The Exeter Times, 1879-3-13, Page 6Tp
E TIMES NIA.RCH 13,187
114I MARL QAEORAYg'S HARVEST.
eHAPretat I..
Wag Goa iN THE GkOUND,
Te the north of Llden and to the
chat cif Wilsont streets, in the Finsbury
eiistriot, there is a small square, only
do be approached by way of Long-elley..
It ie eta unpretentious little sgttere,
hemmed in on all siders by high walls
and great warehouses, with a look of
age about iv, uevertheleas, calculated to
mislead the curious passerby—with
wenderfu'ly elt►bnrete doorway; with
walls wainscotted, if narrnw with
red -tiled roofs, and a general aspect of
decayed respectability that might well
induce anyone .ullaegnraiuted with the
eutecedeltts of the neigltborb''od in
which 1' is,eitueted to eornmt^fee mer -
al zinc nodeoreiw' the mutability of
fortune in the wetter of houses as well
as men.
In the whole of the, city of London
there is probably nota less interesting
1.)et►lily than this. First a lake, than
a swamp, thea t► plague -pit, then a
stretch of epee field, the res, ft of
gamblers, gymnasts, quacks, mounts
banks, mid itinerant preachers, then
the sight of a dre<t,1fn1 toed lhuu:se;
lastly, a great railway terutieue, sue.
rounded` by appropriate gores -yard
and goods .stores ; all t that pow thic)dy
lluilt-over
tract, lyi'g between Bishops.
gate and 1lfuorgate, ant Wor'hip•
street and .Liverpool -street, is in ran}
historical or antiquarian sense as far
from interesting as a neighborhood can
we 1 be.
Aeltl yet just ea an accident can hap
pen in any locality, an history can be
made in any pot, so meu and women
can face their troubles itnye here, as
badly or as bravely as the case may be,
in a city lane as in a faetiienable ter-
race overlooking H-vde Park.
The man whose story 1 have to tell
was, on a certain winter's evening t' -
wards the close of eighteen hundred
and sixty-two, all alone in hit office in
Queen•square fighting out a battle with
himself.
He did not reside in the city, using
or retired spots in the busy Oity, ',Chil-
dren held high carnival when the even -
lugs drew ont, and the summer days
were long and favorable to the sports
affeoted by juveniles of that period ;
but in must seasons of the year, and at
moat of the any, Qtieen•sgaare
was deadly quiet—silent and lonely as
a forgotteu graveyard,
No Broad-etres t et ationthen..ftlose nt
hand, uo North.Westeru yard boned -
hag the eastern side of Long -alley.
Passengers front Shoreditch ternniuus
then took their dreary way westward
through Worship -street, one end of
which was formed), known by the ap-
propriate name of Rug -lane.
Even in those (Gtys the houses in
Queen -square were grnw•ilig dingy.
Fur Many years tune had been artisti•
cally tinting them with 'layers of dirt,
and ao restorerirl the person of an en•
ergt;tie landlord had thought it worth
while to smarten thein up with paint
and varnish, whitewash and fresh pa-
pers. There was a respectable grime
etbont the appeere.uee of the square
atticli confert•rd items it a look of old-
fashioned suability, and argued either
ehnt the tent is were of ofd standing,
and not particular concerning light
anti uleanlinees, or that they wel'e new,
and fer reas`,ns of their own nut Clihpes-
ed to be exigent.
The business pace was not so first
tlir•n as It has sinec become, and a trad-
er at that time did not need periodical
ly to tarn hitn.elf and his goods out of
lo. r, rebuild his peennises,aud saerri-
fice is stock every few years.
Other times, other manuers. The
maurhers of these times are no doubt
very deeirabte, but they are not such
,a;, would have found mush favor in
the sight of staid commercial wen at
the time when Michael Gargrave was
striving towiu his way upwards to pe.
enniary success.
Never a quieter or less risky busi-
ness than he was engaired in. Never
a more careful plodder along legitimate
and beaten highways thau he.
