The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-18

Anthony Trollope told Thackeray. af- ter the publication or The History of Henry Esmond," that he regarded it as his best work---so much the best th-t there was no second to it. That is what I intended" replied Thackeray, but I have failed. They don't read it."
 first so popular as some of Thackerays s other works--if 1t did not prove a "best seller" of the day--it had in 1t that which has made 1t better appre- ciated as the years have gone on; and there are few competent critics. few gentlemen who read, wno today wlli dispute Trollope's verdict.
 It has been said that only true gentleman can appreciate Henry Es- mond" fully. and certainly it is tho story of gentleman without fear and without reproach.
 Charles A. Dona once pronounced Henry Esmond the finest gentlemen that ever lived" and 70 those who comprehend him, the hero of this story certainly does seem like a real per- son worthy of all imitation rather than a character of fiction.
 The lesson taught in "Esmond" is wholly salutary: that vanity ends in vanity and vexation: that meanness ends in meanness and that generous deeds some sure reward will find.
 
 over the petty ambitions ana pomps of the wprld-not cynicaily, as in Vanity Faia' but solemnIy as King David ''upon his awful tap1ets pen ned it. Vanitas vanitatum.
 A HEN Thomas Esmond married w his elderly cousin. Isabel, and
 presently came into his uncle's
 titles and estates as my Lord Viscount Castlewood, there were sew eral little things concerning his past which he did not think 1t necessary to mention. Among them was the fact that he already had a wife living, weaver's daughter, whom he had mar ried in the Low Countries when he was there in the train Of the Duke of York.
 He had married her in fit of re- pentance when he thought himself dy- ing of a wound received m a duel; but when he got well of his wound he re- pented of his repentance and returned to England resolved to consider the in- cident closed. The unhappy wife. af- ter bearing a son, whom she named Henry, entered a convent
 His lordship had been for some time comfortably installed in nis ancestral house of Castlewood, Hants, when he heard of this first wifc's death. Be- ing a good-natured rascal. he sent for his son, made him a memper of the household and turned him over to the care of his chaplain, Father Holt, to be educated for priest, put all with out telling the truth. He allowed 1t to be understood generally that there , was a bar sinister on little Henry escutcheon.
 Henry was entirely ignorant of his own history; he vaguely remembered that at one time he had lived with some weavers who spoke foreign tongue He came to realize early, though how he could not tell. that he was supposed to bear the name of Es- mond only by courtesy
 There was a vast amount of politi- cal intriguing going on ar Castlewood as the boy got older: or 1t Father Holt seemed to be the guiding spirit. Most of the Esmonds were or the old religion, and all of them were intense- ly loyal to the House or. stuart. One had died at a Worcester fight, with half the men of Castlewood at his side; another had fallen defending Castle- wood against the soldiers of the re- bel Cromwell, and third had melted down all the family plate and emptied the family coffers to supply the nec- essities of King Charles when the loy- al martyr was at Oxford
 That superannuated Esther, Isabel Esmond, his disputed with Nell Gwyn and the Duchess of Portsmouth for the favor of the second Charles-all of them, women and men, had made heavy sacrifices for the royal Stuarts.
 So, finally. when King Charles att tempted to recover his ancient king dom of Ireland, Tom Esmond joined him and fell. sword ih hand, at the battle of the Boyne, while his vile fled away to her dover house at Chel- sea Henry Esmond was left quite alone with the domestics at gloomy old CastIewood, watching the rocks wheel ing in flocks to their nests in the an- cient trees at sunset, and wondering what had become of Father Holt, who had fled, too.
 Thus the new lord, Colonel Frank Esmond, found the sallow-faced. large eyed, grave 12-year-old boy when he came with his beautiful wife to take possession of the title and estates of his dead relative. The new lord, a bluff, hearty man of 45 or 50, greeted the solitary little fellow kindly; and as for his wife, who Was barely 20, Harry thought when she took him by the hand that he had never heard so sweet a voice before or seen such a vision of loveliness as this fair lady with the golden hair and the fresh pink complexion.
 There was another-a beautiful girl of 4. who ran to Harry at once and kissed him, her father crying out: You are always ready to forsake an old friend for a new one, Trix." And then there was a little baby boy in his nurses arms to make up the family.
 My lady worshipped her husband first and her children next and things set tied for time very pleasantly at Cas- tlewood But after a while 1t was easy to see that my lord was wearying of incense and that my lady, though she fought against 1t, was beginning tc find that her boasted idol had not only feet of clay but was rather earthly all over.
 Then one day Harry brought the smallpox from the village. and Lord Castlewood fled away with his daugh- ter My lady and little Frank were taken down with 1t before Harry re- covered. My lady was beautiful still after her illness, but it was as if some rough hand had rubbed off the delicate tints of that sweet picture; and when Castlewood returned and met his wife 1t was evident that she could never forgive him for the look he gave heI when he saw the change.
 When Harry came home for his first vacation from Cambridge, whither he had been sent as soon as he was of 8