The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-04-25

piece. II Is not only far superior to
all his other works. but 1t is so entire
ly different In style and conception
that II is difficult to recognize II as the
work OF the man who wrote ut is
Never Too Late to Mend and Put
Yourself in His Place" They were
rugged, often uncouth. fighting books.
THE Cloister ana the Hearth" is
work OF art. majestic and often solemn
ly beautiful. The story unrolls as IL
1t were a splendid tapestry Of that fif-
teenth century of which 1t tells. No
person can say that he knows English
literature unless this book has been.
read.
At time little past the fifteenth
century. when Louis XII was sovereign
OF France. Edward w. was wrongful
King Of England. and Philip The
Good" having dispossessed his cousin
Jacqueline and broken her heart, reign
ed undisturbed in Holland. there lived
in the little town OF Tergou. In that
country. the family Eliassoen.
The father, Elias, traded in curried
leather. a material highly valued by
the middling people because 1t would
turn an ordinary knife. and this was
no small virtue In Jerkin in that
time when people were 50 liberal of
cold steel that even at dinner a man
a
carve his neighbor on very moderate
difference of opinion.
Elias might have been wealthy had
his wife not presented him with nine
children. Every time he dad accumu-
lated little gold. one of the children
would become just old enough to need
n start in life. The patient parents
gave 1t ungrudgingiy. and at last had
the happiness of seeing four provided
for worthily.
OF the five who were left. two could
not work and two were unwilling.
There was Giles. q dwarf, immensely
ugly and immensely strong. from whom
honest dogs and unprejudiced women
ran headlpng. There was Catherine. a
poor girl, that could move only on
crutches. There were Sybrandt and
Cornelis, who had made calculations
and stuck by the coy hearth waiting
for a dead mans shoes.
The remaining child was one set
apart. He was Gerard. and he was de-
signed for the church--without any
great hopes. because the family was
not rich enough to buy him benefice,
and without any great fears because
the church always could maintain her
children by hook or crook in those
days
He was frivolous, for he INDUCED
and penmanship and he could not be
lured away from them even for meals.
The day was not long enough for him.
He carried finder box and birthstone
matches constantly ami begged candle
ends from everybody, 80 that he could
sit ups at heathenish hours--even as
late as 8 o'clock OF a winter night,
when the very Burgomaster was a.
bed.
The monks, who had taught him,
encouraged him and were proud of
their young lector. who was to be hur-
ried through the grades of exorcist and
acolyte, that he might enter the priest
hood as soon as possible Il.
They discovered that he had a pretty
, art In caligraphy and ooloring and
gave him paints and veIlum When
Margaret Van Eyck, sister of the great
brothers Van Eyck, came to Tergou,
she took Gerald to her heart as a fell
low artist. In those strange days
artists loved one another.
Philip the Good. who had generous
tastes, being an excellent hunter. fight
er. liar and collector Of curiosities, was
an excellent judge of art. One day he
Offered prize for the best writing.
1t was won by Gerard.
The prize was, fifteen golden angels.
single golden angel in those days
would take a man halfway through
Europe. If he helped it out with wits.
In addition. the Princess Marie,
Philips daughter, promised him a bene-
lice.
From that hour Gerard was looked
upon as the stay of the family. Moth
Ing was too good for him. CorneIis
and SybranIt longed for the day when
he should get his benefice, that his
reverence's purse might be ready for
their assaults. The Bishop questioned
him speedily and made him an exorcist,
which invested him with the power to
cast out demons.
Unluckily for the happiness of him
self and his ambitious family, Gerard
had brought back with him something
besides fifteen angels from his visit
to the court OF Philip. He had met a
girl. and he loved her.
She was tall and young and fair.
When a man looked at her proud
young head, he could not see that her
gown was shabby. When he looked
at her violet eyes he could not see the
world, but only the sweet brave in
nocence that shone there. Her hair set
In its simple filagree of silver, was
IKE the Beauty sung in the Vulgate;
An apple of gold in net of silver"
Margaret Brandt was the daughter
OF a poor scholar and lived in a small
mouse at Sevenbergen, not far from
-5NN- SAASO Oiu refer Brandt had
studied all his life to relieve human
Ills. and his studies had given him skill
IN medicine and surgery far beyond
MS time, he had won the natural re-
ward. His neighbors denounced and
reared him as a magician. In cases
or extremity they accepted his help,
nut they reconciled themselves with
Heaven by paying him as little as pos
slpIe after they were cured.
Inc first man to discover Gerard's
secret was the BurEomaster of Tergou.
Ghysbrecht Van Swieten He was
nlghuIy perturbej, not for the sake
o1 Gerard's family or future, but be-
cause OF a secret of his own.
he had cheated Peter Brandt long
ago and most of the land that he held
and by virtue of which he was a rich
man was not his, but belonged to the
unsuspecting- old scholar. The old
mans unworldiness and the pirps
Ignorance of the past HAD assured him
OF safety, but when he learned that
Gerard had become her lover. his fancy
painted frightening pictures of expos-
ure before that timid rogue's MIND of
MS. Absurd pictures they were. most
OF them. but guilty consciences take
panic at shadows.
Ghysbrecht was not clever He was
cunning which generally is the talent
mat makes men do things ultimately
most ioolsh. He went at once to
,ssrafd FAMILY. From that hour the
niue mouse In Tergou was an abode of
Pedce no longer Elias was angry at
.ne thought Of Gerard's ruined careef
= ne shouII marry. Sybrandt and Cor
mems Tanned his wrath, for thew could
hear