davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
The BarnacIe Dinner

But when the gates finally closed upon him, and he was on the outside. he looked back with a tear upon his cheek.
 That, after all, was home to him. All the prime of his life he had spent there In the Marshalsea he was somebody in this strange, outside world, to which he had suddenly been restored, he was WLat?
 He Ofeared and mistrusted the world after so many years of captivity.
 The first mistake MT. Dorrit made aft CT surety for his debts had been givem was to try and pay one of these debts It was. the debt owed by his defunet firm to the Circumlocution office.
 Lord Decimus Barnacle was the real head of the Circumlocution office and under him was a host of other Barnacles.
 Mr. Merdle was a great financier-one who held the purse of Fortunatus-and naturally the Barnacles were not averse to accepting his invitation to dinner. It was a Barnacle dinner. Some little ne- gotiatlons had occurred between the noble Decimus and MT. Merde regarding the matter of buying votes, etc.
 Then there was Edmund Sparker--son of Mrs. Merdle by her first husband and Edmund really needed a job in the Circumlocution office.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
News for the Prisoner

The brothers William and Frederick were walking up and down the "Col- lege" yard when Arthur and Panks arrived. Of course they walked on the aristocratic or Pump side. The Father of the Marshalsea made it point never Sunday mornings, Christmas day and other occasions of ceremony.
 The Father of the Marshalsea ushered Arthur to his room. He saw that some and became agitated.
 Compose yourself. sir said Arthur, and take time to think. Think of the brightest and most fortunate accidents of life. We have al heard of great surprises of joy. They are not at an end sir. They are rare, but they are not at an end"
 MT. Clennam-not at an end-for me?' Dorrit tapped himself on the breast and laid his glasses carefully upon the table.
 Tell me, Mir. Dorrit. what surprise V ould be the most unlocked for and the most acceptable to you?"
 Dorrit looked steadrastly al Clennam, and in so looking at him seemed to change into very old and haggard man. The sun was bright on the wall beyond the window and on the spikes at the top of the wall.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Re-enter Flora

He found the patriarch unchanged for 20 years. Just as gray, just as slow, just as bumpy in the head, just as ole agnous, just as bland, just as benevo- lent.
 Phianthropic people of both sexes had asked who he was and upon being in- formed that he was "Old Christopher Crasby formerly town agent to Lord Tite Barnacle,' had said o, why, with that head, is he not a benefactor of his species.'
 With that head, however, he remained Christopher Crasby, reputed rich in Lon don tenement house property and the veriest old screw and humbug in the British metropolis.
 Yes the patriarch was unchanged-but Flora. How Arthur's heart used to beat when he knocked in his callow days at the door. And now-well. now he felt a little curiosity to see how Flora had stood the years. Also as to whether bis old love would revive.
 He remembered how hearet broken he was when his stern mother had parted him and Flora. To him. as he sat swimming in the radiance of the genial it of the patriarch, came in Flora.
 And what Flora. Flora whom he had left a lily had become peony. Past middle age. good natured. warm hearted, faithful-and smelling of brandy. That was Flora.
 But Flora. spoiled and a-:!ssss ivns ago. was determined to be spoiled and artless still.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Staying for Dinner

q am sure she giggled, tossing her head with a carcature of her sirlish manner "I am ashamed to meet Mr. Clennam l am a mere fright know he'll find me fearfully changed I am actually an old woman. It's shocking to be found out. It's really shocking
 And this was Flora.
 Clenuam staid to dinner, of course, and at the table, besides the Patriarch and Flora, was an old lady, small and shriv- eled who glared at the stranger with a feroclty which put him i'll at ease She was introduced by Flora as her hus- bs nd's "iegacy-Fs aunt"
 Tfen there was MT. Panks, who was the agent of the Patriarch in the screw ing business Ranks. was very steam engine of man for business and the Patriarch took it out of him.
 The Patriarch did the benevolent ana Tanks did the business of getting the money out of the poor to support the benevolent aspect of his chief. Panks knew his employer was fraud and hated him. But Panks was poor and needed his salary. f.-.L
 Ranks. during the dinner, said but few words--Flora and the Patriarch did the talking.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
A Triumph of Red Tape

