The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-11-20

story is not among the best-known it
is one which is so entirely characteristic
of the author and his style that aside
from the value as a tale, 1t should be
read by every student of Thackeray.
All Thackerays propensity to stop in the
telling of his story and mediate and
moralize is excellently well Illustrated
by 1.-THE Ravenswing," and in 1t he gives
us some of his best writing of that kind.
The persons in the tale are, almost with
out exception, persons In the lower middle
class or the criminal class, and while
there are illusions to a few titled per-
sons. Thackeray contents himself with
the casual introduction of a musical
knight as a character and with simply
speaking of lord or two-whieh is rather
remarkable for Thackeray. THE Ravens
wing is a novel with motive" which
motive" is the. blind faith that wives
will persist in keeping for their husbands,
no matter how big rascals those hus-
bands may be.
z XR. CRUMP was landlord of pub
MI lie house called The Bootjack
1V1 hotel. situated in a sequestered
nook in the retired village of London
perhaps in the neighborhood of Berkeley
SQUARE or, at any rate, somewhere near
Burlington Gardens. Crump was for
merly valet to Lord Slapper, and used
to boast that. with the very bootjack
which now hung on a sign before mis-
hotel he had once drawn off the boots
of His Royal Highness the Prince or
Wales. the first gentleman of Europe.
Crump had married Miss Bulge SO well
known to the patrons of the drama as
Miss Delaney, and had one child,
OAl
ebrated part in THE Forty Thieves,
which Miss Bulge had performed with
unbounded applause both at the surrey
and the .Wells." 1t was certain tnat
Lord Slapper set Crump up in business
at The Bootjack, and that stories had
been told-but what are such to you ana
me? Let bygones be bygones, Mrs.
Crump was quite as honest as her neigh
bors, and Morgiana had a fortune of
$500. to be paid down on the day of
her wedding.
Mrs. Crump sat in a little bar orna-
mented with pictures of dancers of all
ages, slipping tea with a little something
In it,. She had black hair, black eyes,
purple face, a turban and portly form.
Morning, noon and night the good woman
might be seen sitting there taking her
tea and reading the fashion papers and
the news of the theatrical world, while
Morgiana, who had appeared already in
some juvenile parts at a neighboring the
atre, could be heard at the little red
silk cottage piano singing Come Where
the Haspen Quivers," or MY Art and
Lutte" or some such ballad.
While other houses of entertainment
in the neighbour God were of pronounced
Liberal principles The Bootjack stuck
TO the good old Conservative line, and
was only frequented by such persons
as were of that way of thinking. 1t
was a very "genteel" place. There were
two parlors well patronized, one Tor
gentlemen of the shoulder-knot, who
came from the households of employ
ers hard by and one for some gents
as used the 'ouse," as Mrs. Crump put
it, and who formed a little club there
known as the Kidney club, from the
style of the broiled refreshments served
at the club meetings. The Kidney club
was a select society and had among
its members British tradesmen in the
best lines of business. The tiptop men
of the club were two as fashionable
tradsemen as any in town-Mr. Wool
sew of the famous house of Linsey,
Woolsey & Co., the tailoring establish
ment of Conduit street, and Mr. Egg
lantine, the famous perruquier and per-
fumer of Bond street, whose razors,
soaps and patent ventilating scalps
were known throughou Europe. Lin
sew. the senior partner of the tailor
ing firm, had his mansion in Regents
Park, drove his buggy and did little
more than to lend his name to the
house woolsey lived in 1t. worked in it
and 1t is said that his cut was as ele-
CANT as that of any man In the pro-
fession.
Woolsey and Byzantine were rivals
for the hand of the fair Morgiana-
who did not appear on the stage any
more, not bit of 1t, but was young
lady of fortune, which fortune rumor
1nagnified just ten times. OF course, the
rivals hated each other cordially and
Byzantine said that Woolsey's pretense
of being descended from the Cardinal
ner, certainty, in the firm, but had
only a SlAleenln sldrei lndl the HrT |
could not get in their moneys and had
on tn cir books an immense number or
bad debts. Mr.. Woolsey said of Mr..
Byzantine that as for Byzantine being
his real name that was "all in his eye"
that he was in the hands of the money
lenders and his stock and grand shop
eaten up by usury. As usual tn ere was
a great deal of truth and great deal
of malice in these tales. However, the
gentlemen were both in very genteel
lines of business and their suits were
backed by Morgiana' sparents Mr.. Crump
championing the tailor and Mrs. G. the
perfumer Now, 1t was a curious fact
that both these gentlemen were In
need of the others services. Mr.. Wool
eey being afflicted with premature
very fat man who required art to give
him q figure But as to ministering to
each others needs-each would have
died first.
Thus matters stood in the genteel So
rfety Of which we write when one day
there strolled into the gorgeous shop of
Byzantine one Mr.. Howard Walker, a
man who had his Offices in the wind
NOR Chambers" opposite. with big brass
Irlate on his door labeled Agency" Mr.
walker was called Captain Walker by
virtue, as he said, of having served in
the army of Her Majesty the Queen Of
Portugal. An agent" may be almost any