The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-06


 Thackeray's important works of fiction. The public passed 1t unnoticed. Only was sw o sss s World n fl tss %ossr Within syanity Fair" the story of '.The 0rsst the discerning critics who had ignored t promptly wrote sounding praises of It was one of Thaekeray.s very pss- of great discouragement He had sui. wss t9 fall Ss Sgss h,s briefly the depressing reception She story got always made 1t one of his beloved ones. Tt was written al. time of great sf. Sn Sisi TeiieSt S so he wrote S to sss frisSe s after he had begun to gain his fame. When MT. Samuel Titmarsh returned home for a months holiday after his first year in business he spent most of his time with his Aunt Hoggarty, though he would have preferred to stroll in the fields with a certain per. lson in the village whose name was little green silk purse with . thick curl lof the glossiest. blackest hair you ever saw.
 Mr. Titmarsh.s mother and sisters rwould have liked his company. to. But 26ra Hoggarty was rich. and they lthonght he might as well be her heir as kanothar
 So he spent all his evenings piay- ling cribbage with her. which he hated; and losing small sums at 1t constantly. which he could not afford; and drink dnG her internal sour black currant wine. which aIwsys made him i'll. : After all this martyrdom, Mr. Tit marsh confidently expected that his , relative would make him . present Of a score of guineas at least But when the day came for his departure Aunt iHosgarty expressed her qualification at finding him so steady and frugal. which. she said. put him above the need of money. T give you" said she with sob, "the portrait of my satnted Hoggarty, set in the iocket which con- tains the valuable diamond that you have heard of so often. Wear it. dear sam, for my sake, and think of that sainted angel in heaven, and of your dear Aunt Hoggarty."
 With these words she gave him a locket as large as . oarn-door paddock. Tn the middle of the brooch was the portrait of Hoggarty in the scarlet uni- form of his volunteer regiment. Around 1t were thirteen locks of carrotty red hair which belonged to the old gen. tteman's thirteen sisters. These were dishsd up on a plate of blue enamel and seemed to spring from the great Hog garty diamond.
 Luckily his aunt hated all the Hog eartvs. and she insisted that her be- loved nephew must have their hair re- moved. He took advantage of the op.. portunity to suggest that ne Wouio have his uncle's miniature framed be- cause 1t was such a sweet picture, and then have the diamond reset. His amt not only assented graciously, but told him to go to the best JeWelef Tn London and have the bill sent to her Mr. Titmarsh returned next morning to his labors as thirteenth clerk in the immense offices of the Independent Dtddlesex Fire and Life Insurance Company. His mother had put her lit- He fortune of four hundred pounds into the company to purchase an annuity for herself. It paid her thirty"six pounds a year when no other company in London would pay more than twen- ty-four.
 The chairman of the directors was the great Mir. BFough of the House of Brough and Hofr. which did tremen- dous business in figs and sponges and Zante entrants. He was leading di- rector. too. in the Ginger Beer Com pany and the Consolidated Baffin's Bay Muff and Tippet Company. all of which did an immense business and had thousands of stockholders everywhere. dr. Brough's name led every charitable list He was a great man in his church and equally great in Parliament, where he was foremost in supporting all great public movements.
 MT Titmarsh was rather respected among the clerks. because he came from a better family than most of them, but especially because of his rich ad to the office he soon let them know that she had given him splendid dia- ynond worth at least thirty guineas. and his reputation as young man of great connections rose accordingly. At the first opportunity he asked leave of absence. explaining very particularly that he had important bus iness at the West End. the mention of which aristoratie district made every young man in the office prick up his ears He departed with his friend Gus Hoskins, who had dressed himself in honor of the occasion in his best and had bought a large cigar to hold his own among the fashionables. As Mr Titmarsh surveyed him. with his hands in his pockets of his wide trousers which he setrched out as far as pos sible from his hips. blowing great clouds of smoke from his cheroot and clamping with the iron heels of his shoes. he felt that Gus really looked quite the genteel thing and not at all al if he were only the son of old Hos- kins the leather seller of Skinner street
 Mir. Titmarsh himself wore his blue coat with brass buttons, sprig waist co and nankeen trousers and one of n's silkgk ats that looked a good
 pssieT than the best beaver.
 a,eat jew sler's shop of Mir.
 .veyer. Cts held back when.
 freat carriages at the door.
 on waiting outside while
 went intoA have hls dia-
 N and tw6 very pretty
 3were looking at pearl
 lsn MT. Titmrash handed
 boFmous machine to the
 old lady stretched out
 Fk up the beautiful trifle
 to laughter, crying: As
 bthe great Hoggarty dia-
 ai to her companion and
 girlsl This Is the great
 Rl Ireland. That red-faced
 middle is poor Mick Hog
 usin of mine. who was in
 me in the year 'S4. Those
 ihreamers of red hair rep
 thirteen celebrated sisters,
 q, and all ugly. Of which
 10 son. young many To do
 ?. you're not like the fam
 could answer the old lady
 attie off a hundred stories
 thirteen ladies. She was a