It was a most satisfactory dinner and in the course of 1t Ferdinand Bar nacle mentioned the case of MT. Dorrit. "The man was long confined Tn a debtors prison," said Ferdinand land I wish he had stayed there. He has given us no end of trouble since he got out and put us into innumerabe fixes"
 'FiXes!' said Lord Decimus in a sepulchral voice. "Fixes, Ferdinand? What do you mean by fixes?"
 why he has tried to pay the money a firm in which he was once interested owes our office. Why. egad, we have got into such a system of checking and eoun- ter checking at our office that. egad. when MT. Dorrit wanted to pay we did not know how to take his money. It was q triumph of public business.
 '' Why said the attorney to me ere day, if I wanted this office to give me e20O0 or e9O0O instead of taking it I couldn't have more trouble about it. You're right, old fellow said I, and in future you'll know we have something 70 do here.' "
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
A Gloomy Home Coming

He knocked and the door was opened by an old man, bent and dried, but with keen eyes, who raised the candle he bore over his head and said: "Ah, MT. Arthur, step in.''
 Arthur had been abroad for 20 years and this was the greeting of the old family servant-both servant and clerk he was now. this crab-like, bald-headed old man with his high shouldered coat and his neckerchief under his ear
 T stood between your father and your mother for a number of years, '' growled the old man; T won't stand between your mother and you"
 Atall, spare, austere woman was Mrs, Clennan; firm of purpose and intensely religious in her way. put drawing the inspiration of her religion from the sternest and gloomiest passages of the old Testament in which she revelled. Into the New Testament she seldom looked.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Her Narrow World

For b years she had not left that gloomy house, for she had lost the use of her legs and sat all day in d wheel chair attending to the diminishing business of Clennam & Co.
 A single candle sent a spectral light oyer the gloomy room as Arthur entered to his mother She gave him frigid kiss and four fingers of a hand untitled in worsted.
 She and Artlur's father had never got along well together, and so the father had gone out to China to look after that end of the business, while his wife stayed i'll London to look after the English end.
 When Arthur was old enough he had been sent out to join his father. The father had died and Arthur after wind- ing up the China branch, had came back to London with the idea of winding up that end too-for it was no longer pay ing business.
 Mother said Arthur, this is a change from your old active habits
 'The world has narrowed to this, Arthur, replied Mrs. Cennam. "It is well for me that l have never set my heart upon it's vanities.
 Clennam had not expected a very warm welcome from his mother. but nevcr- theless it was disappointing to him after so long an absence to be so coldly re- ceived.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Another Disaster

There was, no Dorrit fortune now. Ban ny and her husband had 10 live on the salary which Mir. Sparkler got from the Circumlocution office.
 As for Tip, he had to go to work -Amy could always, by her needle, make a lv- ing.
 The same catastrophe which swept aw9y the Dorrit fortune also wrecked the firin of Clennam X Doyce, When Arthur was a bankrupt he was lodged in Marshal- sea and occupied the same room which had formerly been the residence Of Will liam Dorrit.
 Amy went to see him and watched over him during an illness of considerable length. When Arthur was well enough Amy said to him: str
 "I take a fancy--an odd fancy. Here is folded paper. l want you to burn it.
 Arthur took the paper aud placed It in the grate
 It was a paper which Mrs. Clennam lad given her, proving that Arthur was the son. not of herself. Mrs. Clennam, but of the woman whom Arthurs father had loved before he was forced to marry the wife picked out for him by his uncle.
 Also that paper acknowledged that a certain sum of money had been left by Arthurs uncle to Little Dorrlt because she was the niece of Frederick Dotri-. who had been a. protector of the woman whom the senior Clennam first loved
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Tanks Speciality

