The morning times., 1896-02-22
SakS and COmDan'
Pa. Ave and 9Th st.-ssAKS CORNER :
THE REAL "coPrKRFIELD."
Where and When the Queer Sma
Boy" Was Born.


Boy Was Born.
Now York Mail and Express.
1t may interest the many boys and gil
who read this paper Co know that fe
minutes before midnight on Friday, Fe
ruary : 1872, there was born on the IslaI
Of Portsea, England. very queer sm;
boy" who afterward became known
everybody who reads the English languag
Some years before his birth his fathS
whose name was John. lived in London
was employed in the government navy p;
office as seventh assistant clerk at Saia
OF S400 a year. He was then nineteen yea
old. -Four years later he went across
street from the pay office to the chur
OF st. Mary-le-Stran nd ard married Esiz
beth Barrow. They lived in Loudon IN
John was sent to the Island OF Ports
to attend to paying off the ships that can
into Portsmouth. aud here tie ''que
small boy was born.
He was n delicate baby, with but litt
strength or body. but a remarkable min
In his manhood he could remember whd
he Was taught to walk. and ne could 3
his mother kneeling on the floor while
toddled between her and the servant.
could remember, too, the garden in froj
of the house where he was born and whe
he played with his sister. Fannie, befo
lie was two years old. He was carried intl
Portsmouth one day to see the soldie
parade, aud when he returned to the spC
twenty-five years later he remembered
the scene and recognized the parade groun
where his baby eyes had beheld the soldiersj
When he was between four and five yeaII
old his father left Pertsea and went Il
Chatham, where he lived in d row o|
houses like New York flats Here thI
little boy stayed until he was nine years old
and he remembered these days as the
happiest of his life He became acquainted
with everybody in the row of houses
and they all loved him, for he was q
sociable. bright little fellow. His deares
conlrade was his next-door neighbor, {
robust, venturesome boy named George
Stroughill, and his first sweetheart was
Georges sister, Lucy. beautiful child
with long golden hair. Many years later
when tue queer small boy' became q
great novelist, he wrote OF his friend
George as ''Steerforih" in the story o.
David Copperfield," and his sweethear
Lucy became the Golden Lucy" in ''Tht
Wreck of the Golden Mary" Many othe1
of his neigh6ors in the row OF houses became
Characters in his novels.
Being small and Sickly boy and suf
fering much from bodily pain, he could
not Join the Other boys in their games
but this did not prevent him from being
with them and sharing in the fun. WheI
| they played cricket or marbles or hide
and-seck he would lie on the grass neal
| by with a hook in his hand and read. This
seemed a great hardship to him then
but it proved n great blessing 10 him a.
n man. He couldn't run aud jump aDC
tumble around, but he could sing ant
recitc poetry and parts of plays, ant
| this he often did in his mothers kitchen
assisted by his friends, George and Lucy
His happy days ended when he wa:
| about nine years Old, and he went through
period OF misery and tlrudgery, which
was the harder TO bear, because be wa.
| so small and weak. His father became in
Folyed in debt and was arrested and pu
| in prison in London.
| The little boy was forced to support him
4 self, and he went to work in shoe black
/ lag factory. pastiRg tie labels on the boxes
/ He earned rs cents a week and he iiyet
| with a kind old iafiy near the prison wller
/ his father was confined. This sad, hari
period OF Ids life extended over thre-
years. When ne WAS twelve years old, ant
| still small boy for his age. his fathe
| was released from prison and happier day
| came He went to school for time
| and he became stronger as he grew to man
/ hood. He studied shorthand writing, ant
i when he was nineteen he held the position
of newspaper reporter in the house OF com
mons. When he was twenty-five his frs
1 piece of original writing was published Il
/: a monthly magazine in January, 1884
was entitled "a Dinner at Poplar" Thf
| was followed by a series of magaZin
sketches over the signature Boz" Hi
/ many great novels can be found in ever
4 American library. and they have place.
l the name OF Charles Dickens in the highes
rank Of tlunerists and fiction writers.
l He died June o, 1870.