The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-08-03
Jare Black and DR., Elder.

The critic recently heard an excellent
story about Judge Jere Black. the dis
tinglished lawyer and politician, and
DIR. William Elder. also II prominent
Pennsylvania. and now Al official in
the treasury department.
Both gentlemen were born in SOmer-
set. Penn. and were friends from early
boyhood. Both were excellent story
tcllers, and both had u wealth of stories
of their early life.
Black was particularly proud of a
description OF the way in which he first
read Don Quixote. and was fond of re-
lating it whenever an appreciative au-
dience could be secured. The story was
that in his fathers garnet at Somerset
there stood an old hair trunk in the
earliest days or the embryo judges ca
recr, when his young mind had just be-
gun to feel the want Of more varied lit
crary resources than the standard,
dOg-eared volumes of his fathers limited
library afforded. Jere was investigating
the garnet one rainy day for some di-
version. when he CHANGED to open the
old trunk and observed that it was lined.
rs was the custom, with leaves of IN old
book. Little Jere was surprised and
somewhat interested. An examination
proved that the book was "DOn Quix-
Ote," and that almost all the pages had
been used in lining the trunk. Jere
soon became interested in .'Don Quix-
Ote" and his faithful squire, and as he
traced the pages further. he grew more
and more pleased, delighted, excited
al h-n i,n oh
found under the lid of the trunk, and
Jere began to read the wonderful story,
and page by page he followed the wind
ing plot. rivaling the exploits of the re-
doubtable Don rs he sat one moment
with his head in the trunk, then climbed
into the trunk to read what was pasted
on the sides, lay on his back, with the
trunk-lid on the top of him, while he
perused the bottom, stood on his head TO
get nearer view of the obscure cor.
ners. and i'm this acrobatic manner mas
tered the story, gathered impressions
that clung to him throughout his life,
and made everlasting friendships with
luckless SanchO Panza and erratic Don
QuiXote.
Judge Black told his story well, and
it was well known among his friends.
One evening large gathering of liter
airy and political people, including
Judge Black and Dr. Elder, We're talk
ing of the books of their bOyhood, and
as there were n few persons present who
never heard the story referred to, the
Judge was about to tell it, when DIR.
Elder began unexpectedly:
ri will never forget the circumstance
under which first read Don QuiXote,
when was boy. The pages of the
book were pasted as a lining in an old
hair trunk in my fathers garrett, and l
went through more gymnastics in fol-
lowing on behind the DOn's faithful
steed through all the sides, angles and
trays of that old trunk than ever at
tempted since"
Judge Black listened speechlessly to
the recital, and those who had heard
him tell the story glanced suspiciously
from Doctor to Judge.
1t was evident that somebody had
stolen the story or that the Doctor had
appropriated it to quiz the Judge, and
the latter was not only surprised. but a
good deal chagrined. For long time
Black felt hurt over the theft of his
story, or the ridicule Of his friend; but.
after many months. meeting Dr. Elder
on the street one day, he said:
doctor, do YOU remember our stories
of Don Quixote H. a hair trunk? Well,
that mystery has b.or cleared up. |
have found that when we both lived ut
Somerset my father bought tina. old
trunk from your father, and we botn
read Don QuixOte the same way out Of
the same trunk"