The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-19

II ~ u
+ Ens98WSl this tale) lovely girl of sever-
GSsIG.l teen named Lucie Manette Her
1folner had died when she was baby,
IN france, and she lived alone with her
Old nurse, Miss Tross, a homely, grim
guardian with hair MS red as her face,
who called Lucie lady Bird and loved
her very much. Miss Pross was sharp
OF speech and was always swapping peo-
a PIE up, as II she would bite their heads
OF but though che seldom chose to
~ show 1T she was the kindest, itruest most
unselfish person in the world. I,ucie had
no memory of her father, and had. al
ways believed he also had died when she
Z was a baby. 55 { i3f
One day. however, through a Mr.. Lorry,
the agent of a bank, she heard Won
4 derful piece of news. She learned that
her father was not dead, but that he had
been wick eddy thrown into a secret prison
In Paris before she was born, and had
been lost thus for eighteen long years.
II This prison was the Bastille-a cold, dark
4 building like castle. with high gray
NJ overs deep 1noat and drawbridga and
81 o!diers and cannon to defend It's
In sthose days, in France, the rich
mobiles who belonged to the royal court
were very powerful and overbearing, and
the rest of the people had few rights. one
e could be put into prison then without
any trial al all SO that many innocent
Y Pcople sufttftS Lucie's mother had
4 guessed that DR.. Aanette Gor he was a
physic!anl had III some way incurred the
t hatred OF some one of the MOBILES, anu
4 had thus been taken from her; but ali
she certainly knew was that he had dis
appeared one day in Paris and had never
come back. g.
For year she had tried In every way
to find him. but at length, desolate and
4 hear t',roken, she had fallen Ill and died,
q leaving little Luc.e with only Miss Pross
to care for her. Mr.. Lorry, himself, who
told Lucie this story, having known her
father had brought her, baby, to Lon
& don in his arms.
q aig NJ W. he told her, after all these years,
her father had at last been released, and
3gf was at that moment In Paris in charge
OF & man named Defarge, who had once
been his servant; but the long lnprs-
SC onment had affected his mind, so that he
was little more than the broken wreck
OF the man he had once been. Mr.. Lorry
was about to go to Paris to identity him.
l and he wished Lucie TO go also to bring
't him to himself.
You can imagine that Lucie's heart was
both glad and sorrowful at the news;
joyful that tho father she had always
believed dead was alive. and yet full
Of grief for his condition. She hastily
made ready and that same day set out
with Mr. Lorry for France.
When they reached Paris they went
at once to find Defarge. He was a stern.
forbidding man, who kept q cheap wine
shop in one Of the poorer quarters OF
u the city. He took them through a dirty
courtyard behind the shop and up five
flights of filthy stairs to a door. which
he unlocked for them to enter.
In the dim room sat a wthered, white
haired old NAH on allow bench making
shoes. Ills cheeks were worn and hollow,
his eyes were bright and his long beard
was as white as snow. He wore a ragged
shirt, and his hands were thin and trans
parent from confinement, He scarcely
looked up when they entered, for his
mind had gone and he knew no one. All
g that seemed to interest him was his shoe
lraking He had forgotten everything
else. He even thought his own name was
Zone Hundred and Five. North Tower"
Which had been the number OF his cell
in the Basulie.
Luce's heart almost broke to sec him.
She wanted to throw her arms about him,
10 lay her head on his breast and tell
Elm she was his daughter who loved
him and had come 10 take hin, home at
fliphten him. She came close to him,
and after while he began to look at
l.cr. She greatly resenDled her dead
mother and presently her face seemed
to remind him of something. Helmwound
- string from around his neck and un-
4 TolSeG e little rag which was tied TO ii,
and there was a lock of halr--like l4ucic S.
Then he suddenly burst into tea,s-thc
first he had shed for long, long Years.
am. tie tears seemed to bring back part
Z 81 the past. Lucie took him in her arms
ard sonthed him. while Mr., Lory wen,
10 bring the coach that was 10 take them
20 Engaand,
a Through all their preparations for de-
l.arture her father sat watching in a
sort Of sacred wonder, holding tight to
Lucie's hand like n child. and when
they tod him to cppa with them he de-
seer led the stairs obediently But he
would mol 20 into the coach without his
bench and shoemalsing tools, and to quiet
him, they were obliged 10 take them,
too.
50 the father and daughter and Mr..
l>orry journeyed back to Juclc's home In
London All The miles they rode I.icie
held her fathers hand, and the touch
scanned TO give him strength and CON
fidfnce.
a On the boat crossing 10 London was a
young rlan, who called himself Charles
. Darnay, handsome, dark and pale. He
vas most kind 10 Lucie. and showed her
how to make couch on deck for her
& father. and how She could shelter It from
the wind, In the long months that fol-
lowed their arrival, while DIR. Manette
slowly regained a measure Of health she
never forgot Darnays face and his kind
ness tn them
I5r. Manettes mind and memory came
slowly back with his improving health.
There were some days when his brain
clouded, and then INicic would find him
seated at his old prison bench making
shoes. and she would coax him away ana
talk to him until the insanity would
pass from him again
SO the time went by peacefully, TN a
xIra "a hn cd. thaf laa Ela,,,