Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-06-02

dreading the information which the
boy may give, has him kidnapped, while
on an errand for Mr. Brownlow, by
Nancy, a wretched girl Of the STREETS,
pupil Of FagIn, and mistress OF BIZ
Skies, the greatest ruftian Of the whole
gang.
In order to close divers mouth, by
making him also a criminal, he is taken
along on a HOUSEKEEPING attempt.
Protesting, he Is put through a small
window that he may open the door to
his companions. He is firmly deter
mined to warn the people Of the house,
but the burglary Is failure, and Oh
liver, wounded by stray shot, is left
in a ditch by the fleeing gangsters.
The next morning he crawls, Injured
as he Is, to the same house, where his
story is believed and he finds new and
lasting friends.
Again the lad is sought out by Fagin,
aided by q mysterious man who has
shown great emotion at chance sight
of Oliver in the street, and who now
plots with Fagin not merely for the
possession of the boy, but for his NOR
al ruin, which seems to be desired es-
pecially by this so-colled Monks.
Their whispered plottings are over
heard by Nancy, who atones for her
former kidnapping Of Oliver by risking
her life to inform his new friends OF
his true parentage.
The interview between this scorned
street-girl and the beautiful Rose May
lie. adopted niece Of divers protect
ress, gives Dickens a splendid oppor'
tunity to which he does not fail to dc
full justice. "Coldly and harshly
treated by Mrs. Maylie's self-righteous
servants, the girl is in defiant mood
when finally admitted, and remarks
with toss of the head, It's a hard
matter to get to see you, lady. If
had taken offense and gone away, al
many would have done, you'd been sor
ry for 1t one day, and not without
reason"
But "the kind tone Of the answer
she received, the sweet voice, the gentle
manner, the absence Of any accent Of
haughtiness or displeasure took the
girl completely by surprise and she
burst into tears. oh, lady, lady, she
said, clasping her hands passionatelJ
before her face, If there was more
like you, there would be fewer Ike
me, there would, there would ! "
Then comes the startling account
of what Nancy had overheard: Monks
has secured, by clever inquiry an'
bribery, the locket and the ring; NJ
recognized Oliver; he alludes to hi
fathers will and speaks Of the gratiti
cation It will be to him (MOnks) t.
make a common felon of his youni
brother Oliver. He also says with
laugh that there is some comfort II
the fact that his identity has beel
kept from his latest friends, "sinc
how many thousands and hundreds o
thousands of pounds they would Civ
TO know who their two-legged spanie
is"
Rejecting all Roses efforts to plac
her in some safe refuge from her hol
rible associates, and refusing all r.
wards. the weeping girl returns to tn
only life she has ever known, arranI
ing to repeat her evidence to some dis
: Greet man whom Rose Is to bring t
London Bridge.
Nancy keeps this appointment wit
Rose and Mr.. Brownlow, but 1t cost
her her life, as suspicious Fagin ha
had her followed and watched. Sike'
insane with rage, brutally disregard
her protestations that she has shielde
him and has remained faithful to hin
Disbelieving her, he beats her
death with a club, then fees vainl
from the terrors of his own memor
of the deed, and dies by an acciden
as he is trying to escape arrest.
The gang is broken up by evidenc
in Mr.. Brownlow's hands. Fagin
tried and hanged.
AS to Monks, whose real name
Leeford, Mr.. Brownlow proves to b
, his fathers intimate friend, to haN
had first-hand information of all tn
facts the dissolute son had tried
conceal. Oliver is his half-brothe
natural son of Edwin Leeford and Al
mes Fleming, to whom he had turne
= in passionate love from his unhapI
and wretched home. His will left tt
, bulk of his property to Agnes Tin q
) fault of other atonement) and to the
: unborn child. If boy, however, l
was only to inherit if he kept n
5 name unstained during his minorit
l Rose is the younger sister Of the u
happy Agnes.
: Monks takes the share given nj
t and leaves England. oliver is adopt'
Y by Mr.. Brownlow; Rose marries MI
: Maylie's son, Harry, and the two hous
9 holds enter on well-merited BLESSING
q and happiness.
Copyright, 1919, by the Post Publishil
: Co. CThe Boston PosDy Copyright In
b United Kingdom, the Dominions, It's q
, onies and dependencies, under the cop
right act, by the Post Publishing Z
: Boston, Mass, U. S. A. All rights