Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1911-10-27
Eleanor
Trimble
Being a Story Of q
Library
By F. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Assoc
BY F. A. mitchell


SSssSssSOoSSsssessssssssse
Treadwel1 was sent by the firm he
was with to Il. to make some negotia-
tons for It, He was obliged to
wait to see the parties he was to do
the business with and after he had
seen them and reported to the home
ot.'e he must wait for further In
strIctions. The result was that he
was seldom occupied more than half
an hour day and usually not that
B. Is beautiful place, rather fitted
for literary or artistic persons than
for those devoted to business. There is
II public library there, and to Tread
well. passing the place, 1t appeared
SO Inviting that he concluded to go In
and look for something to read. It
was u quiet place, the light subdued,
and as he entered the librarian, q
young woman. arose from a desk where
she was writing on some cards and
stood mt the counter over which the
books are passed. Treadwell asked
for something to read, saying that he
was stranger and would be obliged
II she would recommend book.
The girl handed him novel. There
We're alcoves In the building, and she
told him he would be welcome to sit
down In one of them and read.
For one subject to the influence Of
books there can be nothing pleasanter
than to lem back In big leather
chair In one of these quiet alcoves,
where he may occasionally glance at
foliage and hecked sunlight on the
grass without Treadwell stretched
his legs and rested his head on the
cushion and opened the book On the
1yleaf was name written In ink,
Eleanor Trimble." Whether she had
given the book to the library or 1t
had been purchased secondhand
Treadwell did not know. But under
the quieting influence Of the place he
fell to wondering about her before
beginning TO read. The date on the
title page was m old one. but some
how he could not but look upon Ele-
amor Trimble MS a young person.
There was something about the stO-
ry-Treadwell could not tell what
that attracted him. And what put
finishing touch upon his interest was
that some one had marked In light
pencil certain passages that especially
appealed to him. Treadwell's fitting
fancy had lighted on Eleanor Trim
BILE, and It would not be satisfied with
any other marker Of these thoughts.
About some of the passages indeed,
most Of them were two of these
marks, and to number there were
three
There was another fancy-excltant
Why had Miss Trimble. who by this
time Treadwell had begun to picture
as n very pretty girl of an intellectual
type, chosen TO make sometimes one,
sometimes two, sometimes three marks
about these ideas that had pleased
her? Treadwell had come to the libra-
ry to kill time by reading, and he was
not only killing II by building up an
imaginary girl, but he experienced n
singular pleasure IA doing so. He
drlfted into the feeling that this Flea
nor Trimble had written the story or
was ut least ia some way identified
with It.
AT any rate. she was to him the
heroine. II Is questionable II the her
Dine would have been Il heroine at |
all II she bad not been Eleanor Trim |
BILE She, the heroine, Miss Trimble, |
was walking about through the story |
doing all sorts Of attractive things, |
exciting Treadwell's admiration and, |
like the leading lady Of play, sur
rounded by he other characters In the |
story as her satellites She was Mar. |
ella Cclfax, but to Treadwell this was |
n fictitious name for Eleanor Tr5mble. |
AZ Treadwell read on he noticed |
that certain thoughts or acts OF the |
heroine were differently marked.
Some of them had one, some two,
some three marks, as though the |
marker approved, much approved or
immensely approved the sentiment or |
the deed Besides this, at times where
there was one or perhaps two marks
third would be drawn dlagonally |
across Treadwell was much bothered
at the diagonal mark. not being able
to account for 1t.
While he was alternately occupied
with the story, with Eleanor Trimble
and the 6ecked sunlight without he
could see the librarian sitting at her
desk writing something on cards and
stacking them up before her. He
wished she would stop work and come
over and sit with him that he might
ask her questions about Eleanor Trim
BILE. Probably she could tell him who
Miss Trimble was, whether she had
done the marking what the double
and triple marks meant and, above all,
the diagonal But the librarian kept
on at her work, Mt intervals rising to
give or receive book, though all was
done 30 quickly that at times when
Treadwell was much interested In his
story he would not be conscious even
OF this slight disturbance.
II was about 10 o'clock In the morn
Ing when Trcadwell sat down to read,
and at he went out to dinner He
asked the Librarian IL he might leave
,he book with her since he would like
20 come bas K in the afternoon TO con.
tinuo his reading She took II and
laid II on the desk. Treadwell would
have said something 10 her about the
story. hut she was preparing to shut
nj the lilrary and go for her noon