The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-12
ITO LOOK AT THE BOOKS. =
Expression Led the BOOkkeeper to
Depart In Haste.

New Orleans Times-Democrat.
"A prominent Louisville lawyer, who was
In the city recently on business told this
curious little story one evening, while
Wald lobby: My pet fad for many
years. he said, has been what is cali
cd the extending of books. I select some
standard work, preferably a work of his
tory, and begin to collect letters. auto
graphs, pictures, maps, printed matter.
documents and anything else obtainable
tonnnected win the subject treated. Even
tuaIIy L have the original book taken
apart and rebound with all my supple
mentary matter. and a single volume is
soInetInes extended to a dozen. 1t is a
into details would never get to my
story. What I started out to tell you
was this: Five or six years ago l was
on the train going to Toledo to attend TO
some legal matters, when 1 fell in with a
very agreeable elderly gentleman. who
turned out to be furniture manufactures
.N In Middle Ohio. Something turned
the conversation to books. and the old
gentleman remarked casually that he was
Washington By, a remarkable coinci-
~ the same task myself, and, needless to
say, we both became deeply interested.
ny the time we reached the manufacture
er home town he had persuaded me to
stop over and take look at his library.
Whlch, he said, contained several fine
specimens of extended books. We arrived
D6IOre going
TO his house we dropped in at his down.
town office A very serious looking, mid
d ota! Scotehman came forward to
greet greet US, and was introduced by my
works I'm going to keep Mr.. - with
u MS Tor q day or So. said the old gentle
look at my books want The hing gcd to take
grunted some vague reply. and in a feH,
moments on we started for the house
oo1+,, was most most Hospitality entertained, -
and Al
brary intensely interesting, but next dav
had to go OH to Toledo, and the whole
episode eventually faded from my mind.
One day last summer, however If was
unexpectedly recalled by a meeting with
the old manufacturer himself, whom 7
pumped into in the corridor of the PIarr-
ers House, in st. Louis. He recognizet
me at once and the first thing he asked
was whether 1 had finished with nv COW
OF washington Then he took me by
tne arm and drew me aside. I'm verv
gIad | met you, he said, because 1 want
10 tell you of a. remarkable affair in
winch you unconsciously PLAYED an i'm
portant part. Do you remember the do
talls of your little visit to re- town p
airy well, L replied, in surprise "Then
perhaps you recall meeting the manage
at our officer he continued 'CertainIv ,
SAID L: "A sour looking Scotchman. with
reddish hair. Exactly he exclaimed
well ne decamped that night, and has
never oeen seen since. We thought he
was sick at home for a couple of DAYS,
SO he got a good start He was short a
tr1fle over $4,000. but he had covered up
his tracks SO neatly that I was at loss
TO know why he ran away until I receive
ed a letter from him, posted in Mexico
and making clean breast of the whole
affair 1t seems that he mistook YOU for
an expert accountant, and gathered from
some remark / made about looking NJ
my books that had engaged YOU to ex-
anime the ledgers. Accordingly he took
time by the forelock. 1t was pretty
serious loss he added. but I regard the
incident as providential because the ras
cal was then preparing for a big coup.
which he would certainly have perfected
within month. In that case he might
have wrecked me- --ie 1t
man" said the lawyer, chucklfng, "for
dont know any more about bookkeeping
and accounts than wild Hottentot.' y