Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-10-02
"TheTe," said Mr. Emblem, II
this Letter no more"

pasting his slips with punctilious regard tc
duty, had been following his masters move
ments with curiosity.
'Countinghis investments again as usual. n
Mr.. James murmrred "Ah, and adding
'em upl Always at it. Oh, what a trade Il
must have been:oneeF'
Just then there appeared in the door q
gentleman. He was quite shabby, and oven
ragged in his dress, but he was clearly a
gentleman. He was no longer young; his
shoulders were bent, and he had the un-
mistakable stamp and carriage Of a stu.
dent.
"Guv'nor's at home" said the assistant
briefly.
The visitor walked into the sanctum. He
had under his arm half-a-dozen volumes,
which, without a word, he laid before Mr..
Emblem, and united the string.
"You ought to know this book he said
without further introduction.
Mr.. Emblem looked doubtfully at the
visitor.
"You sold it to me twenty-five years
ago" he went on, 'for" five pounds"
81 did. And l remember now. You are
Mr.. Frank Farrar. Why, it is twenty-five
years agor"
II have bought no more books for twenty
years and more" he replied.
"Sad-sadl Dear me-tut, tut!-bought
no booksl And you, Mr.. Farrar, once my
best customer. And now-you do not mean
to say that you are going to sell-that you
actually van to sell-this precious bookN
"Iam selling, one by one, all my books"
replied the other with a sigh. II am going
downhill. Emblem. fast.n
"Oh, dear, dear, dear!" replied tho book
seller. ''This is very sad. One cannot bear
to think of the libraries being dispersed and
sold of. And now yours, Mr.. Farrarl
Really, yoursl Must it beF'
"Needs must" Mr.. Farrar said with a
sickly smile, needs must when the devil
drives. have parted with half my books
already. But I thought you might like to
have this set, because they were once your
own"
80 l should'-Mr. Emblem laid a loving
hand upon the volumes-'so l should, Mr..
Farrar, but not from you; not from you. sir.
Why, you were almost my best customer-I
think almost my very best-thirty years
ago, when my trade was better than it is
now. Yes, you gave me five pounds-or was
it five pounds tenl-for this very work. And
it is worth twelve pounds now-I assure you
it is worth twelve pounds, if it is worth q
penny"
"Will you give me ten pounds for it,
thenF" cried the other eagerly; II want the
money badly"
"No, l can't; but l will send you to a man
who can and will. lido not speculate now;
l never go to auctions. l am old, you see.
Besides, l am poor. l will not buy your
book, but l will send you to a man who will
give you ten pounds for it, l am sure, and
then he will sell it for fifteen" He wrote
the address on a slip of paper. "Why, Mr..
Farrar, if an old friend, SO to speak, can
put the question, why in the world"
'The most natural thing" replied Mr..
Farrar with a cold laugh; ~ am old, as l
told you, and the younger men get all the
work. That is all. Nobody wants a gen.
oalogist and autiquary.n
"Dear me, dear mel Why, Mr.. Farrar, l
remember now; you used to know my poor
son-in-law, who is dead eighteen years since
l wa just reading the last letter he ever
wrote me, just before he died. You used to
come here and sit with him in the evening.
l remember now. So you did.
THANK You for your good will, i" said Mr..
Farrar. eyes, l remember your son-in-law.
l knew him before his marriage"
"Did youl Before his marriagel Then"
He was going to add, "Then you can tell
me his real name" but he paused, because
it is a pity ever to acknowledge ignorance,
and especially ignorance in such elementary
matters as your son-in-law's name.
So Mr.. Emblem checked himself.
"He ought to have been a rich man." Mr..
Farrar continued; 'but he quarrelled with
his father, who cut him of with a shilling, ]
suppose"
Then the poor scholar, who could find nc
market for his learned papers, tied up his
books again and went away with hanging
head.
"Ugh" Mr.. James, who had been listen.
ing, groaned as Mr.. Farrar passed through
the door. "Ughl Call that a way Of doing
b~usinessl Why, if it had been me, I'd have
bought the book off of the old chap for a
couple O. pounds, l would. Aye, or q soy,
so seedy he Is, and wants money so bad.
And 1 know who'd have given twelve pound
for it, in the trade, too. Call that carrying
on businessl He may we'll add up his in.
vestments every day, if he can afford to
chuck such chances. All, but he'll retire
SOON" His fiery eyes frightened, and his
face glowed with the joy of anticipation.
HE must retire before long"
There came another visitor. This time il
was a lanky boy, with a blue bag over his
shoulder and a notebook and pencil-stump
in his hand. He nodded to the assistant as
to an old friend with whom one may be at
ease, set down his bag, opened his notebook,
and nihhlad HE et1np Than ha raad olo,,J
with a comma or semicolon between each, q
dozen or twenty titles. They were the
names of the books which his employer
wished to pick up The red-eyed assistant
listened, and shook his head. Then tile boy,
wiShout another word, ~shouldered his bag
and departed on his way to the next second.
hand book shop
He was followed, at a decent interval, by
another caller. This time it was an old gen
tleman who opened the door, put In his head.
and looked about him with quick and sus.
picious glance. At sight of the assistant he
nodded and smiled in the most friendly way
possible, and came in.
"Good morning, Mr.. James good morning,
my friend. Splendid weather. PRAY don't
disturb yourself. | am just having a look
round-only a look round, you know. Don't
move, Mr.. Names"
He addressed Mr.. James, but he was look.
ing at the shelves as he spoke, and, with the
habit of a!.book-hunter, taking down the
volumes, looking at the title-pages and re-
placing them; under his arm he carried q
single volume IN old leather binding.
Mr.. James nodded his head, but did dis
turb himself; in fact, he rose with a scowl
-