The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1910-04-22

" /AWM1Nf3.
| ~ 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 q wellknown publisher and the
next day the delivery wagon stopped
at 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 I 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 purchased handsome editions, fresh
from the binders, spick-span and
fiawless. with never dogs ear or a
crease in the leather. But he had no
fun out of the buying. He saw an ad-
vertisement, 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 hundred good
dollars.
i Yesterday I had some money to
spend. I say I had money to spend
Don't think for moment that money
that buys shoes and sacks and sheet
ings and socks is money spent. If
that were the case, could be said to
spend money every day of my life,
for my children will walk on their
feet and they demand protection from
the elements no matter how high
may be the price of cloth. No, the
money had yesterday was 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 carr.
one as far as will two hundred unless
.. care is taken and discrimination il
used. So I went, not to store where
they deal in books fresh from the
> mint, but to shop devoted primarily
to the cause of dry goods, where they
were having "hurt book" sale and
If you will believe me the very first
thing that assailed my eye was a sci
of Shakespeare that looked hurt be
yond any book physicians aid. LINZ
leather bindings that abused theil
, prerogative; the box in which they
! were budding together slit ant
cracked and broken. How often hands
had seized those coverings! They
looked as If they had been the "vadt
mecum" Of book lover for a score
: Of years. And my Shakespeare Al
home is all crowded into one volume
SO that The Tempest" RACES abou
the ears of "The Two Gentlemen O.
Verona" and Hamlet" with scan
regard for royal rights, treads on thu
toes of poor "King Lear"
opened one of the volumes ant
found to my surprise that the page.
were immaculate. Not a word hat
been read! There were Shakespeare,
wit and poetry and splendor and mel
. ody and humanity untouched by any
save cursory eye. I asked the
maiden, who temporarily divorced
from the ribbon and lace counter, wa.
giving her attention to the world O
letters, what the set was worth.
Give dollars" was the answer
that fell on my hungry ears. And
had seen the same set advertised fol
fifteen! Twelve green-backed vol
umes there were, and they might b,
mine for five greenbacks. Never
leaped sword from scabbard sooner
: than leaped my money from it,
pocket. I looked over my shoulder
: fearing that some other book love-
, would grab the box Of books ava,
} from me and claim them. l exam
lined them carefully as a mother doe,
, her boy when he comes crying int
: the house after fall and I found
! that they looked more hurt than the.
). were. They were really more fright
: ened than hurt. Incessant paving b!
, unfriendly hands is an awful ordea
to which to subject book full O
\ kindly instincts, as all of Shake
speare's books always are. But the.
had fallen on friendly hands at las
and hereafter they shall be handled
with the respect due their contents
And right here let me thank thu
kind people that treated Shakespeare
: 80. cavalierly. This may sound in
consistent; but are not my thank.
due those who caused the bard to de
preciate two-thirds in money value?
can see them. typical shoppers
out for bargains in scrim and Ham
burg edgings, making a hurried visit
to the book counter in hope Of get
ting complete and unabridged set Of
Mary ]. Holiness works. And they
stumbled on Shakespeare. OF course
they had heard Of him before. Chear
shoppers are not so ignorant as you
imagine, lofty reader. They had Otter
I heard Of him before, but they sup
posed that writing plays for Henry
Irving to produce kept him too busy
to do anything in the book line. Curl
GUS to see what sort Of books he had
written, they tumbled them out Of
kho hn~ omd &oa%od tho 1lvnvrocn II