The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-04

away and gone to sea. He had shipped
in a man-of-war. that much they knew,
and was supposed to have died long ago
and to be lying in some neglected grave
far off in the East Indies.
Put out the candle, dear; l can talk
better in the dark" said Miss Matty-
and she wept silently In the gloom as she
told of the broken-hearted mother and
the remorse-stricken father, who was
never quite the same after the depar-
ture of his son.
1t was only at rare intervals that Gran
ford was privileged to behold within its
borders any sort of public exhibition
| So when "Signor Brunoni, the Celebrated
Magician" gave his display of marvels
| In the old assembly rooms his perform
ance was well attended by both gentle
and simple.
Society entered the hall In state of
supernatural stateliness and primness
| after the rest of the people had assem-
| bled. The two front rows of seats had
] been left vacant. Miss Pole asked of an
| attendant if amy of the county families
| were expected and having received
| negative answer, swept into the front
| row, followed by the rest of society.
| 1t a most wonderful performance
| and the Signor Brunoni did things which
| Miss Matty thought were hardly suit
| able for Christians to look at such as
| taking a live rabbit out of a hat that he
I borrowed from man in the audience,
| making an omelet in the hat, crushing
| the headgear into a shapeless mass and
| then, with a few passes of his magic
| wand restoring it to it's former state
and sending it back to it's owner with
| a courtly bow.
At first she thought of leaving the place.
| but being informed that the rector was
| approval upon all these weird things, she
| consented to stay.
! A few days after the wonderful per-
| Torrance of the Signor Brunoni there
were rumors of robberies and housebreak-
| ings in Crawford Not that anybody was
| really robbed or that house was actu-
! ally broken into but the prints of strange
! footsteps were seen one morning in the
F., flower beds of Mrs. Jameson. Miss Pole
| was sure that strange woman who
| called on her and demanded charity was
a man robber in disguise, and Mr. Hog
1 gins had missed a leg of mutton from a
box in the back yard where he kept such
| things. He said a cat had carried 1t off,
| but the ladies all agreed that That was
| lust like a man." The ladies of Crawford,
| of course, decided that the robberies and
the housebreakings were somehow con-
| nected with the weird foreigner. the
| Signor Brunoni.
| But Miss Smith and Lady Glenmire,
| walking out one day and stopping at a
| little wayside inn to inquire the way to
the house of certain old woman noted
| for her skill in knitting wooden stockings,
found there man who had suddenly
| been taken i'll ON his way to neighbor-
ing town. His wife and child were with
him.
The sick man was Samuel Brown. alias
the Signor Brunoni time-expired SOL
der who had taken to conjuring after
his discharge in order to make scanty
living. He was penniless and in want. AT
once the ladies of Crawford forgot about
the robberies in which they had SO rev.
elled and, becoming all kindness and SYM
pathy, found lodgings for Brown and his
family In the village and put him on his
feet aagin
His wife, in confiding the story of her
life to Miss Smith, told of her troubles
and tribulations while in India with her
husband, and spoke of a certain Aga
Jenkyns who had helped her in her need.
The name struck Miss Smith and she re-
solved to write to the Aga. In her heart
she believed him to be the long lost Peter.
But then there were other Jenkynses In
fthe world, and SO she put of her intended
letter
Mr.. Holbrook returned from Paris in a
poor state of health, and soon after. died.
Miss Matty never saw him from the time
he came to bid her goodby before his
journey until he was laid in his coffin.
After the funeral Miss Matty told the
milliner, Make my caps hereafter some
think like those worn by Mrs. JAMESON y
widows caps, ma'amT
"Oh, no; not widows caps, certainly