For y.arshe had pursued one steady
and menotouous course, working hard
himeclf and insisting that those he ern-
oloyed should do the some, paying his
one of the old houses in the square off way honestly and keepiug chis tooks
Long -alley for steres and ofticee, and fairly, openi'lg accounts cautiously,
living where his works were situated,
near Hackney Marshes, on the river
Lea.
Too obscure at every stage of its ex
isterce to be deserving of being desig
,ted by name ou any :nap, Queen -
square was even in those days cuusid-
ered so little desirable Prow a business,
`as well as a social, point of view that
rents ruled very law, and its houses
could be had for au "old song."
low -a -days, promisee there might,
judging from appearances, be hired up-
on even easier terms, for the whole
egnare is in a transition state. .[t is
waiting, evidently waiting for what
may happen. It does not mend its
nindcws. or repair its pavements, or
scrub its stairs. or wash its window
ledges, or whiten its doorsteps.
With a very dirty face, it stands
staring at the goods -station of the
North-Western Railway—daily expeot-
ing the bill -stickers round to paste
rosters ail over its house -fronts as a
preliminary to the bricklayers and la-
borers who will follow in dne time,
snaking no long tarrying when their
turn arrives, end cart the whole square
off els old building materials that will
all be worked up again in the erection
of shoddy houses in remote suburbs.
The auctioneer is advancing rapidly
down Long-alley—he has reached some
contemporaries of Qneen•equa,e, gut-
ted them of their contents, stripped an
end oil one and part of en end off an-
other, and put up a big beard, stating
that this eligible plot of building land
.is for sale.
Higher np--nearer Sun -street, or
what wee Sun -street, but is now pertly
making few bad debts, and seliiug his
goody at prices that left a sufficient
margin of profit to cover all reasonable
and likely ooutingenoies. Upon the
whole, not an unsafe basis upon which
to build a secure and profitable trade ;
and had Mr. Gargrave only retnainel
steadily true to his own convictions, he
need not, on tee eveuing when I ven-
ture to take my readers to Queen•
Square, have remained so late at the
office, perplexed with doubts and as-
sailed by a subtle temptation.
Some months previously the had been
tempted by a firm in Liverpool to arl-
venture upon the consignment of a
large Amount of goods to the foreign
correspondents of the firm in question.
A pertain portion of the risk was taken
by the lime in Liverpool, who agreed
to pay the sum agreed on ""six mouths
after date;" while the profits of the
speculation—to call the transaction by
its pr.eper name—were to be divided
between Mr. Gargrave and Messrs.
Brent and Stanhope.
On the fade of it, au arrangement
which seemed prurient and feasible en-
ough ; bot there were two,if not three,
weak points iu the affair—one, that
the sten involved was herger than n
man in Michael Gat'grave's position
tabanid have considered himself justia•
able in running the slightest risk of
losing ; the second, that the geode
jeoperdisied had nothing to do with his
rekular bu mese, were quite outwide
his or,linary trade, and were conse-
quently invoiced to him not iu the
regular way of commerce—that is to
say. not sold by oonstaut supplier to
constant automat, but procured upon
a railway and partly a dismantled ',the strength of an established credit,
thoroughfare—he has sold many plot. and the fact that the horse from which
of land, many lots of building material, he bought believed him to. be pewees -
and erected a bran new church, to say ed not merely of a good business, but
nothing of minor edifice.. of enffioent means to meet his liabilities.
The tide of destruction Intuit short• If there were any other objection to
ly engulf Queen -square, and before this bo put into the (testes when carefully
time next year its site will be 'severed weighing the prudence of the %fanae-
by a block of warehouse, or a Board Lien it was thus—that, under the most
School, or perhaps by another railway favorable circumstances, six months
station. The place which has known nae too long a time for a person in
11 will know it no more --dingy bricks, hie position to lie out out of money
red tiled roofs, twisted ohimet
neys,uall• whioh he himself was bound to pro -
paned windows, ornamented doorways ,• vide. It trade the certainty of his
till these things will disappear, and own payment fall too close upon the
in their stead will rise colossal build. uncertainty of another payment.
