Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-08-12
Tho Praise OF FOIlu
An Incident in the Life of Lonely
Man Who Loved Books.
BY EDWARD HOLLYWOOD.

from w dSuluSLOu OQudI0 Tie Cdl0
Alsatia stands, opposite to Joseph
Watson's second hand book shop,
Hartrick could not remember wheth-
yer the cafe had drawn him to the
book shop, or whether the book shop
had attracted him to the cafe. Over
4his insignificant question he used to
speculate a good deal, for Hartrick
was a lonely man, and given accord
ingly to vain musings. He was, at
any rate, exceedingly fond of both
The Alsatia and the book store, and
was to be found in one or the other
every afternoon between the hours OF
four and six. That is, he was to be
found if anybody cared to look for
him-which was never the case, be-
cause he was such lonely man, and
had neither friends nor kin.
( For a fortnight Hartrick had been
I'D on the northern coast, sketchlng
lighthouses for a silly magazine ar
ticle, the completion of which hap
pened to be necessary to his exist
ence. This fact was the silliest thing
about it. He was glad to get back
to the town, because he had missed his
tall glasses OF coffee and cognac, ana
because there was on Joseph Watson's
shelves a yellow and unbound copy
of "The Praise of Folly" made Eng
fish from the Latin of Erasmus,
adorned with the forty-six Holbein de-
signs, and printed at London in 1724,
for ]. MILFORD. of the Three Flower de
Luces, in Little Britain.
The book had been there for some
time. and only once had Hartrlck
dared touch it, and that was when
Watson's back was turned. Hartrlck
had experienced the wiles Of Joseph;
when the bookseller suspected that a
customer was particularly anxious to
buy a particular book he was a very
shylock. Hartrick didn't know wheth-
er Watson was aware of the Erasmus,
and he was afraid to ask.
The artist sat in the cafe, rolling a
cigarette, and gladdening his heart
with the black coffee for the first time
In two weeks.
"It is to be deplored," he sighed
softly to the cigarette, "that old
Joseph is lonely man, like me, and
employs no assistant in the shop.
Even an ignorant boy would tighten
Joseph's labors immensely and allow
him to leave the store for purposes
of innocent recreation. Then could
Dop in and secure. The Praise Of Fol-
Nv at the price marked upon the fly
leaf which is perhaps one-fourth of
its actual value Alas, that Joseph
is SO old an acquaintance aus to sus-
pect me when / come bargaining!
It is sad"
! He scratched a match, and looked
bitterly across the street at Mr.. Wat
sons door.
The match burned uselessly on and
on, and then ended wasted life in
q sizzle of despair when it dropped
from Hartrick's trembling fingers into
the coffee. For Hartrick had seen a
prodigy-he had seen Joseph Watson
emerge from the shop door with his
hat on. Never had Hartrick observed
ahe Watsonian head thus protected.
Moreover, a gray overcoat was on his
shoulder, a carpet bag was IN his
hand and an umbrella was under his
arm, although the skies were clear.
Joseph was going on journey. Hart
rick scowled at the cigarette.
Things have occurred" he cried,
He crossed the street as Joseph
scurried around the corner.
The door Of Joseph Watson's shop
iangles an uncertain bell when it is
opened, and there you stand, blinking
In the gloom, until the proprietor shall
come upon you. Heaps and stacks OF
broken books block up the narrow
windows and shroud the place in a
darkness which gets into your nostrils
"a darkness that tastes Of ancient pa
per and printers ink. II one cares for
his shirs and elbows, it is not safe to
walk about unwarily.
uartrick knew the mazes of the
shop but he stood still, waiting, lean
ing against the door. Out of the cav
ern at the back came a girl with
Joseph's familiar lantern, a clumsy
old fashioned affair, with square
corners and holes in it's tin top
through which the light is sprinkled
and dances in fantastic little beams
I'm TO the cobwebs. Hartrick had
never seen the girl before. She wore
a brave red blouse.
Good afternoon" she said. rs Mr.
Watson here?"
Gle has gone out" said the girl
eff there is anything
ooh, no." Hartrick looked hastily
at the shelves near his shoulder. 1T Is
Of no consequence"
sjHe was afraid that the girrs race
might be as pleasant as her manner
The Erasmus was safe in its obscure
corner.
at suppose you are Watson's as
sistant." said Hartrick brusquely. my