The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-12

He spent little time with his wife, and that little was too clearly uncomfortable for both of them. Poor Give tossed un- happily in his bed of down and black Care rode behind him on his fine horses.
 So the Colonel was not happy either; not happy in the society of his new friends; not happy even when he won his election to parliament as the member for Newcome against his hated nephew, Sir Barnes himself.
 The brave old soldier was never to take that seat.
 One day the news came to London that the great Indian merchant who was at the head of the Bundlecund Banking company had died suddenly from cholera in his palace at Calcutta. The next day the whole world knew that the Bundle cund company had been a vast, compli- cated, enormous swindle, and Colonel Newcome, after threescore and ten hon orable years, was ruined.
 The bills were put up in the splendid house. Colonel Newcome gave up even his pension and allowed the brokers to take everything, down to his two swords that were the only ornaments of the plain little room with the iron bedstead where he had lived in that splendid house, Then he and his. quite penniless, went to poor quarters, where Give tried to sup port them with his art.
 The poor old man gave up even his cigar, the friend and comforter of forty years. Mrs. Mackenzie, who had lost her money like the rest in the smash, came out in her true colors and lasshed him daily with bitter taunts and jibes that stung him like strokes from whip. He ate his scanty .crust and bowed his noble old head in silence under that cowardly persecution.
 ha unipflV- telling Give that he was going on short visit to friends. A few days afterward came the annual solemn ceremony in memory of Founders Day in the old Greyfriars school; and those who went there saw among the poor pensioners, in the black gown, with his order of the Bath on hls breast, his dear old head bent down over his prayer book, Thomas Neweome.
 The steps of this good old man had been ordered hither by Heavens decree to this almshouse. Here it was ordained that a life all love- and kindness and honor should end.
 His time on earth was to be but short; yet ere his thread was cut, fate stepped toward one young and blooming and cut off poor helpless, pretty little Rosey. From her deathbed Give was summoned to that of his father.
 He lay in his little room, a stricken old man, with a beard white snow cov- ering the noble careworn face. Ethel arose and gave her hand to Clive-that dear little hand that the Colonel had loved so well, and that was one day to lie in Gives for life, after all. But that day was still in the future, and the one whose heart 1t would have filled to over flowing to behold it, would not be on earth to see.
 By the Colonel's side sat a woman, dis tingushed, with the air of a grande dame, and beautiful even. in age. The Coloners hand reached for hers. He pressed it and said with a heartrendins voice. 'Leonorel Leonore!' Thus did he find his romance again-in the person ot the great Countess de Florac, who had been taken away from him in youth as Ethel had been snatched from his son.
 At the usual evening hour the chapel bell began to toll, and Thomas Newcome $ hands outside the bed feebly beat time And just as the last bell struck, q pecu-