The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-08
BETWEEN THE LEAVES
BY JENNIE E. SARGENT

as the REVOLUTIONARY some of the oldest were
printed in England before there was any
America. Don't you remember how he used
ITO walk up and down this room and shake his
head at the books, saying, Emmy, there's
thousands in this room, thousands / know
he paid ridiculous prices for some of them.
Maybe there's others. as daffy about old books
as .he was I:
Johns face frightened, and he took both
of Lucy's hands lin his.
That's it, Lucy. Well have buyer come
UP from the city and look them over There
may besa fortune in them, and You need
money more than those musty old things
Lucy did not answer at once. There was a
strong strain OF sentiment in her nature, and
she loved especially this old library where her
uncle had spent his last days.
Nevertheless that night she indited letter
! 10 noted collector in Boston, and two days
later received a note stating that Mr.. Henry
Leyden's library was famous enough to war
rant his sending a representative to Leyden-
VILE His buyer would arrive the following
morning.
And that night came the deluge. Lucy was
sitting up with Mrs. Henderson's little boy,
who had typhoid fever. John was to call for
her at II, when another neighbor would take
up the task.
At 10 the fire bell rang. Something told
Lucy 1t was her home, and she sprang to her
feet. 1t was a half mile run, and when she
reached there, breathless, the bucket bril-
gade, enforced by the engine the town
could boast, had done it's worst. The pariur
was blackened and water soaked, the dining
room was charred, and the-library? Lucy
pushed past sympathetic neighbors and stared
wildly into the room. The shelves were bare,
The world seemed to spin around her, and
out of the mist came Johns voice.
! Better come over to Dobson's, Lucy. Your
mothers just come out of a faint. .
l = Mechanically
the narrow path, away from the ruin that
| had wrung her heart. Finally she could stand
| it no longer She burst into sobs.
: John, John, the books are gone, too!''
| John put his arm about her.
mo, they're not, little girl. They're in Dob
! sons hearse."
| Lucy broke off in the midst of sob and
stared at him in the moonlight.
Its a fact, dear. When the fire got be-
yond your mother and me, the books were
| the first thing we thought of saving. Dob
! sons hearse was standing in his barn. and we
| ran lit right through the fence, up against
! the library window, and your mother showed
| the books into the hearse as fast as 4 piled
them out to her. Jimmy Dobson helped,
| too
Lucy burst into laughter. The absurdity OF
! the situation reused her from her misery.
| The Dobson undertaking establishment was
next door TO their home, and the hearse, the
| OILY one III lOWn, Was the glory OF It's owner.
| 4 hope you didn't hurt it, she murmured.
| That's not what's worrying me. It's how
much insurance your uncle carried On the
house and whether we spoiled the chances Of
| selling the books. Some Of them got wet
| Lucy and her mother remained that night
| with the hospitable Dobson, and the next
| morning with John, went out to look at the
! books and ascertain the damage before the
buyer appeared on the scene. They made
| an odd picture, the anxious group, pulling
| the old volumes through the end doors of the
! gloomy hearse. Suddenly Jimmy Dobson.
| who by reason of his brave conduct of the
| night before, was privileged to join the par
| ty, gave long, low whistle.
| Gee, look at the money!
| In one hand he held worn leather-bound
! volume, in the other hundred dollar BILL
Mrs. Leyden clutched her daughters arm
| and stared at the wonderful greenback.
=" Emmy, there's thousands in it, thou
sands!' Those were his very words. And
he didn't mean books. He meant money, real
money 1t Wasdone of his queer ideas to hide
it there" - =+ -
When the book-buyer arrived, he was gra-
ciously- received by Lucy in the Dobson par
lor. There was suspicion of happy tears
in her eyes when she told him the offer was
withdrawn She would. reimburse him for
his railroad fare and asked him to accept
any volume he might choose in return for
the trouble she had caused him, whereupon
that gentleman selected one of the rarest
books in the collection and departed with the
mental comment that women were certainly
most =changeabIe creatures E-zs =
For how could he know that between the
leaves of that collection four excited people
had found that old Henry Leyden was no
}, false prophet? There were thousands in It.
Neither did the good people Of Leydenville
know just how many bills had been discov-
cred on that eventful morning; but this did
not prevent their rejoicing greatly over the
turn in events, or their attending in a body
the wedding Of John and Lucy, which, six
months later, was duly solemnized in the
First church, the largest edfce in Leyden-
/ vile. . -.. ....--+