Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1910-04-28
4 LEON told me the other day that

a LEON told me the other day that
being of a mind to own sets Of
Balzac and Shakespeare, neither OF
which he happened to have in his
bachelor apartments, he dropped a
line TO a well-known publisher and the
next day the delivery wagon stopped
1t his door, the books were handed
out, the man took them In, and that
was 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 Cle0n will get
some good from his books because he
Is really fond of reading when 1t
doesn't interfere with his golf. And
he-pdfchased handsome editions. fresh
IrOm the binders, spick-span and
faWless. with never 6UE-s ear or q
crease IN the leather. But he had no
fun out of the buying. He saw an ad-
yertlsement, he sent in an order and
almost by magic the books we're on
his table. Yet think of the price he
pays for, them! Two hundred good
dollars.
Yesterday / had some money to
spend. 1 say had money to spend.
Don't think for a moment that money
that buys shoes and sacks and sheet
Gngs and socks is money spent. II
that were the case, could be said to
spend money every day Of my life,
Tor my children will walk on their
Iset and they demand protection from
the elements no matter how high
may be the price of cloth. No, the
money I had yesterday was a gift to
be actually spent as foolishly as /
might devise.
Like Cleon, too wanted books, for
your circulating library is only a tenn
porary assuager Of literary hunger
and one book owned Is worth three
"taken out" But $40 will not carry
one as far as will two hundred unless
care Is taken and discrimination is
used. So i went not to a store where
they deal in books fresh from the
mint, but to q shop devoted primarily
to the cause of dry goods, where they
were having "hurt book" sale and
n you will believe me the very first
thing that assailed my eye was a set
of Shakespeare that looked hurt be-
yOnd any book physicians aid. Limp
leather bindings that abused their
prerogative; the box In which they
were budding together slit and
cracked and broken. How often hands
had seized those coverings! They
looked as II they had been the wade
mecnm" Of 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 1.-THE Two Gentlemen Of
Verona" and Hamlet" with scant
regard for royal rights. treads on the
toes Of poor king Lear"
opened one of the volumes and
found to my surprise that the pages
were immaculate. Not q word had
been read! There we're Shakespeare's
wit and poetry and splendor and mel
0dy and humanity untouched by any
save q 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.
give dollars" was the answer
that fell on my hungry ears. And ]
had seen the same set advertised for
fifteen! Twelve green-backed vol
umes there we're, and they might be
mine for five greenbacks. Never
leaped sword from scabbard sooner
than leaped my money from its
. pocket. looked over my shoulder
fearing that some other book lover
would grab the box Of books away
from me and claim them. ] exam
ined them carefully as a mother does
her boy when he comes crying into
the house after a fall and I found
that they looked more hurt than they
were. They were really more fright
ened than hurt. Incessant paving BY
1nfriendly hands is an awful ordeal
20 which to subject a book full oi
kindly instincts. as all OF Shake
speare's books always are. But they
had fallen on friendly hands at last
and hereafter they shall be handled
with the respect due their contents
And right here let me thank the
kind people that treated Shakespeare
80 cavalierly. This may sound In
consistent; but are not my thanks
Que those who caused the bard to de
preeiase two-thlrds in money value?
can see them, typical shoppers
out for bargains in scrim and Ham
burg edgings. making hurried visi
20 the book counter In hope Of get
flng q complete and unabridged set o
Mary ]. Holiness works. And the,
stumbled on Shakespeare. OF cours'
afiey had heard Of him before. Cheal
shoppers are not so ignorant as yol
imagine. lofty reader. They had oftel
heard Of him before, but they sup
posed that writing plays for Henri.
irving to produce kept him too bus!
90 do anything in the book line. Cur
Gus to see what sort Of books he hai
written, they tumbled them out o
kootad he lfnannooo n