The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-06-09


 successful novel at the age of 22, and ! from 1847, when The Macdermots of BaIlycloran" appeared. until An Old Mans Love" was published (two years after his death), there was scarcely year that did not. see a romance from his pen, while Some years saw two. And for the greater part of his life he was engaged in active work as a post office inspector or, later, as an editor.
 Forty-four novels, two lives" book of travels and an autobiography make only partial list of his literary output. As an author his placS Is certainly alongside of Charles Reade and below Dickens and Thackeray. His literary style is much better than Reade's, but, while we would wish no one of his books unwritten, the student of his works feels that had he written less he would have written better; that had the genius diffused over so many pro auctions been concentrated upon lesser number its possessor would have achieved a higher place in Engllsh literature--for"the root of she matter was in him."
 "orley Farm is one of Trollope best stories, but even his admirers could wish that its ending had been happier.
 It is the duty of rich city knights to found families" and 1t Is their pleas ure to marry young wives. oi. Joseph Mason performed his duty ana took his pleasure.
 Mason, Esq, lived at Groby Park. an estate which the knight had purchased in Yorkshire. and there played the country gentleman. His daughters were all married and handsomely lowered. His first wife had long been dead, so why should not Sir Joseph, living alone on his property or orley Farm. about twenty-five miles from London. indulge himself in wire tor's- five years his junior?
 Certainly the second Lady Mason saw no reason why he should not. Brought up as a lady, educated in the hard school of poverty and taught from ner earliest infancy that money was all Tn all, she accepted the palsied hand or the aged knight as matter or course. Devoted to such a destiny rom heR cradle. she accepteds 1t willingly ana performed all its duties with exactituoe and discretion.
 Sir Joseph survived his second marriage about three years and then died. leaving a young widow to mourn with perfunctory propriety. ana a soh'
 when Sir Joseph's will came to DC ,roved 1t was found that there was rod,ciJ to 1t by which Orley Farm was baoueathed to the infant .Luclus Joseph Mason, Esq. of Groby Park was aurprised, indignant, incredulous. His father always had assured hlm thae Orley Farm should go at his deash .o swell the real estate held by the "neao of the family" s,r
 I,adv Mason often had urged SIT Josenh to make this provision for ms tnfant son. but the knight had answer ed. "As for you, madam. you snali havs enough to support you in comtort Ior the rest of your life. As for the brat. let him make his way m tne world. as did. The head Of the iaHiiy shall not be crippled"
 The codicil Hwas written in Lady nxsson,a own hand It had been dic- tated to her, she said, by MT. Uspech' Sir Josephs attorney, the said Uspecn Setnr SO i'll at the time that he couio svrite little more than his name " was witnessed by young John Aenne nv Sir Josephs clerk, and py brlos'' Bolster, housemaid.
 "I have been robbed, sir, roboed most ..n,asullv bv that woman at Orley T,arro :" said the Squire of Groby ParK' CT have always paid my debts to the ,ast farthing-and paid them proHiptIS. Fave always given exact Justice' anu ' n~nect tt." So Joseph Mason pro tested against the probatinS or ene codicil and the great Orley farm c"S' was begun. rha two
 .,.nassas distinctly remembered hav- W, hasn called to Sir Joseph's bedroom .rhsre he lay dying, on the date or the sad,c,I and there having witnesseo
 nns document-doubtless the Will SSr Trshech had died before Sir Joseph. so his testimony. which would nav been conclusive, was not .I NIason But Lady Mason won, ana Euclus N%S zee. grew to mans estate ana became S, i ss of orIev Farm, which was a snug little property. nso.o,s
 Tha great neighbors of the Masons
 o.a tSa Ormes at The Cleeve. NO Nodv in that neighborhood was qul'o such a great man as SIT feles & orme. and with him resided ms son widow, Mrs Orme, and ms or and heir, young Peregrine, wno
 the same age as Lucius Mason.
 y.ay Mason's widowed life was sue DssFrI,v and the worst thing people oorId find to say about her was tndt she woIild not drink tea with Mrs. AT ~,r,0ht of Mount Pleasant Villa pe- rsnse she had the privilege of enter. ing Sir Peregrine's drawing room VI course there could be no reai socia. .t eohality between the widow or oIly Snioht and the daughter of one oaronet ae 9ames's creation and the daughter tn.,sw of another, even though she .as called ''my lady" and the other was orlv n1atn Mrs" But Sir Peresrine 6e6 come forward as Lady Mason eriend at the time of the, lawsuit ana nv degrees an intimacy had grown up hetween the two widows.
 y"Sv Mason went to Sir Peregrine S.- sSv,ca about her business affairs, .nA ehont the education of her son sn6 if there was anything the stout old baronet loved 1t was siVlng Juuic,- ans advice to people who would TOT low it. But Lady Mason was uis erect and knew her place ana was not st The Cleeve nearly as much as the neople would have liked to see heF
 Yucius Mason was educated at a priyate school and then had gone to German university. while young orme of course, went to Harrow ana ONloru: as his ancestors had done tlme out anin6. Peregrine came home great Aaarty. rather stupid. honest young wentleman, given to fox hunting ana S1ith a strong predilection for rat-oalt- ing. a low diversion that Sir Peresrlhe could induce him to give up only atter . row in Carrotyi Bob's house In Lon don that got into the papers. Luclus Mason came home with declared ln- tentfon of making scientific farming and philology his life pursuits. TO "phiiology and the races of men Lady Mason did not so much object. but when it came to scientific farming, Lady Mason was scared
 %Ch, Sir Peregrine." she told her