Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-05-24
An Inadviisable
Place Of Deposit
am a woman and a librarian.
BY CEORCETTE MALLORY

Vi lue DOCKS 1 nanuie, ana there are
often stories between the leaves.
What / mean is this: First. persons
are prone when laying down a book
they have been reading to use anything
that comes handy between the pages
for a bookmark. and. second, persons
desiring to put away something tenn
porarily are liable to slip it between
the leaves of a book. There are many
other reasons why things get into
books, but these are the principal ones.
One morning when | went to the
library to open it for the day found
young girl waiting for me- She look
ed very anxious. AS soon as l had I'M
locked the door and we were inside
she asked eagerly if BLEAK House"
was in the library.
l replied that l would find out for
her, and, going to the shelf where it
was kept, l looked. The book was
there and 1 gave it to the girl. With
out a word she shook it, holding it
open, evidently that anything between
the leaves might drop on the floor.
Nothing came from it, and after run
ming the leaves rapidly between her
thumb and fingers she sank into a
chair and covered her face with her
hands.
whats the matter?" asked.
We all like to have some one to help
us bear our troubles, and the poor girl
poured hers out to me without re-
straint. Hearing that her lover had
Tilted her, she had written him very
strong letter-such a one as she should
not have written in any event-and
had delayed sending it till she should
have cooled off. Her brother had been
reading BLEAK House." and the book
lay open on table. Called away sud
denly, she had put this letter. sealed,
stamped and addressed, in the open
place and closed the book, intending
to return for it. Learning that the
story she had heard about her lovers
unfaithfulness was untrue, she intend
ed to destroy her letter, but in her hap
py relief had forgotten it for several
days. When she remembered it her
brother, who had already finished
reading the book. had returned it to
the library. She asked me if "Bleak
House" had been since taken out.
looked at the date stamped on the pa
per used for the purpose pasted in the
book cover and informed her that the
book had been out few days.
"Have you heard from your lover
lately?" asked.
NO." she replied bitterly, "and I
never expect to hear from him again.
He will ignore me from now on"
"You can write him that you wrote
the letter under a mistake"
"That will do no good. 1t is having
written such a letter at all that has
done the mischief. He is a very self
contained person and has always fear
ed that am too fiery to suit him."
At this juncture some girls on their
way to school came in to return books,
and was obliged to leave the poor
girl, who departed looking the picture
Of despair. I inwardly determined to
try to follow up "Bleak House" and
see where it had been, with a view to
getting some definite information as
to what had become of the missing let
ter. But the book after it's return by
the girls brother had been given out
by one of the other girls employed in
the library, and, though she remember
ed having done so, she could not tell
to whom she had given it. Another
girl had taken it when it was returned
Miss Wainright, the girl who had
written the letter, came into the library
every day for week and asked if
any one had left the letter at the IL
brary, but as 1 continually disappoint-
ed her she finally gave the matter up.
She told me that she had not heard a
word from her lover, and she had con-
cluded that he had dropped her.
A month passed. and Miss Vain
right came into the library one day
looking so thin and pale that 1 believed
she was going into decline. Wish
ing to end her suspense, urged her
to write to her lover and have the
matter over with. She shook her
head. During our conversation l got
her to give me his name and address
without her suspecting was inQuiring
Tor 1t especially, and / made up my
mind to write this gentleman stating
that letter had been misdirected to
him and ask him if he had received
such letter.
AS soon as 1 got time l wrote the
letter and put it aside-not in book
till I should leave the library in the
evening, when proposed to mail it.
Just before 1 left one of the girls
came to me with the missing letter.
She had gone to the place where Dick
ems works were kept and, taking out
book from the lowest shelf, saw some
thing white on the floor behind it.
Taking 1t out. she found that it was
an unmailed letter. 1t had doubtless
dropped out of BLEAK House" after
the books return to the library by
Miss Wainright's brother.