The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-31


 ing toward him akin to that which had inspired the lady of King Pharaohs cap tain of the guard and caused that great society scandal in Memphis some 5000 years ago. Strange that human frailties and human virtues should change so lit tie when all else changes with the rolling centuries and be the same in an English country village as in the imperial city Of Menes thousands of years before. But if Lady Booby was worthy successor of Lady Potiphar Joseph Andrews was as worthy a one of Joseph ben Yacob And Parson Adams was an obstinate man and published the banns 8 second time the very next Sunday.
 Filled with rage, the Lady Booby d. rected her attorney to have both Joseph and Fanny arrested as vagabonds, and they were. in fact, being arraigned be- fore complaisant justice, when there ar rived at Booby Hall the lady's nephew, i, Squire Booby, with his wife, the incom- parable Pamela. The squire at once stopped the proceedings before the jus tice dressed Joseph in some of his own fine clothes, announced that he was going to make gentleman of him and brought him to Booby Hall, where Pamela re- ceived him with affection and Lady Booby with great civility. declaring that, now he was a member of the family, she trust- ed he would bear himself as such and give up his low associations. Pamela, Infa ad ont fn bor hrn hof alliance with Fanny was now entirely out of the question. But Joseph replied that he would marry Fanny if he were twenty times a gentleman.
 Before Lady Booby's anger had quite driven her into fit of apoplexy the ped dler, who, it will be remembered, had befriended Adams at an inn on his jour ney, appeared in the village, and seeking the company at the Hall declared that Fanny was Josephs sister. He had, he said, once been a drummer in the army and had married a gypsy woman who had confessed upon her deathbed that she had stolen Fanny when a child from family named Andrews, and had, when she was large enough, put her out to service at Booby Hall. The family of Andrews which she described answered in all respects to Joseph's. Pamela de- clared that her parents had had no chill dren but herself and Joseph, but Gaffer and Gammer Andrews being sent for Gammer Andrews confessed that she had had a baby daughter stolen by gypsies. The gypsies had left in it's stead sickly male child, which afterward had grown xuhi6 ha haH as her own-and this was Joseph Her husband had gone off to the wars just as she was about to become a mother, and when he had returned sine had palned off the founding on him as their own child.
 All the company were astonshed and were destined to be still more so, for MT. Wilson arrived at the village at this time and, upon inquring for Parson Adams and learning that he was at the hall, sought him there and heard the story of the revelations regarding Fanny's birth. His suspicious being aroused, he ques- tioned Gammer Andrews carefully regard ing the time and circumstances of the leaving of Joseph at her house, and asked: Had not the child strawberry mark on his left breast?" He had and has, replied Gammer-and Joseph, opening his shirt, showed the mark. Then you are my long-lost son,'' cried Wilson, embrac- ing the young man. Lady Booby, seeing all her plans for the possession of Joseph frustrated, left the room in fit of hys- terics, refused to see either her nephew or his wife, and shortly departed for London. Joseph and Fanny were mar ried and Squire Booby gave his sister in-law a sufficient dowry to enable Joseph to purchase a small estate near his fath- CTS, where he lived happily ever after. As for Parson Adams, Squire Booby pre- sented him with a living worth f150 a year, upon which pay the worthy man lived the rest of his life in great comfort. The revealing peddler did not go unre- warded, either, for besides receiving sev- eral handsome presents from MT. Wilson. he was, through the influence of MT. Booby made an excise man. The last heard of Lady Booby she was haunting about London with a young captain of the dragons whose natne was not Joseph.
 Next Sundays one-page classic will be Barry Lyndon" by William Makepeace Thackeray.