The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-08

So is Mark Tapley. As for the hero we'll no one is much interested in him expect when he gets to America and sees a country and a people that no man ever looked upon before or since As work of the ina gination Dickens description of the United States is to be admired But most Americans of the day took it seriously and Dickens him. self afterward made full and formal apology for it.
 THE Chuzzlewits were a proud,
 hard, money getting race. self
 ish obstinate, and suspicious. Young Martin however, who had been 5 brought up by his grandfather, lacked two of these family qualities-he was not money getter and he was not sus- picious. He said himself, and he ought to have known that his grandfather, old Martin, who had taken him as a desolate orphan to rear, was the most obstinate man he had ever seen. As for himself, he took pride in the fact that he was not obstinate, but merely possessed of great firmness.
 Old Martin loved his grandson but ruled him, dominating him. doing it with much friction and with frequent quar- rels. it Is true, but doing it until one day a question came up which rem dered the contest between hrmness and obstinacy no longer to be borne.
 Obsessed with the idea that all his relations were after his money-and most of them were-old Ma artin separat- ed himself from them with scorn and contempt, lastly driving forth in the world, penniless and without occunar. tion, his grandson-which last act of course. greatly pleased the other rel atiyes, and caused thenf to make re F. doubled attempts to take charge of tn e old man and his wealth.
 Poor Nary Graham creid her eyes out the dayfMartin was driven forth. The oldS man had taken her as a child and r4ared her to attend him. He took a< oath before her that she should have - rhone of his money when he died, but that so long as he lived she would be provided for. She was to be his com panion and was to call him by his first name. as ne was to call her by hers.
 There was to be no protestation of affection between them. That he want ed thoroughly understood. He explained all this to the girl when she be- came old enough to understand. He simply wanted somebody, he said. about him who would be benefited by his living and injured by his dying
 So Mary and young Martin grew un together she submissive, devoted an1 getting more beautiful every day; he developing into good looking young man, kind to others in a condescend- ing manner when it cost him no effort to be so proud and a chip off that tough old block, his grandfather. when it came to having his own way.
 It was natural that the two young people should fall in love with eacn other. Even old Martin thought to himself that when the time came it might please him to order his ward and his grandson to be married. That they would dare to fall in love without first skiing his consent never entered his h cad. So. one day. when Martin came to him and said that he and Mary wern in love and would like to be married the old man was furious. You will be married when and to whom I order,' he stormed.
 Old Martin was full of suspicion at once. tlau Mary secretly played upon the eptibilities of his grandson with an idea of marrying the man who should inherit the Chuzzlewit proper ty? Had Martin made love to Mary with Idea of getting a bride WI 0 might. after all. be one of his grandr fathers legatees?
 Young Martins "firmness" was a match for old Martins obstinacy and so the two parted in anger and with bitter words. Martin faced the world with an easy indifference, assured of his own great ability, and merely lit- tie doubtful as to the particular line to which he should devote his great talents. He would become rich and fa- nous without delay, of course, and then go back and take Mary away from his cruel and unnatural grandparent and marry her. If the old man was humble he would forgive him. It was really a pity the old man was so obstinate.
 Thus, when Martin. instead of having to hunt about for a means of liveli- hood, found himself established. through paths made easy for him rather mys- ter:ously, as a student and boarder in the household of MT. Pecksniff, in a lit- tie Wiltshire village near Salisbury, he took it quite as a matter of course. MT. PecSsniff generally demanded of his apprentices as large premium as he thought he could screw out of dot ing parents or guardians;> but Peck : sniff was a cousin of old Martin Chuz- zlewit. and welcomed young Martin as his own son. Money with his own flesh and blood Perish the base thought!
 MT. Pecksniff gently exuded moral Ideas while he slept, and poured them forth in ceaseless stream when he was awake. There was nothing rom the salt cellar to the tongs which MT. Pecksniff could not make the subject