The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-10-11
"To LOOK AT THE BOOKS"
An Expression That Led Dfshone est
Bookkeeper to Depart
i'm Haste.


In Haste.
A prominent Louisville lawyer, VIII
was in the city recently on bushes.
told this curious little story one even
Ing, while chatting with some friend
In the Grunewald lobby, says the Ne,
Orleans Times-Democrat. NV De
fad for many years." he said. "ha
been what is called the extending o
books. l select some standard work
preferably work of history, and be
gin to collect letters, autographs, pic
lures, maps, printed matter, docu
ments and anything else obtainablt
connected with the subject treated
Eventually have the original book
taken apart and rebound with all M
supplementary matter, and a single
volume is sometimes extended to a
dozen. 1t is very fascinating hobby,
and II l went into details l would
never get to my story. What / start
ed out to tell you was this: Five OF
six years ago was on the
train going to Toledo to at.
tend to some legal matters
when l fell in with very agree.
able elderly gentleman, who turned
out to be a furniture manufacturer
living in middle Ohio. Something
turned the conversation to books, and
the old gentleman remarked casually
that he was extending copy of Irv.
ing's Life of Washington. By a re-
markable coincidence was just then
engaged on exactly the same task my.
self, and, needless to say, we both be.
came deeply interested. By the time
we reached the manufacturers home
town he had persuaded me to stot
over and take look at his library
which, he said, contained several fine
specimens of extended books. We ar
rived late in the afternoon, and be.
fore going to his house we dropped
N at his downtown office. A very
demonstrating, middle-aged Scotch.
man came forward to greet us, and
vas introduced by my friend as the
manager of the furniture works. Tn
'oing to keep Mr.. A with us a day
IT So said the old gentleman, pleas.
nifty. L want him to take a look al :
ny books The Scotchman grunted
ONE vague reply, and in a few mo. ,
1ents we started for the house. :
Il was most Hospitality entertained
ontinued the lawyer, "and 1 found n
ne library intensely interesting, but d
ext day l had to go to Toledo, and
ne wi ole episode eventually faded I
ON my mind. One day last summer
owever, it was Unexpectedly recalled c
a meeting with the old manufac =
lrer himself, whom 1 bumped into r
the corridor of the Planters house
st. Louis, He recognized me al
ice, aad the first thing he asked was
neither had finished with my COPY
Washington Then he took me
the arm and drew me aside. I'm
ry glad I've met you,' he said, be.
use want to tell you Of a remark.
lie affair in which you played un.
nsciously an important part. Dc
u remember the details of your lit.
visit to my town. Fairly we'll
'eplied, in surprise. Then perhaps
u recall meeting the manager at
office% he continued. Certainly
d I. "A sour-looking scotchman
n reddish hair 'ExactlyI' he ex.
lined. Well, he decamped that
mt, and has never been seen since.
thought he was sick at home fo1
couple of days, SO he got good
TT. He was short trifie over $40.
but he covered up his tracks SO
tly that was at loss to know
he ran away until I received a
er from him, posted in Mexico
making a clean breast of the
lie affair. 1t seems that he mis-.
you for an expert accountant
gathered from some remark ]
lie about looking at my books that
ad engaged you to examine the
'ers' Accordingly he took time by
forelock. 1t was pretty serious
he added, but I regard the in
mt as providential, because the
al was then preparing for a big
}, which he would certainly have
ected inside a month. In that
he might have wrecked me-
was good joke on the Scotch
y. said the lawyer. chuckling, "for
mt know any more about book.
ing and accounts than a wild