The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-13

This story. was written t.y> Wilkie Collins in collaboration wi lh Charles Dickens. It is a story witch had an immediate success and iA one of the curiosities of literature6 in that the careful and discerning reader can dis cover at each stage oE the progress of the story where Collins leaves off and Charles begins. BGAh Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens had the spark of literatry genils But the spark of Dickens genius was so soon kindled into fire that it's flame paled the more feeble one of Collins The first part of the story-the overture" as Dickens, w'Ah hs inclination for the stage, eallsd twas written entirely by the grfAter man. Also Dickens wrote entirely what he was pleased to call the Third Act" The rest of the work was alrnost entirely the work of Wlikle Collink Why the story should have been called No Thoroughfare' is a mys cery It was the name Dickens gaze it and when Dickens got good nsnne for story he used it-no mat ter to what sort of a story he attached At. Also the story was published as lone of Dickens Christmas stories though the word Christmas does not appear in the tale nor is the great Christmas festival mentioned. When Dickens was on his second visit to America the Cute" MT. Collins changed the whole story over into play-and a very successful one. too. As matter of fact the story of No Thoroughfare" was an attempt on the part of Dickens eo catch the public taste, and he had an idea that Collins could help him do 1t. Dickens had not a very high idea of the reading public-but he catered to it. The many headed which, Thackeray styles This great. stupid public" was never negligible quantity with MT Dickens. He re- dembered always the sting of his early Gays of poverty in the blacking shop and liked appreciation. He could not say with Fielding. with a blood of the Hapsburgs in his veins, when one of his stories had become popular, Damn It. they have found it out, too.' Never theless, perhaps the Hapsburg was. in his heart as "tickled" at the recep- tion of Tom Jones" as was Dickens by the public approval which he open ly solicited for his works
 YTvHE clocks of London were striking
 1o The night was fair, with light
 clouds Near the gate of the Bounding hospital yelled woman futters Hlp and down. The gate of the Foundlinss opens and a young woman comes out. The yelled woman follows her and at last touches her upon the shoulder. The young woman looks around, startled, and says: why do you touch me? You touched me last night. Why do you fol- low me like a ghost?" You are one of the nurses at the hospital?' 'Yes, l am sally" There's something about your face which makes me think that young children would take kindly to you.'' 'erhey do, God bless them.'
 The yelled woman lifts her veil and shows face no older than sallys as she says: q am the miserable mother of baby lately received under your care. l have prayer to make to you-what is the name they have given my boy? He was received last Monday evening-what have theA acahed him?" Then she dropped or h& knees in the mud of the street and n held out her hands beseechingly. Sally was overcome with emotion, and at last upon the woman swearing that she would never make any bad use of the know
 edge, Sally violated a rule of the hos pital and said, Walter Wilding." Ther she continued But 1 can be of no ust to you further, for I am to be married soon and shall leave the Foundlings. God be merciful to you, poor lady" The two then separated forever.
 Twelve years later, on the first Sunday of October. the Foundlings were at dinner and there were numerous lookers-on, as the custom is. of officials and of people desirous of adopting a child. The yelled lady of F years before was among the lookers-on; she had come to adopt child Talking with a female attendant she asked many questions and at last said: (Which is Walter Wilding?" Against the rules," replied the attendant. But she sees the intense interest in the face of the woman who has asked the question: and at last says:
 T will not tell you. But I will walk around the tables Follow me with your eyes. The boy that l touch will be Walter Wilding Say nothing more to me and move a little away"
 Thus it came about that Walter Wild ing, the founding, was adopted by a wealthy lady, who brought him up as her son. In fact, when he was a little older.'she confided to him that he really was her son and that it was because of this that she had taken him from the foundlings. Upon the rest of the story her lips were sealed, and the boy-who loved her devotedly as she loved him-never tried to pry fur ther into her sorrowful past.
 When Walter Wilding was 25 years old his beloved mother died, and he found himself possessed of an ample fortune and the proprietor of the great house of Wildng & Co.,, wine mer- chants, Cripple Corner All Cripple Corner belonged to Wilding & Co.,, wine merchants. Their cellars burrowed un- der it and their mansion lowered above it. It really had been mansion in the days when merchants inhabited the city, and was a most gloomy. respect . able and imposing building still. Wal ter and his mother had lived there be- fore her death, and now he lived there alone.
 "When a man at fve-and- twenty can put his hat on and say, This hat covers the owner of this property and the owner of the business transacted in this property I consider. MT. Bintry, that without being boastful he may be allowed to be deeply thankful. I do not know how 1t may appear to you. but so it appears to me" Thus Mir. Walter Wilding to his man of law in his own counting house. An innocent. unused looking man was Mir Walter Wilding, with a remarkable pink and ,,,,1a ion,