The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-15
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| both Tor his lack of cleanliness and his stupidity But young F'oker's father was
 | Stupendously rich from brewing that fa-
 nous ale known as Foker's Entire He had married Lady Agnes, sister of the eminent and penniess Earl of Kosher
 | wood, to one of whose daughters young
 l Poker had been engaged since his child
 l hood.
 This kindly scion of ale brewers and earls was hail fellow well met with every body. He called his noble uncle 'old cock with the same unassuming sim
 plieity with which he addressed the fa- nous coal heaver who had whipped the Shropshire One. He dazzled Pen by giv- I Ing an order for a dinner of turtle and champagne. which little feast was wound
 up with a visit to the play, where the | wonderful Fotheringay was performing l in "The Stranger.
 In the grand scene all the house was affected. Poker wept piteously into a huge yellow silk handkerchief As for l Pen, the whole theatre reeled before his sight It was something overwhelming, maddening, delicious.
 He rode home in whirl and with the first touch of dawn he awoke to the same
 madness. Hardly had he eaten breakfast before he was off again on the mare and riding madly to Chatteris.
 There Poker did him the inestimable favor of introducing him to the Fother- ingays father, Captain Costigan, "once of the Foighting Hundtherd and Third" and Costigan of Costigantown. The captain was attired in extremely shabby garments and gave Pen a military salute with very dirty and broken glove. He wore a high stock, stained and scared. His dress coat was buttoned and his once handsome face was coppery from much whisky.
 In the brief morning of life Costigan had been the delight of regimental messes and had the honor of singing at the tables of the most illustreus generals and commanders In chief. He spent his doubt full patrimony with speed and drank many times more than was good for him. After retiring hastily from the army he kept afioat in mysterious ways ready to drink with any man and indorse any mans note, and always ready to weep at the pathos of his own sentimental songs which he sang admirably.
 The captain was much impressed with the grandeur of the Prince of Fairoaks and the lavish way in which that royal heir spent money. To Penis wild delight | he invited him to his home, where he had the honor of meeting the peerless l Fotheringay face to face She looked even more handsome off the stage than on. | Indeed, she was one of the beauties of | her day; and later when she made her l grand success In London the whole town lay at her feet.
 Small wonder, then, that Penis heart nearly choked him and that his knees trembled under him. He scarcely heard her speak, so overwhelmed was the poor lad with love and confusion The Fother- ingay looked at the rosy, freckled, frank, good -natured face, the honest blue eyes and the innocent confusion of the lad and mentioned in a rich deep, melancholy voice that the weather was very fine. Sub seguently she added to the conversation by announcing that it was a bit warm. The truth was that Miss Costigan was invincibly stupid but poor Pen rode home that night saying aloud to the sky and the trees: How beautiful she is! How simple and how tender! How well she talked. Emily! Emily!'
 Now the mare had her work cut out, for she had to carry her young master daily to Chatteris at her best speed l Night after night Pen spent watching breathlessly for the appearance Of Emily on the stage. Hour after hour he spent listening to Captain Costigans tales or His Royal Highness the luke Of Kent and paving for the old toper's whisky. | He wrote verses sonnets, epics to ms love. Miss Costigan, whose invincible stupidity made her invincibly good na- i.tured received them with kind smile and after Pens departure would say: .Poor lad They're very grand, but what they're all about I'm sure don't know "Put them with tn mother letters, Milly, darling" said Costigan, with wink. "Sir Poldoodys pomes was notnn to this" and Milly would lock them up while debating whether she should have 1 nutton chops or broiled kidneys Tor luncheon. Of course Pens infatuation for the act ress could not long remain secret. All Chatteris was talking of 1t ana soon Helen's lxindest friends hastened to .eL | her of it, not forgetting to put the worst nossible construction on it. Old pr. Fort ,,,ar oame to the house and upbraided hir, in his mothers fearful presence When Pen raved about her goodness ana | declared that the Costigans were fully as good as the Pendennises, having been kings in Ireland, the old doctor burst out: "Why, you don't mean 10 say tiia' you want to marry her! On that Pen put on his most prlnceiy air and asked Avehemently: What else, Dr Portman. could be my desire?' where mon Helen threw herself on her sons | shoulder in an excess of Joy ana crieo'
 "I told you, Doctor. that he was not not what you thought!
 Utterly routed the doctor could only oasn "Send for Major Pendennis, ma'am'',
 That poor old buck received the news uith horror He thought how people
 l would laugh at him were his nephew to marry a tragedy queen. He sroaned at going to the country in the neight or | the London season. Ruefully he wrote
 1 off refusals to the Marquis or oteyhe
 l and Lord Deucease and all the other noble ones who had invited him 10 tneir | festivities. He ordered his valet to pack
 l his belonging and resigned himself pite- ously to martyrdom.
 He arrived barely in time, TOT Ten nau l almost won his mother over The wise ola man of the world wasted no time
 with the lovelorn youngster. Like an ald ca mpaiguer he sailed at once against the
 key position, which was that weak ana maudlin fortress, the castle Costigan.
 Though he shuddered at the sight ana odor of that alcoholic soldier, he blunly declared himself comrade-in-arms with | him and soon managed to convey the ln- 1 formation that Pendennis was but pow erty-stricken prince, who would nave
 | nothing at all till his mother died ana l then only 500 a year.
 Capta'n Costigan arose in non-hke wrath And called down the imprecations of heaven on the imposter who had trifled with the affections of his innocent | child He also challenged the Mayor to
 | a duel Later sinking into despondency
 l he wept into his whisky and water
 | Finally he permitted the Major to redeem
 a small note which was out against him.
 | in return for which favor he gave up all
 | of Pens letters and all the flaming