The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-07

softly cushioned arm enar, loaded ms own pipe and puffed smoke at Brass till the latter was hidden in vapor.
 'Is it good, Brass. is it nice. Is 1t fragrant, do you feel like the Grand Turk?" inquired the dwarf solicitously.
 He, he, he" qutvered Brass. "Oh. very good, very good Such spirits! Such humorW
 Nel1s grandfather fell into an ill., ness of raving fever. from which he did not recover till Quilp had sold all the articles in the old curiosity shop. Then. one night, when he had recovered his strength, he awoke 10 a fear that the dwarf and his lawyer were not con- tent, but that they would throw him into prison and separate him from his beloved granddaughter.
 We are beggars, Nell. beggars," whis- pered he, trembling, and we must go far, far away from here"
 The child had no thought of hunger or cold or thirst or suffering. She saw in this flight an escape from the heartless people and the fatal temptations that had surrounded her grandfather, and she went
  with a tranquil and brave heart.
 She wept only once and that was when she thought that she could not say good bye to dear old Kit. It was still night when she had made everything ready and they stole forth into the streets. Forth from London, while 1t yet slumbered, two poor wanderers they went, wandering they knew not whither.
 She had little money. but it was very little. Her grandfather was so entirely helpless and depended on her with such childish trust, that she knew she would have to provide for them. Quite simply and bravely she made up her mind that when their money was gone she would have to beg.
 They walked without resting till they were in green fields. There they ate their small meal and then pressed on, hurried by the old mans terror of pursuit. They slept that night at a small cottage where beds were let to poor travellers. Next morning they were afoot again, and, though jaded at first and very tired, re- covered before long and proceeded briskly on their way.
 Now and then the child looked wstfully at cottages by the road, wishing that she might rest there for a while; but she was timid and dared not ask. At last some eottagers who saw them passing by and noticed that they looked footsore and weary, called them in and gave them milk The woman, observing from NelPs gait that one of her little feet was blis- tered, would not let her go on again till she had bathed the place and applied a remedy; and when they departed the whole family stood at the door and waved to them they went.
 Now and then they got lift in cart At last they fell in with two men most oddly assorted, one being short and merry while the othr was long and gloomy. The short man introduced himself and friend as the firm of Short & Codlin, Punch and Judy proprietors, and explained that he himself was Short, though Trotters by birth.
 MT. Trotters, alias Short, merrlly invited the two travellers to walk with them. and Nell assented when she learned that they were bound for race-town; for she re- hected that she might beg or otherwise earn some money where crowds were as- sembled.
 MT. Codlin was not so hospitable as his friend and partner. MT. Codlin's strong point was a lowness of spirit and a mis- anthropy, which led him to criticise every- thing that his partner did This general gloom and melancholy never left him, even at meals, but fortunately 1t did not reach so fatal degree as to diminish his appetite or his thirst.
 You're too free, Short, you're too free," growled he.
 Thereafter he paid little attention to his companions save to grumble at them when anything from the weather to the road went wrong, which is an unfailing mark of a philosopher and a misanthrope, who always knows that somebody Is to blame for everything.
 But that night after the old man and the child had gone to bed in the tavern, where they stopped in company with trained dogs and 1ugglers, who were also bound to the fair, Short said to Codlin:
 Don't tell me that that handsome and delicate young creetur is used to prowlin'
  anxious the old man is to get furder and furder away all the time? Mind what l say He's given his friends the slip and perswaded that pretty thing to go along with him all through her fondness. Now I'm not a-goin' to see this poor young child fall into bad hands; and shall try to keep 'em with us till we can hear xuhn ia looking everywhere for 'em."
 short" said Codlin. "Its possible that there may be some sense in what you say. If there is, and there should be re- ward. remember we're partners in every thing"
 The next morning, Codlin beckoned Nell aside mysteriously God bless you," said he Always stick to me and remember that I'm your friend. Recollect the friend. Codlin's the friends not Short. Shorts very well as far as he goes, but the real friend is Codln-not Short"
 Perpexed and little alarmed, Nell be- came watchful Soon she noticed that MT. Codlin never went through a performance without having the old man close by his side, and holding him whenever possible. By the time they reached the race town she was so sure that their friends were on their guard against letting them escape that she determined to flee at the first chance
 mere hint of danger was enough to make her grandfather wildly eager to get away. They waited for a favorable mo- h