The Winslow mail., 1915-06-12
The Stories OF
Famous Novels
By Albert Payson Terhune
opyright. 1913, by The Press Publish
ing Co.
AM ELLA
BY Henry Fielding

the middle of the eighteenth century
Mrs. Harris was very rich. And Amel
la was her favorite child. Betty hated
Amelia and was forever trying to stir
up trouble for her.
A dashing young officer, Lieut.. Will
liam Booth, flashed into the sisters
lives and both of them fell in love
with him. Amelia was by far the more
beautiful of the two. and it was Amel-
las love that Booth reciprocated.
Mrs Harris was coaxed into con
senting to the match. She bought
Booth captaincy and settled an al
lowance on the young couple. A few
months later Capt. Booths regiment
was ordered to Gibraltar There the
young husband was wounded in battle
and for weeks hovered at deaths door
Amelia came On to nurse him back to
health. Then their sorrows began.
They were broke. Amelia wrote ask
ing her mother for money to take them
to a French resort, where Booths
strength could be built up. Betty ans
wered the letter, presumably in her
ndDIS, IIO 1CQuCoJ
and grossly berating both Amelia and
her husband. Amelia was dumbfound-
ed The letter virtually disowned
Booth and herself They were cast
adrift.
The friends who had curried favor
with Booth when he had been known
as the rich Mrs Harris's son-in-law
now stunned him. Only by the great
est effort could he raise money enough
to get to France. There, while he was
still convalescing, Amelia wrote sec
ond letter of piteous appeal to her
mother.
No answer came. She wrote to q
neighbor and learned that her mother
had been dead for many months. Betty
had not taken the trouble to notify
her sister. 1t also appeared that Mrs.
Harris had left will, bequeathing
only $500 to Amelia and the rest of her
vast fortune to Betty.
The Booths were without money,
without occupation Gas the captains
regiment had been disbanded) and
without hope Back to England they
came Betty refused to give Amelia
a penny, except on the impossible con-
ditiOn that she desert her husband
Through the kindness of an old friend
Booth began life over again as farm
er.
Laziness, gambling and love for
drink made sad havoc of Booths new
chances Up to his eyes in debt, he
left the farm and fled with Amelia and
their children to London to escape go.
ing to the debtors prison.
In the metropolis Amelia and her
somewhat worthless husband under
went a long series of such mishaps as
old time writer's loved to pile upon
their heroes and heroines More than
once Booth was jailed for debt and for
other causes An adverturess fell in
love with him and jealously caused all
sorts of bother for the luckless fellow.
He was forced into duel, was used
as pawn in the game of politics and
intrigue and altogether had most ex-
citing and unpleasant time.
Two or three men of wealth and
rank were smitten by Amelia's rare
beauty and made love to her, only to
be repulsed in disgust, and to seek re-
venge by further iniuring her hus-
band Throughout the bitter ordeal of
poverty, peril and sorrow Amelia bore
herself with a gentle and sanity fOrti.
tude that was as beautiful as it was
improbable.
At last came the turn in fortunes
tide During one of Booths sOjOurns
in Jail dying fellow prisoner confes-
sed to having abetted an attorney
named Murphy in forging Mrs Harris
will Betty had hired Murphy to hide
or destroy her mothers real will,
which left everything to Amelia, and
to substitute forged will bequeathing
everything to Betty herself.
Murphy was arrested. Among his
papers Mrs. Harris's genuine will was
found. Murphy was hanged-in those
days they did not merely disbar crook
ed lawyers-and Betty escaped to
France Amelia and Booth left the
city where they had suffered such
harsh misfortunes and settled down
to a life of wealth and happiness in
the pleasant country home that Amelia
loved.
HENRY FIELDING, one of the great
masters of English fiction, is some
times styled the "Cervantes" OF the
language. He was born in England in
1714 and came of noble family, de-
irving it's descent from the Imperial
House of Hapsburg
Amelia" was published in 1851. OF
this book DR.. Johnson said: "It is
perhaps the only book of which being
printed off betimes one morning,
new edition was called for before
night" The same great moralist also
affirmed that he read the book through
without stopping. For this novel
Fielding received the then extraordin
ary remuneration of $4,000.
Fielding first began writing for the
stage, a pursuit in which he was un-
successful He subsequently studied
law, but firing of this, he embarked
upon literary career, and in 1742 pro-