The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-16
yrRE. rrscK ANn. pR. ELpER.
Tho Story of How These. Two Gsntlemen
Read Don QuixOter

Read Don QuixOte-
Washington Critic.
The Critic recently heard an excellent
story about Judge JeTe. Black, the dstin-
guished lawyer and politician, and DR. Will
liam Elder asoia prominent. Pennsyvaninn
and now official in the Treasury Depart
ment
Both gentlemen. we're born in Somerset,
Pa, aud were friends from early boyhood.
Both were excellent story-teilers, and both
had a,wealth of stories of their early life.
Black was particularly proud Of a descrip-
ton of the way in which he first read Don
Quixote. and was foud of relating it when.
ever an appFeoiative audience could be Sc
cured. The story was that i'll his father S
garnet at Somerset there stood an old hair
trunk in the earliest days of the embryo
Judges career when his young mind had
just begun to feel the want of more varied
literary resources than the standard. dog
cared volumes OF his father s limited library
afforded. Jere. was investigating the garrett
one rainy day for some diversion, when he
CHANGED to open the old trunk and observed
that it was lined, as was the old custom,
with leaves ola book Little Jere. was sur
prised and somewhat interested. An exam
marion proved that the book was Don
Quixote," and thar almost all the pages had
been used in lining the trunk Jere.,
soon became interested in don
Quixote''' and his faithful squire, aud as he
traced the pages further, ne grew more
and more pleased, delighted, excited and
absorbed The opening chapter was. found
under the lid of the trunk, and Jere. began to
read the woundrous story. and page by page
he followed the winding plot, riyaling the
exploits of the redoubtable Don as 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 pc
rused the bottom, stood ON his head to get
| Il ~
this acrobatic manner mastered the story,
gathered impression that chung to him
throughout his life, and made everlasting
friendships with luckless Sancho Panza and
erratic Don Quixote-
Judge Black told the story we'll, and it
was we'll known among his friends One
evening n large gathering of literary and pe-
litical pc onle. including Judge Black and DR..
Elder were talking of the booksof their boy
hood, and as there were few persons present
who never heard the story referred to, the
Judge wasabont to tell it, when DIR. Elder be-
gan unexpectedly:
II will never forget. the circumstance I'M
der which first read Don Qnixote, when
was a boy. The pages. of the book were
pasted as a linin1in an old hair trunk in my
fathers garrett, and l went through more
gymnastics in following on behind the Don's
faithful steed through all the sides, angles
and trays OF that old trunk than have ever
attempted since"
Judge Black listened speechlessly to the
recital, and those who had heard him tell the
story glanced suspicously from Doctor to-
Judge.
It was evident that somebody had stolen
the story or that the Doctor had appropri-
ated it to quiz the Judge, and the latter was
not only surprised. buta 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 in hair trunk? Well, that
mystery has been cleared up. / have found
that when we both lived at Somerset my
father bought that old trunk from your
father, and we both read Don Quixote the
same way out of the same trunk"