed any hidden good qualities to
counterbalance his known bad ones, no
person had ever discovered them, or
even had taken the trouble to look for
them. Certainly Jacob, surly and I'M
communicative, was not an individual
inclined to encourage unlimited curios-
ity. In his pawnshop he lived like an
ogre in a fairy tale castle, and no one
ever came near him save to transact
business, to wrangle during the trans
action thereof. and to curse him at it's
conclusion. Thus it may be guessed
that Jacob drove hard bargains.
The awnshOp-situated in Carby's
Crescent, Lam beth-furthermO resem-
bled an Ogre'S castle iuaSmuch as
though not filled with dead mems bones,
it contained the relics and wreckage,
the f1Otsam and jetSam, of many lives,
Of many households. Placed in the CEN
ter of the dingy crescent, it faced
small open space, and the entrance of
the narrow lane which led therefrOm
to the adjacent thorOughfare. In it's
windOws-begrimed with the dust of
yearS-a heterogeneous mixture of ar
ticles was displayed, ranging from sill
Yer teapots to well worn saucepans;
from gold watches to rusty fatirOnS;
from the chiseI of a carpenter to the
ivory framed mirror of a, fashionable
beauty. The contents Of Dix's window
typitied in little. the luxury, the mean
ness, the triviality, and the decadence
of latter day civilization.
There was some irony, too, in the dis
position of incOngruOus articles: for
the useful and useless were placed sig
nificantly in proximity, and the trif1es
. of frivolity were mingled with the nee
essaries of life. Here a Dresden china
figure, bright hued and dainty, simpered
everlastingly at copper warming-pan;
there a silver handled dagger of the
Renaissance lay with a score of those
cheap dinner knives whose bluntness
one execrateS in third rate restaurants
The bandaged hand of a Pharaohonfc
mummy touched an agate saucer hold
ing defaced coins of all ages. of all ma
tons. Watches, in alternate rows of
gold and silver dangled over fantastic
temples and ships of ivory carved by
la bOTiOuS Chinese artificerS. On a
square of rich brocade, woven of silks,
multi-cOlOred as parrots plumage,
were piled in careless prOfusiOn medals,
charms. old fashioned rings set with
dim gems, and the frail glass bangles
of Indian nautch girls. A small cabi-
net of Japanese lacquer black, with
grotesque gilded figures thereon; tails
mans of coral from southern Italy de-
signed to avert the evil eyef jeweled
pipes of Turkey, set roughly With blue
turquoise stones; Georgian caps with
embroideries of furnished gold. ann
lets, earrings. bracelets. snufbOxes and
mosaic brooches from FlOrence-aU
these frivOlities were thrown the one
on top of the other, and all were over
laid with fine gray dust. Wreckage of
many centuries: dry bones of a hun
dred social systems, dead or dying,
What a commentary on the durability
OF empire-on the inherent pride of pig
my mani
Within doors the shop was small and
dark. narrow counter, running
lengthways. divided the whole into two
parts. On the side nearest the entrance
three wooden screens by their DISPOSE
ton formed four sentry boxes, into
which customers stepped when bent on
business. Jacob. wien, cunning, and
Tacked by an eternal cough, lowered up
and down the space within the coun-
ter. wrangling necessarily with his Gus
toners, and cheating them on every Oc-
caslon. He never gave the value of a
pawned article: he fought over every
farthlng, and even when he obtained
the goods al his own price he grudged
payment. for every coin he put down
was a drop of blood wrung from his
withered heart. He rarely went out
side the shop; he never mingled with
his fellow creatures. and. the days Chi
canery ended he retired invariably into !
a gloomy back parlOr, the principal (
OF which was gigantic safe
built into the wall. Here he counted
his gains and saw doubtful customers /
not receivable in the shop. who came |
by stealth to dispose of stolen goods |
Here, also, in his lighter moments, he'd
COnVersed with the only friend he pos !
sessed in Carby'S Crescent-OT, indeed, !
in London. Jacob was in no danger of /
becoming a popular idol.
This particular friend was a solicitor /
named NaTk. who carried on a shady |
business, in a shady manner, for shady
clients His name-as he declared him !
self-prOved him TO be of Polish de- |
scent; but it was commonly reported in
a ri
TO rhyme with shark, as emblematic of !
the estimation i'm which he was held
He was hated only one degree less than
Jacob, and the tWO-cOnnected primar-
lily as lawyer and client-Iater on. had
struck up a miStruStful friendship bv
reason OF their mutual reputation and
isolation. Neither one believed IN the
other; each tried TO swindle on his own
account and never succeeded; yet the
two met nightly and talked over their
divers rascalities in the dingy parlOr. !
with a confidence begotten by an int
mate knowledge of each others char
acter- The regulations of both were so
bad that the one did not dare to be-
tray the other. Only on this basis is
honor possible among thieves.
Late one fOggy November night ia
cob was seated with his crony over a
Dinched little fire, which burned feebIy
IN rusty iron CRATE The old pawn
broker was boiling some Cruel, and
\ ark, with ms own private bottle or gin
beside him, was drinking a wineglass
IF il. mixed sparingly with water. Mr.
DIX supplied this later beverage. as it !
cost nothing. but Vark-on an under
standing which dated from the COM
ueucement of their acqUaintance-al-
ways brought his own liquor. a gut
ering candle in a silver candleStick-a
)awned article-was placed on the deal
able, and gave forth miserable light
The fog from without had percolated
INTO the room, 50 that the pair sat in a
kind Of misty atmosphere, hardly illu-
ininated by the farthing dip. Such dis
N0mfnrf such snua lnr was only nnsSf-