The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-09-21
4 Collectors Dream.

The age of story telling is long psst-I mean, of course the age when stories were handed down, like the Homeric poems by oral tradition. Nova days the man with story writes it out as three volume novel "penny thriller" and publishes it. Alas! our efforts do not last 90 long as Homers, but no doubt they pay better-and that Is some thing 1t is pitiabe to think that poor Homer may have often had to compose book of the Iliad for a nights lodging. It is sad to reflect that the number of the poems may be Q measure Of the pow erty of the poet-to believe that minds are full because his stomach was empty. But 1t is almost certainly true.
 Nv friend Wooler was no Homar. believe he would rather have seen the whole of his brac come to the hammer than sit down to save 1t by the profit of his pen. But he was 6 very good fel low, and very good friend to me, 90 l venture to hope that this short accout of his end may interest you.
 am an old bachelor. I rather glory in the fact. It seems to me that man who depends upon others for his happiness in life must have something lack ing in himself He is not self reliant. Now, this quality of self reliance is at the bottom of the mightiest achievements of man. Heroes are self reliant: therefore self-reliant man has the germs of heroism in him. An old bachelor Is selfreiant therefore an old bachelor possesses the germs of heroism. Do not suppose am hero. am not. But then could instance numbers of my married friends who are not heroes either. My position is simply this that in the qualities of latent heroism I am superior to Brown, Jones, and Robinson, be- cause they are married and am not. Thus you see why glory in being an old bachelor
 But to return to Wooler. He Is, like myself, bachelor, and as we have but few relations, and those distant and, which increases the distance ex pectant seek the company of each other ct times when others seek their relations. Thus it is that from time immemorial Wooler and have invaria bly, passed Christmas day together. The proce- dure is as follows: About three o'clock in the evening we meet at the end of the road leading into the country. We shake hands; remark that 1t is
 G~- Ak~Aa 4< as the case may be, walk slowly to the second mile stone q hate running), and back again. By this time it is five o'clock in the evening. We proceed the house of the donor of the feast mine in this particular casel, change our outdoor clothes for smoking suits and slippers and converse over the fire till half past six when dine. After dinner we sit on either side of the fire. The port passes a little railway actuated by two cords one on either side of the wagon which carries the bottle. When the port is finished, we light our pipes and converse before.
 We are never at loss of conversation, Wooler and I. We have taste in common-one em- bracing every form of human art and great deal of human trade. We are collectors of bric-a-brac. All the year round the pursuit goes on. Bric-a- brac has no close time. The objects of our quest are more numerous than the victims of even the most ardent sportsman. We tell each other of v1c- tories won of pieces which we are watching in the shops of dealers in the houses of friends in the ut most recesses of the safes of even our enemies When Ingram dies Wooler and will attend the sale. We both want that Marqueterie table-but the price must be our own Wooler bids depre- ciate; we toss for the bargain when made. Per haps Ingram's heir buys 1t in. If we survive the heir we shall be at his sale, tor we can wait, and it Is better not to buy at all than to buy badly.
 A long, tedious process, you say. You arc wrong. When that table is ours, do you think we shall reap as much pleasure from the possession as we did from the acquisition7 Mo- That table is now part of the interest of our lives It furnishes end less points for speculation-the health of Ingram, the probable price, who shall bid, the auctioneers, the actual value-all these topics arc bound up with that table now. But when we have it, all