The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-02

Crummlescs, who have nothing at all to do with the story except that New man Noggs hires room from one fami- ly and the other family gives Nicholas employment for a brief period. are dealt with. at greater length than the main characters of the plot. The two .'heroines." Madeline Bray and Kate Nickleby are almost shadowy figures with whom the author evidently is ac, quainted only slightly and who interest him little. Mrs .Jickleby, on the con- trary. is drawn with exquisite skill
 Dickens is said to have drawn Mrs Nfckleby from his own mother, as ne drew Micawber from his own father. Whatever may be thought of the ethics of making such of ones parents there can be no question of the success of the drawing. Mrs. Dickens Is said to have asked her son once if he sup posed that there really ever existed a person as Mrs. Nickleby7"
 The characters sketched in Nicholas Nickleby' are of the Immortal sort; but many who have. read the book over and over again could not relate offhand the plot of the story.
 MT. Ralph NIckleby. the eminent money lender, was quite right in Ia mentinE the fatal tendency for get ting poor, which wAs the most dis- tinguishing characteristic of his brother NICHOLAS. tF ly estate in Devonshire until he went to speculating and lost 1t. Then ne took to his bed and died.
 His widow, a simple minded lady, took her two children, Nicholas, aged about ID. and Kate. aged about Is, and went to London. There ISknew it! said Ralph, when he received the news.
 "Knew what?" said Newman Noggs, poking his head into the room from the little closet where he kept books and added up and multiplied the sums and results of old Ralph's villainies.
 Newman had been gentleman once; now he was shabby person with red nose and an overwhelming thirst. He had begun his downward career by borrowing money from Ralph Nickleby. His last attempt in that line was to ask for one pound Many thousands of pounds had Newman borrowed Of RAlph at usurious interest before, but now. being at the end of his rope, Ralph could not, of course, lend him the pound He happened to want a clerk though--a clerk who would work cheap --so Newman Noggs received that or flee instead of the pound.
 When Newman asked: Knew what?" old Ralph replied with some asperity that that brother of his down in Devonshire' being dead, he, Ralph. would be expected to "feed great. 
 children" At the same time he in- timated. to Newman that the matter was no affair of his and he would bet ter wait next time untn he was spok- en 10. Then in high i'll huFnor the money lender put on his hat and Miss La Creevy's little miniature shop where his brothers wife had taken refuge with her children.
 Milne was no common loss. said the widow Nickleby, applying her hand kerchief after first words of greet ing had passed between her and her brother-fn-law.
 replied Ralph sourily. Husbands die
 sAnd brothers, too. 1t would seem." and Nicholas, the tall. slight young man who had supported his mother when she. arose to welcome Ralph. 'sYes' sir, and puppies likewise" growI- ed the uncle.
 As he looked at lSicholas and the boy looked at him, it was evident that two 4 antipathic natures gazed at each other. Nicholas felt trepusion. of his uncle. Ralph felt growing hatred for his nephew. Still when Ralph proposed that Nicholas take a position which he thought he could procure for him as teacher in MT. Wackford Squeers's academy Dotheboys Hall, in York shire where the young gentlemen and young noblemen were educated ana generally done for;" and when he fur- fhar offered Kate a position in the celebrated Mrs Mantalinfs dressmak- inf~ establishment, the young man thought he might have judged his uncle harshly. and wrung the old money lenders hand in an excess of joy ana gratitude.
 lar pie family. born and bred In retire- ment, and wholly unacduainted with the world--a conventional phrase which, being interpreted, often signi- fled all the rascals in tt--mingied theIr tears together at the thought of their build air castles of towering proper
 Nicholas's castle began to dissolve when he met Mr. Weckfsrd Squeerg at the tavern whence the coach was to take him down to that eminent educa- tors Yorkshire establishment. squeers was not prepossessing. He had but ono eye. ..d popular prejudice runs in favor of two. The eye he had was greenish In color and resembled in shape a fanlfght over & door The blank side of his face was much wrinkIed and puckered up, which gave him a sinister appearance, especially If he Aniled. when 1t bordered closely on the villatnous. His hair was flat and shiny except where 1t was brushed straight up from a low. protruding forehead. He was short of 'tature, rough of voice and coarse of manner. as we'll as dirty in dress.
 A short, sleek man. who humbly hopes he was something in the pious line" was driving a bargain with the amiable Squeers for the education of his two stepsons when Nicholas came on the scene. The chief anxiety of Mir Snawiey, the pious man. seemed to be that the boys should be of no more bother to him--whatever happen ed to them at the delightful retreat of Dotheboys Hall.
 old Ralph and Squeers greeted each other in a way that showed that they had done business together before and that somehow. either by his knowledge of Soueer's methods of education or of his past, the money lender had the whip hand Of the schoolmaster.
 As the coach was obout to start New man Noggs made his appearance. and. handing a letter to Nicho' as, said: Take it. Read it. Nobody knows. That's all. Hush" And, pointing to Ralph Nickleby, who was saying few earnest words to SQu9ers, he was off as mysteriously as he had come When Nicholas got a oAaince to read the letter privately he did so. It was not Noggs in his epistle Your father did not. or he would not have done me a kindness when there was no hope of