The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-09-02


nothing; she's a within Others"
And thus Mrs. Flintwinch, wife of
the crafty, crab-like walking footman
of the household, introduced to Arthur
Clennam the name of the poor little
seamstress of the paralytic Mrs. Glen
nam.
He had noted her pale, transparent
race, quick in expression though not
beautiful in feature, excepting for it's
soft hazel eyes. A delicately bent
head, tiny form. shabby dress-it
must needs have been very shabby to
| look at all SO, being so neat-were
Little Dorrit as she sat at work.
A strange presentiment came into
Arthur's mind that in some way, this
gentle maiden was connected with his
| history.
For twenty years young Clennam
| had lived In China with his father
only to return now, puzzled over
mysterious watch which that father, in
the very last moments Of his life, had
I given to his son, murmuring family
and indistinctly at the time Your
Mother" Naturally, Arthur had as
sumed that it was intended for Mrs.
| Clennan, whom he and the world sup
! posed to be his mother
| Inside the watch-casing was an old
! silk paper with the initials D N F
worked into it in beads. It was a
message-but the young man could
not fathom it and the old woman
would not enlighten him. Was Little
| Dorrit, to whom the stony Mrs. Glen
| nam paid such strange. unusual kind
ness, connected with the mystery?
| They grew to see more of each other
the girl and the young man-and
Arthur learned that the generous little
Amy DOrrit was supporting not only her
poor old father, who had been con.
demned to a debtors prison, but also
her pretty, frivolous sister, Fanny, and
her wild, lazy brother, Tip. Under the
then existing English laws they were
all allowed to live with their father in
that dreary prison.
Little wonder that Clennan often
spoke kindly to her and that he helped
the family. But love had not yet
come to him-though it had to Little
Dorrit. He heard the thrill in her
voice, he saw the Quickened bosom,
| and yet the remotest suspicion of the
truth never dawned upon his mind.
1t must be added here that Little
Dorrit had innocently won the love of
| dllOlIC1 HAL, llle SS4IIlIAC4lCil Gun Va
the prison turnkey, small Of stature,
with rather weak legs and very weak
| eyes, gentle but great of soul, poetical
and faithful, If one were to doubt his
devotion he need only read the inscrip-
ton for his own tombstone, which the
romantic youth had composed when
Little Dorrit said mo" to him. 1t
ran thus:
. .
Here Lies the Mortal Remains Of {:
JOHN CHIVERY ::
Never Anything Worth {:
&: Mentioning {:
: Who Died of Broken Heart {:
Requesting With His Last Breath !:
|: that the Word ::
/: AMY {:
|: Might be Inscribed Over His !:
|: Ashes !:
Which Was Done by His Afflicted !:
Parents.
'>...... ....... .......
But, at last, the tables turned for
our little heroine. A queer, kind
hearted, rent collector, Pancks- a
painting little steam-tug of man, with
his putting and his pauses - hac
learned to value the friendship of this
motherless girl, and so, having acct
: dentallv discovered that her father
estate had run down the clues unit
estate, had run down the clues uti
finally the great wealth was turned
over to old Mr.. Dorrit.
Then away from the dreary prison
hurried the entire family.
Yet riches brought slight pleasure
to Little Dorrit. The much-changeC
father became ashamed of his debtoI
, life, and with the richly dressed sis
ter and the gambling brother. put OF
many airs. The father even employed
, a chaperon, named Mrs. General, t.
teach Little Dorrit society manners.
Don't say Father" declared this
| lady, Papa is the preferable word; i
; gives a pretty form to the lips. Faith
, err is rather vulgar, my dear. You vii
find it serviceable in the formation O.
a demeanor, if you say to yourself, OF
. entering q room filled with company
} Papa, potatoes, poultry. prunes anc
prism
At this juncture the wealthy Mr.
Merdle took an active part in the Dor
rits' lives. The chuckle-headed son o
, the Merdles fell in love with Fanny
and after their marriage Mr.. Dorri
put all his wealth into Mr. Merdle'E
schemes-for had not this wonderful
Merdle, through various investment:
!, made tremendous fortunes for himself
and others?
By strange fatality. Arthur, too
was led to invest his firms money il
, the famous Mr.. Merdle's schemes.
And then the bubble broke. Merdlt
committed suicide. Investigation!
! showed that he had heeced everybody
, The Dorrits' money was gone. Ar
thurs firm was ruined and Arthur
himself was thrown into prison-th'
, same poor debtors prison that had
for SO long, been the home Of Little
Dorrit.
The days dragged YEARLY on.
At last, Arthur, respondent ant
crushed. haggard from brooding, ant
stricken from fever, one day saw, as il
a vision. kneeling before him the fig
ure Of dear Little Dorrit. She hac
: fastened to make happier the lot o.
the man who had helped her family
in the same gloomy surroundings anC
whom she loved. She nursed him II
his sickness. She offered him all he