New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-18

slight alert figure and for the race on "hich
time had left a hundred wrinkles but no mark
Of failing strength or diminished cheeriulhess
The face sparked in the sunlight Inc eyes
rested lovingly on the books and beyond theh
wandered to the river as II after all MS ample
house could not contain the restless spirit his
iovous manner filed the room the sunshine
dc
The hooks were those Of a man who cared
more for reading than for books; unlike the COL
lector who sometimes seems to care more for
books than fer reading.-not always but some
times. He had few rarities. few treasures, or
what the book-lover would have reckoned such,
and from the dandyism Of fine bindings his col
lection was entirely free. Yet remember how
delighted the dear Doctor was when | came
mon a book in old French red morocco. and
told him thought it might be by Derome.
Whether he had ever heard Of Derome doubt,
but suppose | pronounced the name as one
does that Of a great man, and he caught AT It,.
WAS he "A great binder" Yes. one of the
best" And You really think he bound this
book?"-with an emphasis on the dcmonstra-
tive pronoun and glance Of scrutiniZng in
terest al the newly discovered treasure 1t was
quite safe to say yes. For there were dozen
Deromes: a whole fan lily or clan IF binders in
the eighteenth century. and il has long been
the custom of the cnterprising- sometimes too
enterprising- second hand bookseller TO attrib-
ute to Derome any specimen OF old morocco
which he thinks fairly good. Nor does he deem
it necessary to warn his client thai the Deromes
were a numerous folk. nor to say which OF
them II any was the real author Of the binding
he commends to the conhding buyer.
He showed me- more than once as he has
shown many others. the desk at which ne sat,
the drawers neatly divided into convenient COM
partments for different kinds Of paper and en-
veopes: and the gold pen with which he wrote.
Like Goethe he dwelt on the importance OF
stationery and Of a good pen and good ink
to the writer. aspect lily the imaginative
writer Between him and tho due expression OF
his thought in black and white, there ought
to be few obstacles as possible; II" friction
that can be avoided. Many fine thought. he
declared had persisted ere It was fairly BORN
straneled in the birth by a hair on the nib Of
the pen or chokcd out Of life by muddy INK.
His paper was ruled and glazed his ink thin
black: not bluc-black. as is much OF the best
writing fluid in this country He had written I
know not how many books with the same pen.
And he looked AT The pen as If il We're part Of
himself
Long before this. in the old days Of the
ChailtS-s' h""S'' ''''' -, t
seem even more r'"lo'' IMAM r..
and his boat. faul Mo'P"S ma" '''' -,
ana sci US All d""I"' ""'"' -. p,ah
had a houri"hihg ch'SS ''"'. W " ~ '.,.~
ardson was Pr'S'"'''' ''''.' 80 ,..
room on NdSi'''s''''-'" n
Morphy dinner. N'N''' -
chess was invented. had quite SO much homae"
heon offered 10 any II its champions as was
,ho, boetovvod on the Young genius from New
th'h p'S'""'" ~" wv ,,t,t .go,,
Orleans. nor ever SO many '''''''"'S
hled III ms h'""'. '''.''' v.naa no df, q,
side. and assentei J"yi"'y' Nv" ~
thing ne "'n i "''' '''' ,,......, ,.r,,..rs,,,.
the dinner the president "' 'i',' ''' ,,.
the 'h'ol '"S".' W Wv 49,. ,,,,,,.,.. ,ra
and scor" ~ others harHly Jess ''''''' ''''
dicnincd Tho scene - T. was The N'N"r" h'H+''
, ,h. ,,.iJ.r, has rasscd permanently into
""' " ...,r,. o., Wcud.ll
history. because " seemed NJ. 'H4'IN I" '''' %
phullps then az over an enthusiast III 'h'
- = .,,ror,,. ,cuneraucc 70 address a pub
'""'' ~ - .,d reverend
lc r''uh' ' =" . i. . ,,,,-
seniors Their offence was not In paying "'""'-
pllmcnt to Morphy but in dining at the revere
g, - ,.i,o % he nut on the
80, ,rb ,buinni, did not deeply disturb
Holmes. wendell" ne said. holds pf''' LOT
.h c,,,,i.s" Tho two mcr each spoke ~ the
Wv ,,.,.,. 1.,,,. ,,or. cousins moro or
other "a N'hH'"- my 49,.
less near and liked 'a'h "'"''
,h, ,n,inr An affection on each side
a.. ,ra S,,,cr Holmes acquitted himself per
At the '.'''''' $50. ,,,,.s, At first rather
f"ctly, spite 90 M . o., mar,
a,b.,t. that presiding over dinners was no par
- his function In NE. H. did II as II 10 '"'
,.,.. gracefully with sufficient author
manner "'''' 49, ,., :, 800 ,u,,,r, humor
uv. and with an unfaiiing flow ~ buoy'"' ""''''
- .t.. ~ a., had hr.n t. me. even
Ills pl'P"'"'" -, e.. c,s, time
more lh''I'"''"e' 49,. ,r ,vas In
'""' ,,,s h,, virtue OF being
secretary 81 the club. and many were '"'
..,,a,,,,,s ,.o had together He was fascinating
.,.,,,,.,,,,, had never met any
body so young is to say Win 50 ''"'" '''''
., ,r.sbrces ~ interest meowed