Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-12-06
HARD TO GET A BOOK
AN IRRITATING EXPERIENCE IN A
BOSTON LIBRARY
Rules For Lending TO Unknown Bor-
roy.ers Bothered the Stranger In
Town " ..o Feared He Was Doomed
to serve Term In Jail

Public library once. and Il honestly look
ed IL me for awhile as If | was going TO
get jagged
Il was up in Boston on couple Of
months business. aud | toek up nv omar
tiers ar boarding house in the Back Bay
district | had nay evenings to myself.
and a. here isn't much worth speaking
of going IN dawn town in Boston after
dark | soon began TO feel the need OF
reading material | remembered the
name Of a certain book that had been
recommended 10 me and tried To get il al
the Boston bookstores. 1 couldn't get IT,
however, because il was out of print long
ago. SO one afternoon | liked over to the
Boston Public library to see if | couldn't
get the book.
Have you got such and such book .
l asked the gloomy looking man at the
library desk
Yes. we have it, said he suspiciously.
Good said l. I'd like to read it
"'Url-you would. ehY said the man
behind the desk. Very we'll
He got out pile of blanks and hand
ed me one of them to fill out. Ii contain
ed about as many questions census
schedule appertaining to the iron and
steel industry. As a matter of fact the
blank differed in no essential particular
from the blank handed to applicants for
civil service examinations. l had to give
my name in full. age. habits. occupa ton.
residence for the past fifteen twenty
years. state of my health and all that
sort of rubbish. and it took me good
twenty minutes to digest that bunch OF
questions and fill in the answers. Then |
pranced mp TO the desk with the filed up
blank and patiently waited another TWEEN
~ minutes for the solemn looking cr;Ss 10
pay some attention 10 me-. handed in
the carefully prepared blank ~ him.
There you are said | checrfalv. I
did the best | could with it. Now would
you mind getting the book sending for
it for me. for I've got lot of things TO
attend TO before dark.
"'Um-you don't get the book today.
you know said the sulky looking chap
behind the counter. just leave this blank
with me. and your case will be attended
to-.
But said /. don't you issue books to
the public here. and if you don't what
have l been spending all this time for fill
ing out that blank:
You shall ascertain the reason later
on said the man. with stern reproof in
his tone We shall perhaps be ready to
issue the book to you some time tomor-
row if You cali around then
well. | was sore that | clomped out
without saying anything more. 1t was all
beyond me the way that library was run.
and determined to let the book slide and
to forget all about that repository of
printed knowledge as soon as possible
Il was sound asleep in my boa riding
house bed at II O'Clock that night and |
guess every body else in the house was in
bed, too when there came the most infer
nal ringing of the front door bell. The
ringing was 50 angry and determined that
| slid ont of bed upon being awakened
and went to The stair landing and rnb-
bered down below To see what the trouble
was. The Iandlady finally slipped on
bathrobe and went down to answer the
bell. When she opened the door, my
heart came into my mouth when | saw
dimly in the doorway the huge form of a
gigantic cop. and when he inquired of the
landlady in deep. gruff bass. Is there a
man named Ta-fa-rum living herei men
tioning my name-say. wouldn't that have
deferred you'll fell into tremor and be-
gan to wonder what I'd been doing. any
how. to get the law after me. l hadn't
been up to any criminal devilment that I
was aware of. and yet there was big
cop inquirng for me, and there was a
donjon keep staring me square in the
face.
Yes replied the landlady. there is a
MIR. Tara rum living here And | could
see her freezing solid over the business
1t was 10 to /. | figured then. that she
would conclude that ! was a celebrated
coUnterfeiter or confidence man or some
sort of crook that the police were after
and that. even If I managed TO evade ar
rest. she would order me ont of her house |
in the middle of the night.
"'Oh. very we'll said the cop more |
mildly to the landlady: library. you |
know And then he executed a swift dis |
appearance into the darkness.
Now. I've always believed that the |
best way 20 meet trouble is to go right |
after it and give it a hug when it comes |
your way. and so ! slipped on bathrob.
myself and went TO meet the iandlady a. |
she came up stairs
Madam said |. Il overheard your /
at the door with that guardian /
of the law. and | heard my name men /
toned. | am not conscious Of having vio 1
lated the law in any respect. but | feel /
in ease you have conceived any 1
suspicion Of me To freely volunteer To give
up my room here. You would be wholly .
mistaken III supposing that you were
a criminal yet | dislike to pr1r
you To anv Inconvenience.
Then the iandiady held on the baunis
tiers and laughed loud and long. Ii was
about ten minutes before she was able 10
control her voice sufficiently TO tell me
that I was simply a victim of the Boston
Public Iibrarys method of investigating
its applicants for reading material Ev
cry night the library issued to- the p0lice
department. she said. the filed in blanks
Of those who applied during the day for
books. and these blanks were sorted over
and given Ont To the cops on the various
beats II was q part of the duty of thu.
policemen Ia ring up the addresses given
by the applicants for books and thus -
ascertain If they actually lived al the ad
dreSse.~ thcy gave. And il was this thar