When Arthur left the house he and Ranks walked together, their ways hap pering to lie in the same direction. Some how the name of Dorrit came up for discussion.
 Ranks saw at once that Arthur was more than ordinarily interested in Lit tie Dorrt and said that he himself was interested in the family.
 In fact, he had reason to believe that the poor debtor, now in the Marshalsea was heir to a big property in the west of England as the last of the name.
 Panl1s' speciality was real estate and the Dorrits of Dorsetshire had been owners of many an acre. He would look the matter up.
 He did, and one day had found out so much that he was able to go with Arthur to the Marshalsea and tell Will liam Dorrit Esq, that a great estate was his.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
At the Patriarch's House

Having wound up his share in the commission business of Clennam x Co.,, Arthur went into a new business. He took what money he got out of his withdrawal from the firm of Clennam & Co. and bought a partnership in the firm of Doyce & Shennam.
 Doyce was a versatile genius, an en- gineer of the first rank, but with lit tie business. Arthur was to supply that.
 Then he went to call upon an old flame of his, once Flora Casby, and now the widow Finching. She lived with her father, the patriarch, in the same old house, and with her lived an ancient lady of uncertain temper, who was known as Mrs. Els aunt"
 "The house." thought Arthur, as he stood before the residence of the patriarch" lis as little changed as my mothers. But the likeness ends in- side. I know it's smell of jars of old rose leaves and old lavender"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Welcoming the Father

Was Miss Dorrit at home, he asked. He went up the grand staircase of his Ro- man palace-and thought of the steep stairs he was so used to climb in the Marshalsea. He found his brother, Fred eriel, and Amy together.
 Tt was Io late. my dear William said Frederick. that we had given you up for the night"
 T am stronger than you. my dear Frederick" returned his brother with an elaboration of fraternity in which there was severity. and hope that can travel without riment-at-hem-any hour of the night-at-ha-any hour"
 Surely, surely, William responded the other.
 Mir Merdle was in London, but Mrs. Merdle was in Rome and the night after MT. Dorrits arrival gave great dinner to welcome him. It was princi- pally an English dinner, saving that t comprised the usual French count and the usual Italian marchioness.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
-By- CHARLES DICKENS

expensive and correct woman named Mrs. General Mrs. General was always on the coaching box, keeping the propreties together and was paid royalty for form ing Fanny and Amy.
 Amy submitted quietly to the varnish- ing process which Mrs. General made It her business to infict. but Fanny was a trifie wary of the varnish brush and was not fond of "prunes and prisms.'
 Prunes and prisms made the keynote 10 Mrs. Generals system. To say 1prunes and prlsms' constantly even under the breath gives a most superior air to the countenance.
 One day Fanny said to Amy, Has 1t ever struck you that somebody is mon- strous polite to Mrs Generai?"
 Everybody is polite to Mrs. General. replied Amy
 Because she freezes it into them," re- torted Fanny. But 1 mean that pa is monstrously polite to Mrs. General. I tell you, she has designs on pa and we must get rid of her. Anyway, I am go- ing back to England to be married to Edmund-but l won't have Mrs. General marrying pa. That settles it.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
The Support of the Family

Upon Amy's face a settled air of sweet ness and resignation grew and made It beautiful.
 In William Dorrit a new character de- veloped. As father of the Marshalsea no was accustomed to receive-almost exact small contributions, and with the same hand with which he pocketed the col legians' half crown he would wipe away the tears that streamed from his eyes i, any reference was made to his family earning their own bread. The more he became dependent the more he stood by his forlorn gentility.
 Little Dorrit early learned to sew ana by her needle became the main support of the family.
 Such was her life history when Arthur Clennam found her there in the debtor 8 pnson. William had really become proud of his distinction as father of the Marshall sea and condescended toward his brother as an amiable mana private character who had not arrived at distinction.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Longing for His Friend Bob

The table was long and the dinner was long-Mr. Dorrit had been much shaken by his journey. Little DorTit overshadowed by a large pair of black whiskers and a large white cravat, lost sight of her father until a servant put d scrap of paper into her hand with q whispered request from Mrs. Merdle that she would read it directly.
 Mrs. Merdle had written on 1t in pen cil; Pray come to your father-I doubt if he is well.'
 Amy was hurrying to him unobserved when he got up and. leaning on the table, called her to him.
 Amy, my child Amy" said he. will you go and see if John is on the lock? do not feel quite myself. l hal don't know what is the matter with me. I particularly desire to see Rob- Of all the turnkeys he is most my friend See if Bob is in the lodge. l tell you. child, I can't be got up these narrow stairs without Bob.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Hoping to Be a Friend

