The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-21


 characters In Stubbs he portrays the remorseless and unrelieVed growth of selhshness and axarice.
 Longfellow who, in common with most other judges of the day, thought very highly of the story, advised every one to read it. saving: It is a very clever caricature on a very subtle theme-the meanness of a mean man who does not suspect his own defeet.'
 TNROM his earliest youth Mr. Robert stubbs was careful and prudent \ person He was not a spendthrift and never injured a fellow creature. In- deed. he could look back on many strik- ing occasions Wen he had shown the most wonderful forbearance, though deep ly injured himself
 Some evil destiny must have governed him. however. Despite his frugality and thrift, and despite the fair fortune that he inherited from his family, he went down hill steadily, pursued by misfor- tune Life played him such scurvy tricks that at last he was in such condition of poverty and low state of mind that he was willing to tell his story for pint of beer.
 Mir stubbs was of the Suffolk stubbses. His father was a well known gentleman of Bungay who had inherited com fortable little fortune.
 After Master Stubbs had been carried triumphantly through an infancy beset with every malady known to affect the young of man. he was sent to pr. Swish tails academy. His mother cried very bitterly when she kissed him farewell, but Master Stubbs perceived with mex pressible relief that she was not utterly overcome; for she attained enough com- posture in the end to give him 1S-pence.
 He had already a small capital of his own. having amassed three shillings by undertaking perseverance and economy. This hoard was all in pennies and earned for him the honorable title of Copper Merchant when his profisate and ex- travagant school fellows learned of it.
 A well-regulated person begins early in life with thrift and prudence. Master subbs adhered to his early principles, despite the temptations of gingerDread and other unhealthful and therefore de- lgbtful luxurles Consequently, though he never stood very high in his classes,
  reason was simple. He always had money. gThe other boys spent all theirs in the first day or two, during which time 1t was quite unnecessary for Master Stubbs B spend any, for they were so foolishly flee with cakes and barley sugar and oiher goodies that they soon sank into welI-deserved poverty.
 But at the end of the week, when all their holiday money was gone and they had only their three-pence a week to ex- meet. and they wanted a slice of ginger bread. who was the man to whom they had to turn for help?
 And Master Stubbs never refused. Hicks" he said, literally and freely to the first conner. Hicks. I'll buy you three half-pennies' worth of gingerbread. Then you can give me three-pence next Saturday"
 Of course it happened often that a careless or improvident debtor could not pay more than, say, three half-pence on the next Saturday. Then that meant in ordinary justice that Master Stubbs should have three-penee on the third Sat urday. to make up for the loss of in terest
 There was one chap who never could raise three whole pennies. Consequently he had to pay three half-pence week after week till he had paid two shillings and ten-pence half-penny. Yet even then the careless fellow still owed the original three half-pence for of course the pay ments he had made were only the inter- est But he was an ungrateful chap, in- deed When the holidays came Stubbs didn't clamor as he might have done de- manding payment. Instead, he let the in- considerate chap go away owing it. Now that meant in all mere honor and simple integrity that a the end of the six weeks holiday the sum due. capital and interest, would be sixteen shillings. for, you see, there had not been a single payment during all that time.
 But the dishonest lad refused to pay it and offered Cooper Merchant three half pence: and Cooper Merchant three half it. for he couldn't very well appeal to the masters.
 The mean rascal who did that was Dick Bunting, and he had to pay for his duplic- ity and lack of honor in the end. He spent all his holiday money in a fortnight and then naturally it cost him something to make loans He had to give up a quarter of his bread and butter at breakfast and tea, and a silver fruit knife and pair of compasses and a knife and fine brass corkscrew and last, but not least, a very pretty silver-laced waistcoat.
 At the end of that year Robert stubbs had not only all these things. but also three golden guineas and fifteen shnlings. It wasn't bad interest, and the best of it all was that when he gave the brass cork screw to his father both of his parents burst into tears at his generosity and gave him a crown piece.
 That encouraged him in generosity and showed him that he was not throwing gifts away on undeserving persons Sc he gave his mother a very neat brass thimble, which brought him a half 3 guinea from her. Subsequently he got a gold-laced>hat through being kind agair to his mother and making needle bool for her out of some old playing cards and a bit of flannel
 His father, however, treated him rather badly. He accepted tobacco stopper with cold smile and begged him not tC make any more presents, because they were too expensive. Bob saw what Int meant, and it was a great warning tc him. It taught him that most people were mgrateful in the end.
 He aaIffeped still more keenlv from thf