The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-09-13

ist conveniently takes the place of the language of genius
 IVY HEN Mrs Dombey died in giv- N/ ing birth to a son MT. Dombey
 W felt a natural regret; but it was tempered by the reflection that she had at last, though tardily. expiated her great fault in delaying so long to provide a successor for the house of Dombey & Son.
 The house of Dombey 6 Son had passed from father Dombey to a son Dombey ever since the time of MT. Paul Dom- bey's grandfather and in his eyes it would have been a crime beyond treason to break the chain. MT. Dombey could have conceived the picture, of Dombey & Son continuing to exist in glory with out the British empire; but he could not have imagined the British empire as ex- isting without Dombey 6 Son, who had business all around the world and re- duced all its romantic and adventurous activities into dignified ledger accounts.
 All his relatives and worshipping &C., ouaintances and humbly admiring em- plbyes shared Mir. Dombey's sense of the
 
 awful importance of keeping the great house alive Therefore Mrs. Dombey, who had made no great stir in the world while she was in it, went out of it with even less. The only one who mourned her sincerely was her daughter, Flor ence, whom she had presented to MT. Dombey in lieu of a son some few years before much to that gentleman's indig- nation.
 After, little Paul was born, Florence became still less of an important item in MT. Dombey's life. She was retired into the care of her nurse, Miss Susan Ripper a young person of strong con- victions, who gradually became one con- stant and belligezent protest against the neglect with which her darling was treated. 5e
 Not that Mrs. Dombey neglected her training or her dresses or her appearance. The dignity that attached itself to all his possessions attached itself to her. too. He ordered and paid that she be brought up as befiitted Dombey, and then dismissed her from his mind, which had room alone for little Paul, the son of Dombey & Son.
 He had balances struck oftener than be- fore. from the day Paul was born. The books were kept even more closely. He took to walking in the docks to look at his tall ships and wharves and cargoes and exult with ponderous dignity over the wealth that was to be the sons.
 Florence was years old when her evil star brought on her head Dombeyan displeasure that involved not her alone but also a lad who occupied the humble position of Dombey & Sons youngest clerk, Walter Day. She became separated from her nurse on the streets and was snatched up by an old lady who de- scribed herself as nice old Goody Brown, and promptly took Florence to her hovel in an alley, where she divested her of her fine garments and garbed her in rags taken from junk head, after which she turned the frightened child lose again.
 Walter Gay saw the weeping little raga- muffin and spoke to her kindly. When he discovered that she was Miss Dombey he hurried her home to the shop and resi- dence of his uncle, Sol Gills, who lived in skpper-like state among nautical instru- ments which wers bought by so few customers that the wooden effigy of the dauntless little midshipman before the door seemed to be peering with the hope less eagerness of man on a sinking ship through his sextant for business that never came.
 Old Sol Gills clutched his precise little Welsh wig and knocked over a great part of his precise stock in trade when Walter entered with the pretty little girl and told his wonderful adventure. He called on an unnamed power to bless his soul and cut into a huge leg of mutton as if he had been honored by the sudden visit of a famished giant and wound up his chron- ometers and darkened the windows and pulled a couch to the fire and altogether hustled about like most lovable and amiable old ship suddenly called on to go into action.
 So soon as Walter had seen Florence comfortably bestowed he hastened to MT. Dombey's house to report. MT. Dombey had received the weeping susans news of Florence's loss with lively dissatisfaction that such an un- conventional and improper thing should have happened to Dombey. He re- ceived Walters news with annoyance that he should have been placed in a position of obligation toward an un derling When the lad departed with Miss Susan Ripper, he looked after hin, with sharp disfavor and such thoughts as he deigned to bestow on him after he was gone followed him with no greater relish.
 MT. James Carker. the manager of Dombey & Son, viewed him with the same disapprobation. MT. Carker was B gentleman of 88, 10 years younger than his employer, whom he treated with an immense respect and a care fully assumed independence that were IS incense to the gratified MT. Dombey. He had forid complexion and two anbroken rows of glistening white teeth that he showed continually in a wide smile-a smile that never ex- tended beyond his month. MT. Carker marked Walter Gay from that day as young person to be suppressed.
 Happily unconscious of the results of Walters adventure, old Sol Gills and his friend Capt. Cuttle indulged in