The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-03-03

that you were little better than the lady who
called on you although she has more money than
you
But are you really better than she?
Your husband is salaried man and her husband
is an oil magnate.
Of course that does not necessarily make her any
better than you because we all know that your
husband had q college education and her husband
day laborer.
But why should your husbands education or her
husbands wealth have anything to do with you or
her? Let cut the husbands out of the proposition
Well, then, she has money than you.
Does that make you any better than she? Is the
lack of money unmixed blessing carrying with it
social superiority
She with certain touch of vulgarty, owing to
her ancestors which you have not thanks to your
ancestors has a much kinder heart than you have
She honestly tries to be herself in spite of the
money she has, while you have social ambitions that
cause you to be snobbish.
You think you are better than she.
She thinks about social status.
You feel bitter toward her because her husband
is immensely wealthy.
She feels well disposed toward you because she
thinks both you and your husband cleveland
with her, clever has better meaning than the
monty accepted one.
No, in spite of her money and her position she is
more of woman than you are in spite of your
blood and your husbands education.
Cleon told me the other day that being of mind
to sets of Balzac and Shakespeare, neither of
which he happened to have in his bachelor apart
ments, he dropped line to wellknown publisher
and the next day the delivery wagon stopped at his
door, the books were handed out, his man took them
in, and that the end of it. Oh, no, not quite the
end when he settles his bills for the quarter he will
pay for his books
Now dare say that Cleon will get some good
from his books because he is really fond of reading
when it doesn't interfere with his golf. And he pur
chased handsome editions fresh from the binders,
spick-span and fawless, with a dogs or a
crease in the leather. But he had fun out of the
buying. He advertisement he sent in an order,
and almost by magic the books were on his table.
Yet think of the price he pays for them Two hun
dred good dollars.
Yesterday had some money to spend. l say |
had money to spend. Don't think for moment that
money that buys shoes and sacks and sheetings and
socks is money spent If that the could be
said to spend money every day of my le for my chill
dren will walk their feet, and they demand pro-
lection from the elements matter how high may
be the price of cloth. No, money 1 had yesterday
was gift to be actually spent foolishly ]
might devise.
Like Cleon, too wanted books for your circulat-
ing library is only temporary assuager of literary
hunger and one book owned is worth three "taken
out" But ten dollars will not carry far will
two hundred unless is taken and discrimination
is used So went not to store where they deal in
books fresh from the mint, but to a shop devoted
primarily to the cause of dry goods where they were
having hurt book sale and II you Will believe
me, the very first thing that assaed my eye was a
set of Shakespeare that looked hurt beyond any physi
clans aid Limp leather bindings that abused their
prerogatve; the box in which they were budding
together, slit and cracked and broken. How often
hands had seized those coverings! They looked
if they had been the "vade mecum" OF n book-lover
for score of years And my Shakespeare at home is
all crowded into one volume, so that "The Tempest"
RACES about the ears of "The Two Gentlemen of We
roma, and Hamlet" with scant regard for royal
rights, treads on the toes of poor "King Lear"
I opened of the volumes and found to my
surprise that the pages immaculate. Not word
had been read! There were Shakespeares wit and
poetry and splendor and melody and humanity un-
touched by any save cursory eye. | asked the
maiden, who, temporarily divorced from the ribbon
and lace counter, was giving her attention to the
world of letters, what the set was worth
Five dollars" the answer that fell my
hungry ears. And had the set adver-
tised for ffteen Twelve greenbacked volumes there
were, and they might be mine for five greenbacks.
Never leaped sword from scabbard than eaped
nv money from its pocket looked over NV shoulder