To see Little Dorrit's hand upon her fathers arm in mute entreaty, half repressed, and her timid.s shrinking lit- tie figure turning away. was to see a sad sight. When sClennam took his leave Little Dorrit had already disap- peared.
 Allow me- said the Father of the Marshalsea, Ito see you downstairs.
 They were alone and Clennam said Not on any account Three guineas changed hands.
 As he hurried along the street Arthur caught sight of Amy in the doorway of the third house from the entrance to the prison.
 "Pray forgive me-" he said, for seek : ing you here-pray forgive me for com ing here at all. l followed you tonight. I did so with the hope of being able to render you and your family some service hope to be friend 10 you. It would recompense me much for much
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
The Father of the Prison

Tt very seldom happens said Will liam to Clennam, that anybody of any pretention-any pretentions-comes here without being presented to me-"
 "As many as 50 persons said Freq erick have been presented to my broth CT in a day" 4 "We have had more than that said William. "Fredericy do you remembe CT the name of that coal merchant who was presented to me on Christmas day and did that handsome action with so much delicacy? His name quite escapes me"
 since I have mentioned that hand some action, MT. Clennam, will say, think it my duty to mention it, that 1t does sometimes occur that people who come here desire to offer some little testimonial-to the Father of the Marsha lSea" i....
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
For Twenty-three Long Years

Twenty-three years before William Dorrit had come to the Marshalsea d very amiable and very helpless middle aged man, who. of course, like all of the prisoners, was going out again di- rectly His wife and two children, a girl and boy, came with him.
 Six months later another daughter, Amy--Little Dorrit-was porn in the prison. William Dorriv had been T member of some mercantile firm of which he knew. no more than that he had invested money in it
 The firm failed and he and his family were brought to the Marshalsea. There was something about a government contract which the firm was unable. to perform mixed up with it and the cTr-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
To the Prison Door

An old man came up and passed into the courtyard. He stopped a good deal and plodded along in slow, preoccupied manner which made the bursting London thorcughfare no very safe place for him. He was dirtiy. and meanly dressed.
 Under one arm he carried a limp, worn out case containing some wind instrum ent. In that same hand he had a penny-worta of snuff in a little pocket, from which he slowly comforted himself.
 Pray, sir,' said Clennam, what is this place."
 Sir replied the old man. this is the Marshalsea--the debtors prison"
 Can any one go in?' asked Arthur.
 Yes, said the old man, but few can come out"
 Pardon me, but are you familiar with the place?''
 "I ann
 "Do you know the name of Dorri, here?'
 Sir, my name is Dorrit'
 It was. in fact, Amy's uncle, Freder- icls Dorrit. They had a considerable talk together after that Clennam told his name and Frederick Dorrit informed hn that the woman he had seen go in Was his niece, the daughter of his brother, Will liam, a poor debtor who had been in- carcerated in the Marshasea many years.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
A CLASSIC
 IN A P AGE


 Dickens in his preface to Little Dor rit,' says: T was occupied on thls story during many working hours or two years" The story was written at a period when the domestic lie or Dickens was not happy. Although u Is one of the best known novels by that great novelist, it lacks the conference or style and plot which would have ap- pertained to it had his mind been calmer.
 The plot itself seems mere phantom which Dickens refers to as seldom as he can. His mind was with MT. Dorrit in the Marshalsea-and MT. Dorrit was drawn from Dickens own father.
 When Charles had finally graduated from the blacking establishment and had become the proprietor of Gadshill Place-when he became famous, the world over-it might have been thought that for the remainder of his life he would have been happy. But he was not. Many frills and follies which the young plebian had assumed when he first got his reputation a writer fell from him In those sad days and his mind went back to his father in the debtors prison.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Two Other People

