Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-09-05

door closed behind ME noiselessly. and
my footsteps made no sound on the
rug that led from 1t to the desk.
Il shall be in this town for awhile"
l began, and my voice, sounding very
loud, l lowered it. My purpose be-
ing TO rest, l would like to acquire the
privilege of reading here"
This Is a free library" she replied.
ANY one may use II"
l wondered II her voice was natural
ly sweet or had become so from con-
slant meditation. | wished TO hear
more of it. so l spoke OF her surround
ings.
Your library" / said. resembles
in one particular, and only one. a GENE
terry. In the cemetery all is death. the
bodies resting in graves or on shelves
in tombs. Here there are no bodies
but your shelves are lOaded with living
thoughts"
She raised her eyes to mine. and l
saw that whatever there might be in
J my comparison appealed to her.
There are graves here. too she
said
1t was now my turn TO listen.
Now aud again" she continued. I'VE
weed out books that are dead Some
of them are the remains Of a past that
has no longer any existence. Some are
composite photographs. never having
had any life in them. while some are
bad. These books find a tomb in the
| cellar or are Cremsted."
DO all OF your bad books find
/ graves?" l asked.
! Yes. in time. 1t is the good that
( lives"
How do you account for that"
/ For the reason that there is a con-
/ slant development in mankind out OF
| our primitive condition. There was
in that condition only the germ OF hu-
/ man good buried in brutality AS we
I advance the good increases, while the
brutality drops off"
/ | was amazed to have come from a
I great city. with its intellectual stars
/ TO country town to find this feminine
philosopher.
But pardon me-" she continued.
my time belongs to the library. How
can serve you"
. by permitting me 10 go into one OF
these alcOve tombs-or cOlumbariums
as the Romans called the receptacles
of the urns that held the ashes of their
/ dead-and enjoy the books"
/ Your smile IL inept." she replied.
smiling. These shelves do not hold
the ashes Of authors The volumes
would better he typifed as phone
/ graphic records"
/ Right but even that simile fails.
for the booker the photographic rec
ord-is only medium through which
the dead lives"
Feeling that I had taken up as much
. ns or more Of her time than was excus-
able. left her. entered one Of the
/ "cOIumbariums' and began To nose
( over the books. But found that these
( living dead persons were cold. while
the librarian was full Of life and
warmth. Between me and the former
there was nothing but q mental con
tact while the latter drew me by a
t living force. tried TO Danish the
girl and take hold Of the books. but
! lound the latter tasteiess beside the
former. Finally took up literary
urn On the cover Of which was the
name Of Nathaniel Hawthorne. In il
| found that which permitted me Il
read and dream while read dream
ed Of the librarian. created in my
dreams Of her something between tbs
( living In the flesh and the living in
the paper and which psrtook Of ths
earthly parts Of neither.
| WAS Citing In an easy chair read
ing and dreamingswhen 1 was sudden
| ~ recalled to myself by seeing the
librarian standing before me
4 am sorry 10 disturb you" she
saId. 1t Is IN hour past the time FOR
closing. would not interrupt you