New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-14
ODD CH4RACTERS IN READWG-ROOM
UNCONSCIOUS HABITS OF LITERARY MEN-THE


UNCONSCIOUS HABITS OF LITERARY MEN-THE
PORTUGUESE MAGICIAN.
There are no places where men who have
idiosyncrasles reveal them freely and unconscousy
than in the reading -rooms of the Astor Library.
mere cursory acquaintance with the place shows that
the readers who 90 there may easily be classified and
subdiyded There the regulars and the transents
OF the regulars there those who earn their bread by
literary pursuits and those who read regularly for the
purposes of obtaining information on some subject
which is hobby; OF the transients there are those who
come for some specific information, who looking up
something to decide bet settle question, and there
are also the trhng butterflies who wander in out Of curl
osity 70 have look at the bOowOrms and to see the
place ITSELF All of these have their little Ways and
peculiartes, but 1t is only amoag the regulars That
oddities can be found. Nearly all Of them have tricks OF
sngularty which have been developed during reading
and are as much habit as the reading Itself.
There is gentleman whose table is generally covered
with French literature of the Eighteenth Century who
has habit not disagreeable OF grooming avorte
tunes in a very low tone gentle stmuant to the com
prehension OF French wit When the latter very bright
the Groom rises into audible chant OF which fact the
Anger becomes suddenly aware and stops abruptly In the
middle quavered word There is another reader out
In an alcove who apparently is getting rod in pickle
for modern dramatsts, for he Is studying the Spanish
plays of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that
have inexhausbe source Of plumber for modern
plagiariziag playwrights. When be comes upon a
SNUFF box looks around him with air of conscious
superiDrty and general satisfaction, tape his snubOE
delcateIy twice opens IT, feeds both nostrs literally
stores HIS to his pocket with much deberaon brings
out large green and yellow bandanna han akerchei,
shus his eyes, and then blows clarion blast that heard
ali over the building The librarians look at each other
and SMILE an OF them mayhap whispers to another:
Has he got Luis de Gongora this morning I" An
other reader tall, gaunt man VII stern, set look
almost amounting TO a scow, OF whom little boys would
reality a good-natured gentleman who has passion for
tbe study OF mathematics. When D and . are more
imam and dance through tine pages OF
his author in an unusually intricate maze he sets MS
teeth together and holds on 20 his chair Win DOM
hands and his eyes flame with the ardor OF battle
When the reDelOus and are sub lued he clears MS
throat Of the phegm that has accumulated curing tS
There s another reader who Is internationally regular
ana VINO ben there Is slack water in his professional
mill He is nervous and fdgety TO the Last degree He
before him pile OF books upon ancient art Egyptian
Eiruscan an5 Hindu. Inghram is fayorte author OF
tlon given Of plate land this occurs frequently he
gathers himself almost INTO ball. bis legs curl up under
Ills chair his head SINKS into his shoulders he scOWs az
the plate with air Of intense hatred, picks neryousy
at the fingers OF his left hand and then begins to drum
non tle table devils tattoo. He Is obviously on very
friendly terms with the librarians for the In charge
of the room gives friendly cough at Who9 the onender
sides into tranquility. But there Is drummer whom
no Teproachfu cough will touch, ard DO on IN his
,TicLed way unrepentant He is Il German aud his 9p-
nFoacb is horaded by all-pOweriu odor OF garlic.
lie reads general German literature Goethe usually and
I'm an probability musician His favorito composer Is
Beethoven and he beats out the rhyhmlcal phrases OF
fine Heroic ana major symphonies In most unmstai-
oble manner. When he Il more than ordinarily in
spjred by his breakfast, he sometimes softly huns
march from forgotten opera AS translated INTO
sonpd by him Il becomes, Rum rum, rum rum, rum,
rum a Teddy which has a cu-iOus Turkish military
smac about it. These tones be repeats softly 70 himself
until the Of bis book becomes too absorbing ana
bis Inns move without emitting sounds.
There a a tradition I'm the library OF courty hut
eyed and dirty Portuguese gentleman no used 10 come
reiarly of mornings and who devoted himself 10 Latln
,T6rks On magic He claimed 10 be descended from an
oncesfor who had sailed the world all round with the
bnid Vaseo de CANA He had passed much OF hls lie III
tie poTtuguese settle the west coast or Africa
ere he hal imbiDed the gro supersttons win re-
rd IN witchcraft gand had added TO them the German
5rean,s of Odic force, electrO-biOlogy ana natural
Ilis manners were dignihed ana oriental
tboT suaye courtesy and his clothes were SO Ola ana
dirv "a 10 have also Oriental IN their accumnla
80 yornmes lie was not retcent He liked to talk TO
~ Rbrarans and had evidently cultured mind But
to yyss decidedly unpleasant He took snun nolsly,
d I'm reading he always moisoned the UP OF the grIy
ager With which he turned the dnRy pages OF the hyS
tnrons books he loved AT inerNa ais he would lo9h
ernund and II caught any one watching nun ne Wo
flare az him with truly mesmerlc power anu ~ no
kad long sallOw face pointed beard thlck DIIsthB
o-sh%oyys that met Ills nose, deesunEe Ken eyes
hotr flat fell in matted masses upon ms bhOulueIs
his GLANCE was terrifying.