The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-03-30


 and unswept floor, were all the real estate sugges tions which the room contained. Shelves were filled with books, the corners of the room were loaded with books-there were books everywhere. He had sober books in dark cloth, and drowning books in heavy leather He had flimsy books in paper covers and sensational looking books in red. "Do you write with quillp" asked.
 "Yes" he answered, putting away at his brier- root pipe. dts screak is sort of companionshiP when am writing. I suppose am sort of old fogy, any way. am getting pretty well along 1; am ten years older than Fred. There were two children older than Fred and younger than I-died early" "Oh Osbury" said man, pokng his head in at the door "have you got blank deed?"
 "No believe not" Henry answered, without look ing around. real estate office without blank deedi
 "You have quite a collection of books" said 1. "Yes they are coming in slowly. l am not bibliomaniac, however That is don't set great value upon rare editions. To me the latest edition is just good as the first, for, in the matter of binding, 1 take just much interest in the green grass of newness as l do in the dry moss of age. do not value friend simply because he wears old clothes"
 "I suppose fiction claims large share of your attention"
 "Yes," he replied smiling "I am an idler rather than a student"
 "I don't think" said I, taking up "Middlemsrch," "that we are merely idlers when we sit down with George Eliot"
 
 all writers of English fiction she is my favorfte. care not if she does attempt to drag in her phi lOsophy, she makes me breathe pure air. blowing from the orchard where the apple trees are in bloom. Her people live. They amusing without being caricstures and pathetic without committing violence upon our synpathies What contrast between Eliot and Bulwer Lytton. When 1 read Bulwer, l see a room where there is much cut glass and where there is some rub ping brass fender; but, turning to Eliot, I see girl with a thoughtful face looping up the rose bushes in the garden"
 He knocked the ashes from his pipe took up a cigar box, raked his pipe about in it, filled the bowl with natural leaf, struck a match on the under side of the table, and while waiting for the sulphur to burn off the match, said:
 "Of course like American writers-as a general thing l like them best-but I don't thnk-(he paused until he had lighted his pipe,) don't think that any new writer could arise and loosen Pilots hold on me. I cannot explain the fascna. tion-come in" man had stepped up into the doorway.
 "Is this Mir Osbury?"
 "Yes, sit down."
 "I have been thinking of making some invest ments in this neighborhood, and told in Louisville that you would doubtless be the proper man for me to see"
 "Ah, hah. What sort of investment ?"
 "I'd like to buy small farm this place." "How long will you be in town?"
 "I want to get away tomorrow"
 well, l am very busy just at present l should like to sell you & tract of land, but all that have lies some distance from here. It would take at least day to go out there and look at it. By the way, J. w. Haleworth Co.-just across the public square-are large dealers and are thoroughly trustworthy. If you cannot stay until I have time to go out with you, why you might call on them"
 "Well, believe I'll do so."
 "All right. Let's see what were we talking about ?" Henry asked when the man was gone. "Oh yes, l was going on to acknowledge my inability to anayze the fascination Eliot has tor me- But suppose that in this very inability lies, to me, her chief charm; for analysis is the dagger that lets the life- blood out of fction's heart. Analyze passion-pick it to pieces and it blows away. We mnat not analvzA an oil nainf-