inge that have business stamped upon In plainer words, it was, to nee a
them from basetnent to roof. business expression, "too oleo
When Mr, Gargrave had his office at 'shave ;" for though it sometimes hap -
number three, however, Queen•equare pens that out of such encounters a
wore a different aspeot. It was then a man may esoape with the "skin of his
cosy, sleepy, out-of-the-way nook, not teeth," still it iediflicult to pass through
very fear from the Bank of England, such an ordeal without endangering
the Stock Exchange, the Royal Et• many things which ebould be held
charge, the Mansion House, and other very sacred, being jewels beyond ones.
places of the. seine sott which serve as
useful lundmeelts to those who go
down into the deep waters of London
lsueiness, but quiet and seoluded' se a
remote corner of Epping Forest. Not
a vehicle could dixtarb its repose; there
Was no carriage -way to it Either for
lamb -ring *ern or Lord Mayor's
coach, In L ,ng• i1ley, as in most oth-
proved by the Loudon representative
of the country , manufacturers of
W'item he had made inquiry. They spoke
highly of the personal probity and
comrneroial standing of Messrs. Brent
and Stanhope.
Gluon that t risk was to be run at
all/he seemed to "have neglected no
reasonabie-pyecautiou to secure that it
Should be as Selikti-,its paossible, and yet
there was the result—the natural re
Cult, as any ,dispassionate outsider, or
Job -comforting friend, would have
been sure to remarit—the money was
"It seemed perfectly providential. "I
could net have weathered tea Storm
without it," It was a most lucky
()hawse that the letter happened to ar-
rive ou the very day." These, he felt,
ought to have been some of the sent-
ences ho looked forward to uttering
when he got wifely to the end of what
threatened to be a perilous journey ;
but he could not imagine his saying
them. No l Such words other men
had spoken and would speak agaiu,but
ho might not do it.
Not for hint such sowing, even
lost and the goods were last too. though Fortune herself seemed to have
Whosoever else might have madd been at the trouble of bringing him the
anything out of the transaction, • he seed.
had not, and he knew that now be Lev- He did not see that it would be to•
er should, tally wrong, but he could not convince
There was not the smallest unser- himself that it would be perfectly right,
minty about the matter. Ile could take If' he put the gift from him, it al•
out his books, if he felt so iuelined,aud r most amounted to signing the death -
write "bad" against Messrs. Brent and warrant of his commercial existent
Stanhope's account with a feeling of Sueh a chance might never occur
the most perfect oonviotion. again. Just when one dour—es repre-
Cloefirmation of the disaster had sentod by Messrs, Brent and Staullope
reached him a couple of hours previous- —was banged in his face, another in•
plyn and he understood thoroughly that siduously opened.
siuce he left 'home in the morning his gWas Ile justified 1 in ttiruelt-rtg site 1h
position was quite changed, and that
for "lie worse.
Quite enough to perplex a plan and
oanee him to regard the future with
dread and doubt; quite enough to ao
count for books pushed to one side,aud
letters lying unanswered, though regu-
ler post time was long past and gone ;
for the frown on his forehead, and the
depths oftlho•iglht into which he seem-
ed to have plunged. And yet the men-
tal battle ho was fighting had nothing
at first si.ht to do with this loss, or
Messrs. Brent and Stanhope, or his
future ; and as he kept stabbing his
blotting paper all over with the point
of his steel pen, he was no more argu-
ing out the pros and Dons of the way
he had been swindled than he was con-
scione of his visible employment.
He had sat in • exactly the same
position for uearly an hour, doing ex•
actly the same thing, haunted by pre-
cisely the saline words.
"Remember tine corn in the gronnd,"
"Think of the corn in the earth."
