Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-11

stocked library a
pleasing reality in the home of the avera pe
! citizen. For what does 1t matter to him Il, at
| the covers Of his books be dingy, so that
| the contents be intact and he secures them
for about one-third the price paid when
they were new.
A visit to the old bockshops of the city
brings TO light many things Of interest
| never revealed in the spick and span in
teriors of what may be termed .frst-hand.'
stores. There is something individual about
the shops themselves, with their profusion
| OF treasures like diamonds in the rough.
Outlines stained and dust covered. High I'm
| near the roof are lot of shelves whose
contents are not much in demand. and
which are disturbed even more often bv
the dust brush than by customers. The
dealer rarely ever refuses to take any book
ofered, however small may be the price he
can AFFORD to pay for it. In the course of
time 1t will be called for, and his patience.
like that OF holders of longtime securities.
| be rewarded with good profits. Lower down
IN more accessible shelves, are the school
books, which are popular at this season of
| the year, and In still more conspicuous
spots abound novels and scientific and his
tOrical works.
1 spent quite a long time one day rum
maging through several of the second Inland
stores, and found that while excellent at
te'mpts are made at classification, the null
tifarfous ways in which the collection is
obtained leave large piles of miscellaneous
matter. to be grouped according to range of
prices rather than by nature of contents
| 1t seemed queer to find treatise on dis
eases Of the hog next to a dainty booklet
OF poems; volume on Aristotelian philos-
ophy fanked by the Dead Man Of Tony's
Gulch" and "The Boy Detective Of Blood
| thirst Alley" while Thomas Mfneralogy''
fixed stony stare on a discourse concern
ing Infants Diet" -
Each to His Fancy.
But it is case of every man to his fancy.
| ard. if none of these meet your desire you
may stir the pile until your choice comes to
the top. If Sherlock Holmes had been turn
ed loose in such shopihe could have given
the history Of all the owners of the books
that had found their way there, while a
person less versed in, the study of human
nature may get fair inlding of some of
their characteristics. Here for instance is
story of adventure, >;slashed and marked
at the thrilling passages. with the trail of
even rough drawings IL s Bowie knives Ve and and
revoivers "whic chs gfve7 asperfect mind pic
| ture OF the harufp searpne boy who drew
that work On po1tit eeen aa all Of them M
full of Thought, CLOSELY WRITTEN, conciseIy
representations fnAanether volume desui-
mind logical and well disciplined, and of
another that toys with the problems of the
day and builds chimerical structures of
state policies, as the child fashions his cas-
tie blocks. Some of the most interesting
discoveries are to be found in the school
books. There are few that are not written
Ger with childish ''scribblngs'' and the i'm
mature thoughts of budding America -
From the stereotyped stage when the child
delights to write about 1.-THE little bird in
the tree top" and the Cat with the soft
fur'-on through the time when he issues
forth in sucn dire warnings as the follow
ing:
STEAL not this book, my honest friend,
For fear the gallows be your end"
and up to that later crude period when
he begins to think himself original and
learned, when he not only desires to have
things. but begins to want to accomplish
something, would make material for stories
to fill volumes. / picked up an old volume
| of geometry, which had evidently belonged
to some young girl. and commenced to ex-
anime its pages. 1t was easy enough to
catch the drift Of her thoughts and dreams
through the school year she had used 1t
by various sentences and quotations scat
tered from cover to cover.
Almost Human.
How many Of the old books we handle so
carelessly were once endowed with almost
personality to their respective owners!
How many times the leaves have been
thumbed, how the noble ideas expressed
have already inspired men to think glorious
thoughts and given that impetus to wills
winch leads to great acts. How many
hearts have responded to the chivalrous
words put In the mouths Of heroes in those
oid volumes of romance, the covers of
which are dilapidated and ready to fall
away; and how joyfully happy family has
gathered round the freside while some
memoer gave expression to the immortal
WORDS ls,l IN that tattered copy of Shakespeare.
While l was glancng through the books
ana thinking about all these things, my
attention was diverted at times by the en-
trance OF a seller CIR purchaser. A white
!I old man; shabbily dressed but with
that unmtstakable air Of one who has seen
better days, entered a certain shop with
i've substantially bound volumes under his
arm. his step was hating, uncertain and
ne heid MS treasures tenderly as If they
were children, from whom he dreaded
separation. What can you give me for
these?" he asked. They were Gibbons
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. {"
me ne, shopkeeper examined them carefully.
can do he replied in kind tones.
But as he pessed out there was the faint
est suspicion of tearsiin HIS weary eyes,
When he was gone the sh0Hkeeper inform
ed me that the old gentleman had, during
the past three years, fold but a handsome
library. a few volumes at a1time. IT know
u'in Qulte wei now, me SAID; ne comes
here frequently and reads an day. He lives
with widowed daughter who is the sole
support of her father and Her five children
He is too old for work. but in the winter
when the children begin Ito need warm
clothes he helps to buy them by selling
some of his treasures, TIT is one of the
commonplace tragedies, if there be any
that are commonplace,o of life. He says it
takes him hours to decide which Of his
treasures should go ngxt"f
Was that the largest Sum you could
AFFORD to give himr'' T tnqggilred.
Small Proats.
'@The very top notch. Frequently 1 do
not make cent profit on books which /
take from him and from several others,
whose circumstances know and who
arouse my sympathy. The profit on many
secondhand books is small. There are so
many cheap new editions printed. particu-
larry OF history and fiction, that old ones,
however handsome, must go for mere
song"
Just then young lady came in carrying
a shorthand text book. The dealer offered
Why" she said. II paid Sl.25 for it two
months past. and 1t is not soiled.,r
II know. miss, but it's second hand. and
ITS book Tor which seldom have cali"
q khAw 80 ~wp~~~ A.