Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1889-09-09
IN FREE READING ROOMS.
QUEER CHARACTERS WHO HAUNT
NEW YoRNs LIBRARIES.

Dt@30nary-A Stu0eu6 81 Longevity.
In many public libraries Of this city
there are daily to be. seen some decidedly
eccentric characters. Their faces are fa-
miliar to all the attaches Of the place they
frequent. and every occasional visitor has
speculated at one time or other about
them.
In the Mercantile library. for instance,
there are three men who spend the entire
day there reading anything and every
thing. and this they have been doing for
years. One is an elderly man and both
the others are middle aged. They are at
the door Of the room when it opens in the
morning at 0 O'Clock. They take their
seats in the most methodical fashion and
begin. One of them occasionally goes
down stairs, gets book from the library,
and returning in few moments, settles
himself in his corner with grunt of sat
isfaction and then appears oblivious TO
his surroundings for hours.
At noon, or whereabouts, this trio goes
out to luncheon. Not together, as each
seems to be unaware of the similarity of
the others habits Sometimes one comes
back in twenty minutes, sometimes in
thirty, but none would presume to re-
main away longer than an hour.
In the afternoon their pastime is again
resumed, and it Is continued until the
doors close at night. when they go away
reluctantly.
When the library made rule to close
at . o'clock Saturday afternoons, these
Il 4
against the early closing movement as
ON outrage.
Over at the Astor library there was
formerly peculiar looking German who
wore waxed ringIets and tremendous
necktie. Tie studied Goethe entirely, and
made notes by the busheIfuI on dirty
scraps Of paper that he picked from the
floor or fished from his pockets. He has
been missed for some time.
There is one nice looking, white haired
old gentleman who comes to the Cooper
union reading room in the neighborhood
Of o'clock every day and calls for "An-
thon's Classical Dictionary" which is a
sort Of biography of eminent ancient
characters.
lie never asks for anything else, and
when he is seen to enter, the librarian, If
not busy, goes to the case and brings that
work to the desk
The peculiar thing about this character
Is that he has been pursuing this custom
ever since 1888 The reading room was
closed during the extensive alterations to
the building during '85 and SO. When
1t reopened almost the first visitor was
this same white haired old gentleman,
and Mr.. Curtiss, the librarian, could not
repress a broad smile as the old gentle
man stepped before his desk and, laying
down his check, said, "How dye dos
Glad you're open again" and then add
ed. unconcernedIy. "Anthon's Classical
Dictionary, please"
There is another queer fellow who
comes into the same reading room and
follows the attendants around as they file
newspapers and periodicals. As soon as
the attendant places one of these in its
proper place the queer individual takes
It up and rapidly turns and scans the
pages. When the next one is placed he
props the first and skins over the second.
This he does with each and every one.
He seems to have no definite object In
doing this, as he cares not what the pub
LEGATION may be.
At first tho library assistants did not
know what to make of him. but they are
used to him now and would miss his COM
partnership were he to leave off.
There is a third man who is also a
daily visitor, and he must have inforina-
ltion enough stored away in his breast to
run the world.
he is probably between 55 and go
years old. He has an air of comfort
about him, md might be taken for a
one time workingman who had amassed
"a competence upon which he proposed
TO live at his ease for the rest Of his
days. He has been coming to the libra
~ for several years and began his read
ing on volume of the American En-.
Encyclopaedia. That book he called for
every day for goodness knows how long,
and when he had presumably exhausted
It's contents he began on volume 9,
and SO he continued until he came to
the last volume.
Then he began on volume again
and went over the entire ground. It Is
thought that he has read the Encyclo-
petlia ct least dozen times, and he Is
still at it.
Up the Mechanics library on West
Sixteenth street an old man had been a
frequent visitor. He was fully SIS years
old and feeble &C that lie had mania
FOR reading books on longevity. and
bored for hours over ~Inman's Preser-
valion Of Life, Collins Secret of Long
life, and books Of the kind.
Look at that old man" said the
librarian ono day to his assistant ~
don't think his deep study On the pres
ervation Of life will keep him from the
grave much longer. He has been look
ing badly for q week or two, and ap-
pears 10 be at the edge Of the precipice
now The prophecy proved correct.
for the next thing heard Of the old man
was that he had been called fronn this
weary world. and tue knowledge CLEANED
from Collins or Tnman did not suffice to