The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-03-12

w. little boy ny tne littiiie sol9lIt
@$ ~ j q Copperfeld, whose father u. nao
i RSE1nfnH died before he was born. II hc
HAdv night he was born BORN ms srea a,
IN aunt, Miss Betsy TrotWood--a grim la" w
with a, black cap tied under her ch IN any y
ia great gold watch chaln---canle TO t ihle
XII house to ask his mother to name the
5 baby, which She took for granted was
81 girl, after her; but as soon ms she
81 found It was a 10y she flounced ou u'. ~
sH anger and never came back again.
sSti The first thing David remembered wa wa
# living In a big country house with his
prettv golden haired mother and WIFI
3F5 Peggotty, his nurse, ared-f faced, KIM !
K " woman, with a habit OF wearing nei
A dresses SO tight that whenever she hu y
9 ged him some buttons would IL v OIL me rs
lack He loved his mother dearly--so
dearly that when o tall, handsome man
s,lamed Murdstone began to come 10 see
@ her In the evenings David was jealous
and sad Mr., Mirdstone acted as +, u 4 l ~
llked him. and even took him riding on
" His horse: but there was something ~
II HIS face tina t David could not ike. !.
S555 One summer day David WAS sent OH
q with Peggotty for a two weeks WISH 70
Gia1,er fbrother's house in Yarmouth. var
mouth was a queer fishing town onhthe
sea coast anu the house they 'S wen -
was the queerest thing in It. II was mace
gnf|nn5old barge, drawn up high and dry
#S ~ the beach. 1t had d chimney on one
III side and little windows. and there we're
5i;seashells around the door. David room
Wns Ia the stern and the window was was
the hole which the rndder once passed
t$ through. Everything smelled q q. SAT-
water and Holsters. and David thous.h N1 !.
was the most wonderful mouse e1l ~ $50
world. !, VI s as. !, & !. V. 2,
sS He soon made friends with them al
si5Mr15 I,eggotty, the big fisherman with g
laugh IKE a gale of wind; Ham, his nep-;
iSfeE. a big, overgrown5 boy r w VI cal
,,ied David from the coach on his ba le,i
and Mrs Gummldge, who vas the WIDOW .,s
ssnf Mr.. Peggotty's drowned partner. AND AN
l#ia.t IL All. there was beautiful little
8 firl with curly hair and a string OF pius
~ baadss around her neck that they caiien
@tsrtttIe Em'fy,,5 She was an orphan None
5Sofs these people. belonged to FAR. r fes-
#cotty. but, though he was only a pooI
fisherman himself, he was SO KIND Una !
,,si ~ "a them all a home. David played
with little En1'ly, and went out IN \ the
II hnat With Mi. Peggotty, and enjoyed ms
visit greatly though he grew anxious
to see his mother again. !
He had no idea what had happened ~
a her tin he got back home with f'eggotty:
s. Then he found why he had peen se.ls 1T. "a
81 on his visit His mother had married
81 Mr. 3urdstone- :, :. i.
ia5E.fTayid found things sadly altered after
0SthIs Mr. Murdstone was haru cruei
master He cared nothing for thc niue
M how, and was harsh TO him in everything
I'LL He even took away his own coy bedroom
q and made him sleep In a gloomy cham per
81 When David was sad Mr. Aiurdstohe
called him obstinate and shut him up
81 and forbade his mother to pet or comfort
him. Dayid's mother loved him, but she
&s loved her new husband. too, and 1t was
H most unhappy state OF things. 10 fna make
It worse Mr.. Murdstone's sister came to
$a4llye with them. She was an unloVely
$S old maid, with big black eyebrows, AND
liked David no better than her prothef
n did. = Il
&s] After this there were no more pleasant
& hours OF sitting with his mother or walk
ling with her to church, for Mr., Murd.
8 stone and his sister kept thcm apart. The
4 only happy moments David spent were
}s13in 4 little upper room, where was q col
Election Of books left by his dead father
He got some comfort from reading these
81 Mr.. Murdstone made David's mother
81 give him hard tasks and lessons to do
5&8and when David rccited them he and hi
MI sister both sat and listened 10 fee
their presence and disapproval confused
# the little fellow SO much that even Wher
a. he knew his lesson he failed.
$ One day when he came to recite he sa7
# whip he had been making. This fright
# ened him SO that he could scarcely re-
III member n word. Mr.. !Aurdstone graspet
ERR him then and led him to his room Il
#S5 whip him.
8 Poor little David was so terrified tha
he hardly knew what he was doing an,
Hs in his agony and terror while the Inerci
H less blows were falling &c seized ,th
III hand that held him and bit it as hard a
Hs lie could Mr.. Murdstone then beat hin
Ell almost 10 death and locked him in. r p
5S4 He was kept there for five days witt
@ only Bread and milk to eat. Every da
he was taken down for family prayers
g and then taken back again. and durn
M prayers he WAS made TO sit In n corne
4ts where no could not even see his mother
3HA face Tie had 10 sit all day long Wit
nothing to do hut think Of Mr. Peggotty'
8 house boat and Of little Emily, and wis
he was there, The last night Pcggott,
8 his nurse, crept Mp and whispered throug
III the keyhole that Mr. Murdstonc wa
5 going TO send him away next day 10
FIJI school near London.
& Next morning he started. His mothc
was SO In awe OF MI AIurdstone that sh
E hardly dared kiss David goodby, and h
5 saw nothing OF Pcggotty. But as he wa
ii crying. Peggotty came running from be
RI hind q hedge and jumped into the cal
III and Rugged him so hard that all the but
Nh toms flew off the back of her dress
III The man who drove the cart was name
Va Barks. lie seemed to be very mc
B taken with Peggotty, and after she ha
G gone back David told him all about he
4 Before they parted he made David prom
ise to write her message for him,
rs was n very short message Barkis
8 willn" David didn't know IN the lea
t what The driver meant, but he promises
and he sent the message In his very fir
&5 letter, Probably Peggotty knew what ]
A J,neant, though, for before David can
back again Mr.. BarlSis and she we
* courting; However, that had not mut
to do with this part OF the story
THE school was a bare building wi
IA gra,ings on all the windows like a priso
@ and withFa high brick wall around IT..
VI WAS owned by n man named Creakle, vi
@s had begun by raising hops, and rl'go
N INTO the school business because he III
9 lost all OF ilis own and Ills wife's mon
NJ and had no other way to live, lie "
fat and spoke always In a whisper al
@ he wRs 80 cruel and bad tempered tn