The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1889-01-17
IN A PUBLIC LIBRARY.
Queer Incidents Which Como Under the
Observation of an Attendant.

Children are not the only peculiar
people whom we deal with across the
counter" said an attendant in the read
ing-room of the city library to a re-
porter of the Indianapolis Neacs, just
after waiting upon group Of giggling
schoolgirls. .'It's true they are the
ones who make the oldest mistakes.
Here, see this little girls request"
A yellow slip was produced on
which, in the place of the title OF a
book or paper, was written in an un-
certain hand, "All the things" THAT
was rather appalling DESIRE" con-
sidering the fact that all the things
would include 10000 volumes and
many thousand unbound papers. l
finally compromised the matter,
though, and sent her away happy with
q bound volume of The Chatterbox.'
'Some time ago small boy, with q
sturdy air, took the pencil and devoted
himself for five minutes to writing what
he wanted. 1t was an undertaking
which required the greatest amount of
exertion. He seized the pencil with a
vise-like grip and protruded his tongue
to an amazing length, while big beads
of sweat gathered on his forehead. At
last he was done, and with the air of a
conqueror he presented the slip. |
took it with some curiosity, and found
that the words which he had produced
after such tremulous effort were
.Wogly! Wooglyr / was completely
puzzled. ran over all the periodicals
/ could remember, but none had
II. L IN, n
semblance of that Then l pronounced
it aloud, and there seemed to be faint
similarity in the sound to somethin g
had heard before. l tried it again.
All! had it. lis it Harper's Weekly
you want?' / asked of the lad.
's Yes, ma'am, of course he said.
but, as 1 started out to say, the
queer customers are not all children.
Do you see that dark man with long
hair sitting over there by the Windows
Well, by actual count I waited on him
twenty-seven times in an hour and q
half yesterday. To-day he promises to
do almost as well, as he has taken six
different papers in the half hour since
he came in. Here he comes again."
He came, and, with the air of a
prince, at the very least, secured and
carried away the North american Be
CteU.
"He must be the most rapid reader
on record" went on the attendant. 81
| thought for long time he was look.
ing up references, but the theory had
| to be abandoned He will take in the
entire range of science, literature and
art, religion, history and humor just
| about as fast as l can procure the
| periodicals, and then return the next
day and go through the list again. II
never occurs to him that he is caus.
| ing any trouble or hindering Other
people from getting what they want.
lone day pompous man came II
and asked if the bookkeeper was in
l thought of all the employees abou
the library, but the business is of sucf
a nature that we keep no regular Sc
of books l supposed he must NEAR
the person who keeps the record of The
books loaned and returned, and asked
if that was the case. No. he said,
very impatiently, i want the book
keeper We'll, finally said. 4 know
of no such person; will have to refe
you to the librarian
Librarian, librarian" he almos
shouted, why, he's the man
wanted all the time and he stalket
back to the librarians office in grea
indignation"