The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-05-11
The
Colfax Bookplate

ASsSy uIis Dohho"s
"You know what l mean?"
1.-THE new rare-book catalogue"
"Ah was thinking about
Clarihew's Notes. >. You know
what mean?"
"In connection with the catalogue"
"Ah possibly you might in
clude It."
81 will do So"
"In the interest of culture we might
favor the private collector above the
trade"
Yes, Mr.. barrow"
Then about that all or
der sent you. You know what
| mean?"
Certainly you must remember! II
had to do with the bookplate in that
book"
ITO remove 1t and advertise 1t for
sale?"
"Have you not done so? Why not?"
Because the copy for the trade
journal advertisements doesn't go out
until Friday afternoon"
The rest was silence for about
thirty seconds. Mr.. barrow was so
anxious to be cross to somebody, dis
liking, as he did, to have murders in
his shop, that it was simply cruel not
to give him chance. But l was OBJ
dIrate; and when the thirty-frst Sec
ond had licked off my wrist-watch, be
remarked graciously:
Suppose you remove it promptly,
and include it in the rare-book cata-
logue. | believe-Captain Ashland is
my authority; i am not his equal as
judge-that that bOOkplate has
rather more than common inter
est. You know what | mean?
Make sure that you advertise it as an
extraordinary curiosity, a faxed mas
terpiece of supreme historic and ar.
tiStic interest and value. Thans
you. :. You have my entire conf
dence, Miss Fullerl''
Not wholly bad idea, in ITSELF"
reflected, hanging up.
So first of all | sent for the book
from Mr.. Roberts safe. When it ar
rived, got out my apparatus for re-
moving bookplates from old books, an
operation frequently performed, since
a worthless book that had belonged to
some interesting person might bear
his valuable plate. This apparatus
consisted of a small shining aluminium
saucepan, which | filled with expen-
sive bottled drinking water conven-
iently on tap near by; hotpoint de-
vice; and beautiful new white sheet
of blotting paper.
Having dropped the hotpoint into
the water, l sat contemplating the
worn leather cover of Clarihew's
Notes" l somehow, at the moment,
did not exactly like the idea of sep
a-ating book and boOkplate; they
seemed to be mysteriously united in
a common purpose. l could not, how
ever, define the purpose, nor could
well suggest to Mr.. barrow to think
again. l thought about Peter, whom
| had not seen since Tuesday, as he
was constantly out on business;
thought about Julia Grosvenor, and
still rather shook my head over her
Everything seemed dismal-No! Here
was something entirely heartening out
side the window inside the shop
Captain Ashland, rosy and CHEEKY
slammed the door in the face of the
gale, shook his beautiful dripping
tweed coat and hat, and made for my
desk with a keen glance that took In
every detail of my occupation. and a
smile like sunrise.
Il say, isn't this jolly" cried the
captain. "Tea p
IF it only werep | groaned, rue
fully regarding the steaming pot of
water and the fair white blotter, which
certainly created the mirage of tea.
tray oasis in an afternoon desert OF
gloom. what / am really supposed
to be doing is to be soaking off this
everlasting bookplate with this hot
water"
'Orders, eh?" said the captain, at
fably. "Oh, you should be having
tea. Why not? There's plenty more
water outside"
"Yes, we have no drougnt-Of wa
ter" | countered, realizing that any
foreign visitor to these shores feels
cheated if deprived of sample of
typical native hnmor relating to our
characteristic civilization.
"You certainly should have tea," he
observed. "You Americans take your
business so seriouslyl Now, over in
my shop we think we ought to know
something about books, and all that
we've been going along somehow since
seventeen-seventy-and yet we always
knock off every afternoon for tea.
Don't you think you ought to have
teal"
| felt my powers of resistance grad
ually leaving me; the captain was ex-
tremely purposeful, despite affable
mildness. | wondered dimly how the
Revolution and all that had really
ever held out against the British men
tality.
at never occurred to me in the light
of duty" | began, and then suddenly
! it did Captain Ashland, who plainly
wanted tea, with passion incOmpre
hensible to those reared at soda fOun-
| tains, was making visit possibly ''Of
certain great importance to the
house." and Mr.. DarrOws confidence
| in me would become more entire, no
| doubt, If | pleased his nephew. "Bur
now you point my duty out to me-"
| finished, 81 see ii clearly. AS you
| suggest. II is of patriotic character
| Our Constitution fOrbids cruel and
unusual punishments. You shall not
! go without your tea" Mentally
.,1ao1 aApd \ choll doioy romoyipo