The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-14

 draw Narcissa's name into the scandal. In his excitement he told her he must flee, confessed to her that he was gentleman in misfortune and told her that he loved her.
 Not waiting for an answer he fled l from her sight and made his way to the sea shore, where some smuggiers
 took him aboard and landed him in l France.
 In a poor tavern by the waterside | he saw a figure that looked familiar He touched the man on the shoulder
 and found that it was his uncle, Tom | Bowling. quite destitute. He was clad | In rags and had not eaten for two days | Hastily Roderick Random. ordered food and then told him that Captain l Oakum was alive and that he could return to England safely. as there were many witnesses who would swear that the comrnander had given him provoca- tion that justified duel. He pressed nearly all his sayings on the lieutenant and saw him off next morning for Deal. When he turned. away, he won- dered what he should do. for he had little money left. A cdurtly gentle man whom he trusted soon relieved him of that little. and Random found himself penniless again without being at all able to inure himself to 1t.
 
 treated him to 1t.
 Hunger drove him to enlist In a French regiment. where he soon learn ed that he had merely exchanged com plete starvation in private for semi starvation with official sanction. He had acquired merely the privilege of covering a hungry carcass with a | bright uniform and of risking a loss of a miserable existence in battles for hot hn nnifhnr adnfrad wished to admire. The only profit that accrued to him was that he became a thorough master of swordsmanship. One day in Rheims he saw a gentle man dressed in elegant mourning, and to his intense astonishment recognized none other than his old friend and subordinate. Strap.
 Despite his gentleman's garb. Strap | Leaped at the private soudier and em- | braced him sobbing:
 ''Oh to see you thus; Oh. why did
 you leave me? But now all shall be made right. You shall have every thing that I have"
 Dragging him indoors. Strap told
 him that after Random's disappear ance he had accompanied a young
 nobleman to France as valet. His
 master had died. leaving to him all his rich wearing apparel. his swords,
 
 amounting to 300 pounds Strap had taken the name of Monsieur JEstrapes and had lived quietly and modestly as
 a gentleman.
 ''Everything shall be yours" cried | the loyal Strap. "I surrender them | all to you. We will buy your dis
 charge and then you shall go to Eng land and make our fortune" He would not listen to objections. l h,t dao1a rad that he cOul1 not sustain
 the role of gentleman and that he would be far happier as Roderick Ran l doms valet.
 Random's brain was turned by the sudden prospect. and his remon- strances grew fainter till at last he ac- ceded.
 It was a figure vastly different from | that of the poor French private that presently struttei through the coffee houses of London and showed Itself at the play. A coat of cut velvet trim med with gold, a waistcoat of blue satin embroidered with silver. black velvet brooches. white silk stockings. hat with silver lace scalloped. a shirt ruffled with real Mechlin, a sword of cut steel inlaid with gold, a cane with a gold head. and a tortoise shell snuff box of price made him a beau who rivaled any in London. Expensive lodgings In Charing Cross and the other necessary appointments of A gentleman reduced their funds to 200 pounds. fact which made Strap grimace with anxiety and pain. but Roderick Random had not permitted poverty to teach him petty and vulgar economies The one lesson that 1t had taught him, however, was that poverty is an estate to be avoided by all means. He decided that the best method would be to marry an heiress.
 Accordingly he laid siege to the toast of the day. the beautiful Melinda, who cheated divinely at cards. He fought a duel in her honor and committed a series of extravagances that drove Strap nearly mad. When he learned that Random had lost eighteen guineas to his charmer in one evening he could contain himself nc longer. but whimpered while he shaved his mas ter. who thereupon told Strap to take the rest of his money and go | At that Strap sobbed in earnest and