Evening star., 1900-08-18
"TO LOOK AT THE BOOKS,
An EXpressfOn That Led the Book
keeper to Depart in Hasfe

m EApEtbHlOn Inot Lea the BOOK.
keeper to Depart in Haste.
Prom the New Orleans Tines Democrat.
A prominent Louisville lawyer, who was
In the city recently on business. told this
curious little story one evening while chat
ting with some friends in the Grunewald
lobby: MY pet fad for many years" he
seid. has been what is called the extend
ing Of books. / select some standard
work, preferably work of history, and
begin to collect letters, autographs pic-
tures. maps printed matter, documents and
anything else obtainable connected with
the subject treated. Eventually / have
the original book taken apart and rebound
with all my supplementary matter. and a
single volume is sometimes extended to a
dozen. 1t is very fascinating hobby and
II went into details 1 would never get to
my story. What / started out to tell YOU
was this: Five or six years ago / 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 a furniture manufacturer living
In middle Ohio. Something turned the con-
versation to books, and the old gentleman
remarked casually that he was extending
copy OF 1rving'S Life Of Washington
By remarkable coincidence / was just
then engaged on exactly the same task
myself, and. needless to say, we both be-
came deeply interested. By the time we
reached the manufacturers home town he
had persuaded me to stop over and take
look al his library, which, he said. con-
tained several fine specimens Of extended
books. We arrived late in the afternoon,
and before going to his house We dropped
in at his downtown office. very serious
looking. middle-aged Scotchmen came for
ward to greet us. and was introduced by
my friend as the manager of the furniture
works. I'm going to keep Mr.. - with US
for a day or So said the old gentleman
pleasantly. I want him to take look at
my books The Scotchman grunted some
" ON raya1N and in ia
started for the house.
"I was most Hospitality entertained" con-
tinued the lawyer, and found the library
intensely interesting but next day / had
to go on to Toledo and the whole episode
eventually faded from my mind. One day
last summer. however, It was unexpectedly
recalled by meeting with the old manu-
facturer himself whom / bumped into in
the corridor of the Planters House, in St
Louis. He recognized me at once. aid the
first thing he asked was whether had fin
ished with my. copy OF Washington Then
he took me by the arm and drew me aside.
I'm very glad I've met you he said be-
cause I want to tell you OF a remarkable
affair in which You played unconsciousy
an important part. Do you remember the
details Of your little visit to my town.
Fairly WELL I replied, in surprise. Then
perhaps you recall meeting the manager at
our oficeT he continued. Certainly said
l. "A sour-looking Scotchman. with red
dish hair 'Exactlyr he exclaimed. Well
he decamped that night. and has never
been seen since. We thought he was sick
at home for a couple Of days, he got a
good start. He was short a trifie over s20.-
600. but he had covered up his tracks so
neatly that was at a loss to know why
he ran away until received letter from
him. posted in Mexico, and making a clean
breast Of the whole affair. It seems that
he mistook you for an expert accountant.
and gathered from some remark l made
about looking at my books that had en-
gagged you to examine the ledgers. Accord
ingly he took time by the forelock. 1t was
a pretty serious loss.' he added. but I re-
gard the incident as provdential. because
the rascal was then preparing for a big
coup, which he would certainly have per-
fected inside a month. In that case he
might have wrecked me-
''It was good Joke on the Scotchman,"
said the lawyer. chuckling, ''for I don't
know any more about bookkeeping and ac-
counts than a wild Hottentot"