San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-07-17
SECOND HAND BOOKS.
Romances and windfalls I'm the Business.
One Dealers Lucky Find.

i yes" said a Montague street dealer II
second hand books, my trade is more or les!
of queer one, as you say. Money in it
Now, you ought to know that there is money
in any business, provided one can obtain
enough custom. / suppose a man might make
. fortune out of gorilla skins if the demand
existed and he could obtain the wherewithal
to supply the want"
| But you often make very lucky bargains
or finds, don't you" said the reporter
| "WindfallS are among the rare things of
life," replied the book dealer philosophically,
land the fortunate happenings of my bust
ness show no deviation from the rule Still
have had slices of good fortune, undenably
| so. Want to hear about some of them'
| Well, here's one of recent date.
Three weeks back | bought some 200 or
300 odd books from a resident on Remsen
street who was clearing out his library pre-
paratory TO shutting up his house for the
summer. On looking over the lot after the
purchase found e small volume of Thorn
sons Seasons IL was an edition published
by New York firm in 1856 and was bound
in faded pink cloth and gold. Casually run
ming my eve over its pages | noted the fact
that a number of the words had underneath
them a tiny brownish red speck. Half in
stinctively | strung into sentence or part Of
a sentence, some half dozen of the marked
words, and found that they formed portion
Of what was evidently love message. My
curiosity was excited. and | picked up the
rest of the distinguished words. Altogether
they made a lengthy and particularly effu-
sive tale of affection emanating from the
donor of the book, whose name appeared on
the tlyleaf. Throwing the book on an upper
shelf, thought no more of the matter, and
went to New York 10 fulfill an engagement.
On my return later in the day a note was
handed to me from the whilom owner of the
book. 1t was to the effect that the Thorn
sons Seasons had been given with the rest
OF the books by mistake, that it was a valued
relic, and that in the event of its having been
sold was commissioned TO repurchase it at
any price. The ANY price was UNDERSIGNED
| need not say that the book was returned.
Ny boy, who took the book back, came home
to ne with note of thanks, in which was
enclosed q SO bill ! afterward learned that
the h0Dt: was portion of an exceedingly pa
thetic romance, the shadow of which had
cast a gloom over the entire life of the gen.
tleman i'll question.
Nearly year back the library of de
ceased collector who had resided on the
Heights came under the hammer 1t was
sold by the heir of the property, who, while
he Inherited his fathers money, did not share
in the old gentleman's literary tastes Some
fifty or sixty Of the more valuable books
came into my hands, among them being
large and prOfusely illustrated Saints Rest.
Ola the broad margin on the top of the first
page was written in bold characters, Who
Uses this book will find his reward Glanc-
ing over the volume noted the fact that
one of the hg leaves was missing and that the
inner side of the first cover was of the same
paper as the remaining fly leaf, and that it
was much softer to the touch than mere card
board
To one who is accustomed to handle books
as | ana, it was not hard to instantly divine
that the flyleaf which was wanting had been
pasted down on the cover, aud over some
foreign body. a close examinations confirmed
my suspiciO4. Well to shorten the story,
used steam: the fyleaf was raised, and there
carefully and snugly arranged underneath
were five so bills. The meaning of the in.
scription on the interior leaf was now plain
notified the heir, but he, in the first flush of
the enjoyment Of big fortune, replied that
the book was my purchase, and consequently
the money was mine. | didn't attempt to
dispute tho point "-Brooklyn Times.