When Arthur's father lay on his leath bed, out there in China, he had said things which made his son think that some old wrong he had committed sat heavy upon the dying mans conscience. That he had deeply injured some one and that he had been a party to holding hack money from some one else.
 When Arthur began to question his mother concerning this Mrs. Clennam be- came almst rigid and called down ven- geance upon him for daring to question his fathers career
 When he proposed that the business be wound up she was in1exible. He nigh. get out of it; she would carry it on.
 What though it was losing money. She would go to the last and by the old meth ods bending not to tho force of the times and the innovations of modern days.
 Two other people did Arthur see in ihc deerepit house beside his mother, and the old clerk, Jeremiah Flintwinch of tho crab-lille gait,
 One was the aged housemad, Affrey, whom Fintwinch had married some years ego and over whom he terrorized.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Nothing Changed

A old brick house, so dingy as to A be all black, standing by itself 4 1 within a gateway in a gloomy street; before 1t a square courtyard where shrub or two and patch of grass were as rang (which is saying a great deaD as the iron raiings inclos- ing them were rusty; behind it jum- ble of roots.
 Many years ago that house had had in Its mind to slide down sideways, but had been propped up and was leaning fin some half dozen gigantic crutches.
 Nothing changed" said Arthur Glen nam as he stood before the old house, "dark and miserable IS ever. light in his mothers window which seems never to have been extinguished since l came home twice a year from school and dragged my box over this pavement" !"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01

said with asperity, 'I hate a fool.'
 She imparted this sentiment In itself almost Solomonic, so extremely injurious and personal in character, by levelinS it straight at the visitors head that it became necessary to lead MT. Els aunt from the room.
 This was quietly done by Flora; Mir. F's aunt offering no resistance, but in- quirng on her way out What he came here for then?" with implacable ani- mostly.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
F's Aunt Talks

But Els aunt, after glaring at Clennam for while, suddenly remarked When we lived at Hcnly Barnes gander was stcle by tinllers.''
 This having no apparent relation to the subject under discussion, everybody bowed, and the old lady went on with her dinner
 Rut after a while she broke out again yer road" 4tef5
 Mir. Ranks said, "Indeed, ma'am" and Flora smiled and nodded at the old lady. remarking that she was full of life and in great spirits.
 Mir. Frs aunt, instead Of relapsins into silence. looked straight at Arthur and
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01
Mir. Clennan William, Son of Amy's Friend


cumlocution office seized upon Mir. Dor rit-which complicated matters For when anything got into the cir
 cumlocution office, where the art of how not to do it was carried to perfec- tion, it was a hopeless case.
 The daughter was born, the wife
 died, the; years came and went and
 William Dorrit became the father of
 the Marshalsea. Little Dorrit was
 christened in the sneighboring church
 and the turnkey stood her godfather.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-01

if possible, to make reparation, Mrs. Glen nam broke out with
 "Reparation Look at me in prison and in bonds herel I endure without murmuring because it is appointed thas I should make reparation for my sins. Preparation, Is there none in this room Has there been none here for these 15 years?"
 Thus was she always balancing her bar gain with the majesty of Heaven, post ing up the entries to her credit, strictly keeping her setoff and claiming her due.
 She was only remarkable in this for the force ard emphasis with which she did it. Thousands upon thousands do it, accord ing to their varying manner. every day.
 Turning Detective
 Arthur's predominant idea was the mys- tery wrich shrouded, he knew, some ror- ttion of his fathers life-that, mixed with the idea of some reparation he ought to make.
 Influenced by this predominant idea he cfter found himself speculating upon the possibility of Little Dorrit being in some way associated with it. At last he resolved to watch Little Dorrit and know more Cf her History.
 So, going home one dull September evening, she was watched at distance by Arthur Clennam. Turning at the end of London bridge, recrossng it, going back again, passing on to St. Georges church, turning back again suddenly. Arthur saw her disappear, fitting in at the oper onter gate of an oblong pile of barrack like buildings hemmed in by high walls spiked along their tops.
 Clennam stood in the street near the gate waiting to ask some passerby what place that was.