Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1921-09-16
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CONDENSED
CLASSICS
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~
THE OLD
CURIOSITY SHOP
~ CHARLES DICKENS
~ CHARLES DICKENS


Dtcke1ss story stx tfmea. says MT.
Chestertsn. because they know n 80
we'll. II they can read = modern popa-
iar nsvei six times, Il IL Only because
they esa forget II six times- :, -,
One reason Tor this dffferenee IL the
vfvtdsess with which the people of
Dickens stand cut. There are doxens
Of charneteru IN Dickens whom readers
feel they know better than they do
their mesf Intimate friends. One has
euf 70 think Of Dick svvivelIer or Quilp
IN srhe Old Curiosity Shop to see
them moving past. And there are
others I'm tkfs book and In all the
novels who ARE NJ familiar that the
mere mention OF their names conjures
them late life. Mach ss We IKE ana
are thrilled BY the men aud women
who dare and love In the popular
stories Of today, there arc none Of them
whon we should recognixe ns quickly
~ We saw them In the street m we
weuld Mieswber or Mrs Camp or Sam
Weller Or host Of Others created more
thar half q century ago.
1t was the writer's imagination that
@ade his characters seem giants when
they are placed beside the characters
~ later men. II In this imagination,
! now humorous, now terrible. now
sfnpiy grotesqae.r TINT Professor
Saintsbury terms ~of n quality which
; stands entirely by itself. or In nm
PREACHED at distance, and with a
difference. only BY TINT OF his great
rFescs contemporary, Balxac..
4 as .HS -- fsf ~ SIC
LITTLE child--the beautiful
~ iy drawn character sketch of
Such a one as the Divine Mas
ter 80 often chose to hold up as mod
ell for hIs foIlowers-this is our hero
ine.As - tH .@
Though not yet fourteen years old,
she could look back on better DAYS
gone By. Then her grandfather was
happy and contented and had often
talked OF her angel mother. She had
waikedks~lfh ilih6s IN the fields beyond
the cfty's noise, and they had there en-
teyed many delightful hours. Ma
Nov he has changed. He is anxious.
worried, and secretive. He often sends
the child on business to the house Of
the hateful dwarf, Quilp. He is away
from home every night. returning Just
before day. and is filled with gloom
whenever he comes back. The child
cannot comprehend the reason for this
change.
She tells this to the sympathetic
Mrs. Quilp, while the monster who has
loaned her grandfather money listens
at the door. He has supposed tho. old
man to be possessed of great secsat
wealth and to be in the way of making
much more money IL only he could be
carried over a temporary emergency.
But the child's statements to his wife
made the dwarf suspicious. He inves-
tignted and found Nell's grandfather
had taken his loans to the gaming ta-
BILE and had lost.
Il am no gambler" cried the old
man ierceiy, when accused by Quilp.
II call heaven to witness that never
played for gain of mine or love of
play; that ct every piece staked I
whispered that orphans name and
called on heaven to bless the venture
which Il never did"
He cried out that his winnings would
have been made from evil men and
would have been spent ON a sinless
child Ouilp was unmoved by his ap-
peais for further aid. He had q legal
hold on the old mans curiosities and
other property and brought his lawyer
to take possession Of the premises.
Kit, the servant boy Of Nell's grand
father. had angered Quilp by calling
him names. and the dwarf took re-
venge By telling the old man that Kit
had informed Of the gambling.
Early one morning. before Quilp
and his lawyer awoke. Nell and her
grandfather crept softly out and left
their home forever. They had visions
Of fair fields and country scenes
through which they would journey.
The child had learned that she must
be the leader. and he followed willing
~. She had a little money. but they
must depend upon charity when that
was gone.
( The nrst day they made long jour
ney and were given ride by a kind
countryman. They stayed that night
at an inn with two Punch and Judy
showmen for whom Nell had done q
bit Of mending. With them they went
to the races the next day. but Nell be
came suspicious of the men and es'
capped with her grandfather into the
open. country.
Nearly exhausted by another long
walk. they arrived at a school play.
ground. The schoolmaster kindly tool
them homo, and they stayed there 9
few days. obtaining needed rest.
Continuing their Journey, they nex1
met with a travelling wax-fgure show