With a dull persistency these two
sentences, having taken posses:ion of
his memory, wandered through his
brain ; he could not get rid of them ;
no rnntter of what he tried to think,hia
thoughts kept chiming to that refrain.
it was quite by chance, or what
seemed chanue, that lie kind heard the
cvorda at all. At the time they pro-
duced no apparent impression. H:•'
had gone and come, be had slept and
waked, he had eaten and drunk,ho had
worked and rested ; the days and the
nights hail passed, and the sentences
had seemint'ly lain dormant, like the
wide!'n
seed of wide!' they spoke, and yet in
moment they had sprung into active
life, and were clam:nine to be beard
with an urgency that brooked no refus-
al.
For an hour he had been listening to
their voice, trying at times to get rid
of the sound, striving at otthere to el -
tide the self evident ineaniug of the
principle involved ; bot it would not do.
Alt in vain he endeavored to shut
his ears to the ever -recurring warning.
It was a faithful finger -post, (elution -
mg him against following an evil path,
thoueh that way looked fair and easy,
and the otbor seemed dark and hese"
with difioultiee.
It was the choice 1) Christian in
the Pilgrim's Prc,gress; and Michael
Gargrave knew that.
He was nob a man of brilliant parts
or of wide edueetion ; he had never
been to college and not very long et
school ; but thiugs it is most essential
to know .may be patent to the meanest
understanding without an accurate ao•
quaintsnee with Greek or Hebrew, and
the capacity of a child can grasp the
truth that he who sows tares must not
expect to garner grain.
""Remember the oorn in the ground."
Net precisely iu the sense Michael Gar -
grave appliea it, bad these words been
used by the speaker who spoke them,
but they were so relevant to the posi-
tion in whioh he found himself that he
fell constrained to Sake the sentence
for; a tett and ooustruot a sermon out
of them.
"That which a man sows
surely reap."
Yes, and he know the statement ap-
plied to each man ae well as to all
then. N:1 exception Was needed in this
case to prove the rule,though everyone
undoubtedly seemed to think so.
If he scattered evil he shonld ensure
for himself and othere a plentiful har-
vest of ill. Yes, that was the short
and the long of the matter, if he be-
lieved the testimony of those who had
so sown and ao reaped. And he was
forced to believe it. In the silence in
which be sat surrounded as by thine
palpable presence, the ""whisper in the
yon should take advantage of Snellart
Opportunity it world never have been;
thrust in your way."
"Recoiled, 'ther'e is a tido in the nf-
fairs of men ;' and if yon do not float
off the rucks while this tide is Bowlegyou will certainly go to pierces.""
Aud the other voice said nothing all
the while, save,
"Remember the corn il. the grouud.'y
And be did remember,
Through frost and snow, through
the dark days of 'December and the
long nights of winter, the seed he sow-
ed would live ,and bear frit atter its
kind in all the bummers and autumns
to curve.
2'u be continuer?.
Mowers and Reaper
WE OFFER A TRIAL
of ear celebrated
Single Mowers
—^ANU--
�ea
au oi)poltuuity aside ? !Vasir not his de Reapers
�.ers
fluty even, in the intereete of enother n all kiudeofGrass ahtcl Grrin,alie1on all con
person, to accept without lhest'tatioa, neon ofsoilanasarlue ,
the goods the gods hal s nt hitt ?
Faster and faster went the pen, stab-
bing deeper and deeper into the paper,
and, then, suddenly pushing This chair
back from the table, he rose, and with
hands tll,toe, deep into his pockets, be-
gan to pace the room with slow and
measured steps.
"Take the money while yon have
the chance ; you dill a profitable and
solo trade as long as you stuck to your
own business ; and there cannot bethe slightest shadow of a risk in the
matter."
he shall
S,) the devil, tetnptitig him, urged,
and plausibly.
"If you are feolish enough to let
this upportneity slip yon will be ruin-
ed, nothing can save," ooritinnvd this
voice, egging him on.
"Do not come to any decision to-
night, et any rate," it added, in order,
by piotraotiug the struggle, to weaken
his judgment and allow fresh reasons
far accepting the boon to develop.
"To -morrow will be quite time enough
for you to malls up your mind."
"You can not run the risk of losing
the results of years of labor, of leaving
your horse, and of beggaring Mr.
