Year: 1871

/


Away from the cities the whole rang


OF lesser everyday wants turns the fulfil


ment to the country store. And so i


becomes a clustering point for all o


village life.


There is no limit to its possibilities. L


Aunt Ennice wants anything, from 1


washtub to an ounce OF paregoric, she


knows where to get it but when sh.


broke her only pair of spectacles, th,


other day, she came to us in doubt


=" You keep most everything" she
said, hopefully.


Yes, know; but we don't sell spec
tacles. People are so different you see


But there are pair or two about here
somewhere, if they will do you any
good"


These had come to us from some auc.
tion-cr other, where were congregated
the quaint and useless relics of many q
previous sale-relics that are still des-
tined, / doubt not, for further kicks
adown the wales of time by auctioneers
yet unborn. l have them before me
w-stout-rimmed, cumbrous, brassy
staring owl-hke at me, as if from out
the deepening twilight of the past the
glasses so scratched and dim with use
and age that it is easy to imagine that
within their misty lenses fingers the re-
membrance of many vanished scene,
and that they feebly attempt, as placed
them astride of my nose, to twist the
familiar things at which look into an
unique picture which shall be in keep
ing with their own venerable aspect.


But they are spectacles. A rare spec
tacle, too, was the good woman's face as
she held them afar, that she might
better inspect them with her crippled
eyes.


Goodness Did you ever How could
people ever wear such things as these 1
hope you don't ever expect to sell them. :"


But thus happily were the resources of
our establishment vindicated though
less ready were We than other shopkeep-
ers of these parts, who laid wager that
he could fill any single demand, and tri-
umphantly produced a second hand
pulpit which was called for.


Such enterprising spirits are not har-
rowed by any study of the known laws
of supply and demand. Within the pre-
cincts over which have been called to
exercise a temporary charge, have
gathered many things that have long
failed to excite the appreciation of our
plain country folks-patent medicines,
powders and onguents, of happiest eff
cacy and illimitable range of cure pol
ishing powders, enough to burnish the
world until it should shine like another
sun preparations and contrivances need
ing a second inventor to discover use for
them or to tell their eficiency-and
which are here waiting in dingy and fly
specked state that happy millenial time
which shall find for all inexplicable and
sighted things full and legitimate use.


The country storekeeper is in some
sort public character. He finds him
self used in dozen different ways-as
banker, oracle, referee, newspaper,
directory, intelligence man, ETC., almost
before he is aware. Gossip and small |
talk he should retail with the same grace
ful alacrity with which he d1spenses
and peppermint drops. Thor
1ughly democratic as an institution, |
. the store" recognizes no caste, and its
loor swings freely open to all who come,
whatever be their errands. An inviting
haunt for all the idle ones among us, its
title circle, that is ever shifting its char
cter and its subjects as different charac-
ers come aud go.