The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-01

 the most eminent men of his time. Thackeray was his l9som friend; and he used to boast that wherever he went in Europe not only was every court open to him, but the very railway guards and walters, from St. Petersburg to Trieste. knew him and took off their hats to him.
 That he wrote went without saying almost every gentleman of culture made a dab'' at literature in those days. He had a fund of rollicking Irish wit and humor. '"rom Burke of Ours' is his only serious novel, and strange to say, his best known one.
 It is the Napoleonic saga, running through it that redeems "Tom Burke" The love story is thin, and Tom is a lit tie lacking in common sense. Sketches of the Napoleonc War, with Consid- eration of the State of France Under the Consulate and the Empire: Together with a Glimpse of the State of Ireland After the Rising of 179S. would not be a mis- leading title for rom Burke of Ours" In his works Lever leaned too much toward the British to suit the Irish, and too much toward the Irish to suit the British But both Irish and English read his stories, and they are we'll worth reading. A little diversity might have made him a great author.
 IXNy HEN Tom Burke came to him. A/ self in an officers quarters, w in the St. Georges Barracks of Dublin. his first realization was that he felt very sore and bruised; his next won derment as to how he came to be where he was. Had he come to himself In jail he would not have been surprised. Though not yet 16 he was tall, strap ping Irish lad with an iron constitution and stout frame. A wandering life had given him robust health. and the life had been pleasanter to him than the drudgery of lawyers clerk to which his fathers agent. MT. Basset had tried to condemn him after the deall of "the old squire" Incidentally Basset had had an eye on the sFO0 that was all Toms father had left him, his elder brother inheriting the rich estate.
 Lying on the cot in the royal barracks there, Tom remembered that ne had been looking on at the people coming out of parliament house when riot broke out and he was carried away and borne down in the rush. That was all; except that he had been companion of Darby McKeowan, better known as Darby the Blast, on whose head a price was set by the government
 Before Tom could marshal his scat tered wits in reasonable order rosy. TO- tund officer dressed in frayed and faded dressing gown. came into the room. And how are we this nnrning. Tom Burke? Hns~sx~sss erfe6e$he off, cer "Alip& And kicking again I see. Been pretty bad, Tom Burke; pretty bad. But all right now. Did nobIys In the riots, nobly. The Lord Lieutenant is de- lighted. All the officers of Ours de- lighted too. Call you Tom Burke of Ours now. Glad I found you Son of my old school friend, Burke of Burke Castle. Always were loyal race"
 Toms poor broken head was still fur nv EaablU but frankly he told his host his true story, how he had been taken by Darby the Blast after the death of his father; how Basset was still looking for him; how he had associated with the members of those secret societies which honey combed Ireland after the disastrous up- rising that had recently taken place, and how he happened to be caught in the mob. But the eccentric Captain Bub- bleton would have none of his story. He had invented better one and would not have it spoiled by mere facts.
 The truth was that he had feund the boy lying bleeding and unconscious aft CT the riot and had taken him into his barracks out of sheer kindness of heart. 1nventing tale to go along with his act. Then he had learned Toms name through his rawlings.
 Youth recovers rapidly, and Tom had both youth and health, so 1t was not
  troduced him into the mess as hero who had done wonderful things in the royal cause. The officers good-natured- ly did not inquire too closely. Bubble ton was a joke, and so was all that pertained to him. "Tom Burke of Ours we call him." said Bubbleton.S"Not a more popular young fellow in the mess His 'commisison is about to be made out Should not wonder if he got a knighthood out of it." So Tom Burke of Ours, the Irish lad was called.
 Mr. Bassett, however, soon ferreted Tom out and threatened him with ar rest. "Mr Basset," said Tom. you have 100 of 1t and l will leave Ireland at once. You may keep the rest" The arrangement was "agreeable," the lawyer said, and Tom pre- pared to flee at once to France then to enroll under the banner of the wonderful Napoleon. of whose glory his brain was full. Before coming to Dub lin he had spent many months with a young French officer, Charles de Meu- don. They had been like brothers. The young Frenchman was one of those who had come over to Ireland when the uprising of 179S gave promise of being successful. When the attempt had failed and the other officers had "accepted the amnesty" and gone back home. De Meudon had stayed on in the vain hope that something might yet Inc done for Irish independence. He and Tom had been placed in remote part of the country to wait. And there De Meudon had died.
 In the months which Tom spent with him he had filled the boys mind full of the splendid vision of Marengo and T'odi of Arcola and the Egyptian cam- naiun. The greatness of Napoleon was then just beginning to throw its glory across the world, and Tom felt his heart throb at the name of Bona
 Before he died, Charles told Tom of his sister Marie and begged him if he n,ar got to France to be a brother
 har as he had been to the exile. .Ca to France when I am no more,
 's De Meudon. Here Is a letter ,'-,tcb will procure you admittapce to .sa polvtechnique--the military school Ana here is a French bank note for two thousand livres-it Is all l nave, ,,,,t if is yours" So the Frenchman ,,;ad in Toms arms, and Tom went to Dub1in with his eyes set toward Tronce when he was caught in the rfot
 rhers was one officer of ''ours' who ,ooLad co,dly on Tom. He knew some thinv and suspected more. This was Cant. Montague Crofts. cousin oi his' though Tom did not know It.. and Tn line to the Burke estates. If Tom ana his brother were out of the way. IL