Holding's daughter. Re trusted her
f it•ur3 to you—remember that,"
"If it had not been intended that
But the inducements held nut lied ear•, eatts►ded as distinct as if enuncial-
been very greet, and Ilfiohael Gargrave ed by the clearest voice.
Was only human. He believed he Yet it was hard to pay heed, if pay.
oonld meet his engegernente without ing heed meant relinquisb+og his own
tfiiculty, and he aleo believed he saw
hie way to a, very ltare'e profit. Ile
knew others had made considerable
amounts by enga3ing itt similar $r•tn•
bastions. His venture bad been ail.
desires. Many a man, he thnuifht,
would regard such hesitancy folly—
such a renunciation as he vaguely con-
templated, an act of insanity.
"Came in the very nick of time."
AND GUARAN'1'1 E SATISFACTiON
OR NOStL+'
We also offer a Trial of our Wrought hon
Two Bur
JOHNSTON'S CI P, FINED Rs r"E1
A:� O kIJWER
tlachit.esaupulict with
1'wu Pitmans,
Two Drag -bars,
Two Finger -bars.
Four Knives,
Forked and Keyed.
Nuts.
Self -oilers,
etc., to.
can be chanlrea from Mower
to Reaper
AND REAPER TO MOVER
ByromovaluffourbG1tb„ anfiniessShall tlfteei,
minute s ' tone.
Please call at our wohks and inn! ee
our Machines before purchasing
elsewhere.
''Send for Catalogues.
THOMPSON & WILLIAM'S
Manownturing Co., Str "tfo.rd.
THIS IS NO BOMBAST !
MONO
Truth Concerns Toll More Than Counterfeit;
—r,
Therefore
Thererore, read, puroliare, and enjoy its bargains, When I say 1 manufacture my own furniture
nn prepared with my proof -sheet that the people can inspect at any tiixie by °;tiling at my Ward
rooms whore they will see a superb lis play of
Furniture inAli Its Branches
to ,u%nnfact•ired by myself and my oom'rined nrtiatic skln,wit'i good workmanship. I der ,arc not.
ih.satisfying the people with n elasq of F'u:nituro that cannot be equalled for quality or price in.
Exeter, all blowing to the contrary, notwithstanding.
WHEN YOU WANT ANY FUI NiTUR GIVE J. BRAWN A CAB le
Corner of Main and Gidley's Street, Eeeter.
Undertakers
TOULD SAY TO
those who intend
purchasing to do so from
the manufacturer. The
dealer who buys to sell
again 'must neoogsarilr
have a profit. We nlairn
to give the purchasers the
benefit, which cannot fail
to moot the views of the
Grangers. Our expenses
are loss than those of city
manu faeturers ooneoq•'ent-
lr we can sellcheaper.
C. & S. GIDI]EY
and
Furniture Mantzfacrtrers
WE WOULD
eallapecialattentiore
to our undertaking dept.rt
ment,which is more co-nt
plete than a ver, as we have
added everal now designs
' of ate The beet cofrin,,.
caskets shrouds,and every
funeral requisite at the
lowest prices. Our new
Hearse is pronounoedbr
competent judges to be
seoond to note in the
provinces
Emblems of all the Different Societies.
JUST RECEIVED AT THE
EXETER GROCERY
AND LIQUOR STORE,
A LABOR !STOCK ON
GREEN, JAPAN,.
YOUNG IlYSON,
and BLACK TEAS,
RAIBINS, CURRANTS,
PRUNES, DRIED APPLES,
CANED FRUIT,
SARDINE S,
LOBSTERS,
SALMON,
BITTEN SatICE +i iD PIO Lltg, tIteAn' lfelS, Gtt $, WINES AND SY1 t(Pg, t „MALS',.
SCOTCH, IRISH AND CO]f11icc:f WHIS1;~IES, TOBACCOS AND CId,1 lea,,
Whofrsala and Retail.
a. A. MA OFT.
Main Streek,Exeter«