The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-05-07

and bitof cheese, which was his even
ing meal. Often, he says, Il spent
the money / should have kept for din
ner on stale pastry put out
at half price on trays at the confection-
ers' doors. Then I went without my
dinner, or bought roll or slice Of
pudding When ] had no money
took turn in Covent Garden Market
and stared at the pineapples,
So much grieved wasthe lad at the
separation from his family that he was
finally allowed to take his breakfast adm
suppers with them in prison, leaving
there nightly to make his way to his
lodgings.
A relative leaving the family small
legacy, brighter days dawned for them.
Their debts were paid, the family took
lodgings in London and Charles was
sent once more to school. Not for long
did this good fortune remain with him,
for at the age of 10 we again find him
earning his living, this time as clerk in
q law office. His father, however, had
obtained a fairly good position as re-
porter on one of the London dailies, SO
the family were not in absolute want.
Charles determined to follow his fathers
profession, and to this end taught him
self the science Of shorthand.
What spare time he had was devoted
to study in the reading-room Of the
British Museum. At 10 he began work
as parliamentary reporter for the
Morning Chronicle.
His first story, Mr. Minus and His
Cousin, was written when he was %.
years of age and was dropped stealth
lily one evening at twilight, with fear
and trembling, into dark letter box,
in dark Office, up dark court in
Fleet street." 1t was accepted and
printed, and from thatstime the tide OF
his fortunes seems to have turned, and
favorably.
In 1886 Dickens collected several
sketches he had written, and published
them under the title Sketches by Boz, y
the copyright of which he sold to pub
Usher for $3.50, but for which a few
years later he was compelled to give
$40, 900, in order to buy it back. This
same year he married Catherine Ho-
garth, and also for the first time pub
lished the first number of "Pickwick. ;"
He wrote, too, for the dramatic and OPP
cratic stage. Still working on Pick
wick pronounced at the start dead
failure. Four hundred copies of part
first were ordered; of part fifteen, 49,
600. Success at last was his.
In 1887 Dickens became editor of a
Bentley's Miscellany, in
which appeared oliver Twist and
Nicholas Nickleby." In 1910 old
Curiosity Shop" was printed and favor
ably received at home and abroad. The
following year Dickens visited America,
where he was received with all honor
and appreciation. In 1912 he publish
ed Martin Chuzzlewit;" in the year
American Notes." and also
in 1843 THE Christmas Carol, now a
classic in every civilized country in the
world
During the years that followed his
best works appeared: Dombey and
Son." David Copperfeld," Bleak
House, Hard Times, Little Dor
rit" and numerous short pieces. In
1853 he began his career as lecturer
and met with great success from an ar
tistic as we'll as a financial standpoint.
On June 9, 1870, he died after
short illness, having worked up to with
in few hours of his death. His funer-
al obsequies, in accordance with his
wishes, were very simple and quiet, oc-
curing at an early hour in the morn
ing to avoid any ostentation, but for
days after his interment the grave was
visited by thousands. His desire was to
be buried at Gad's Hill, his old home,
but at the request of his numberless
friends his body was laid to rest in
Abbey.
No one" said the dean of Roches-
ter, in his funeral address, was ever so
much beloved or so much mourned.