The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-03-16
By AGNES MILLER
wNU Service
@ By The Century Co.

body in the house, since, to tell the
painful truth. Mr.. barrow was not a
remarkably good loser OF anything,
particularly money.
"Oh, hope not |" | sighed.
"Yas'm, that's right: does, too"
agreed Ulysses, heartily.
His poise quite restored. he picked
up the pictorial" and moved off to
polish the alcove bookcases.
II was pleasant side of my work
that my own special hobby became
knowledge of bookplates. Whenever
could discover and identify new
one, and sell II to some one who liked
1t, was more than happy. But Ger.
tsinly there could never have been
an apparently more unlikely morning
tan that of our famous Monday for
among bookplates. Nothing was in
my mind except my very important
indexing job as ! set about assembling
my catalogue cards, just as the van
guard of punctual arrivals began to
pour in.
Heading the procession came Mr..
Roberts, tall. gaunt. keen-eyed. One
by one they raced past me with the
typical Monday business "Good morn
ing"-sDule. crouch, resignation. Then
a loud click soun&sd as one by one
they punched the time-clock just In
side the shipping-Ioom door In the
rear hall, to the right of the elevator
shaft.
Miss Wilkes, our dean of women"
her new wistaria velvet fall hat
perched like an imperial Russian cor
onet on her stiffly waved gray hair,
showed all her teeth and addressed
me as Dear" l noted with interest
that contrary to her custOm-for In
her exalted position she mingled not
with thesherd, and well-knOwn social
ambitions made her quite inaccessible
she was escOrting lanky and silent
but astOnishingly pretty young stran-
ger, who had the largest head of soft
wavy chestnut bobbed hair and the
thickest war-paint | had ever beheld
10 long and tolerant experience.
While awaiting the elevator, Miss
Wilkes abandoned her convoy. to greet
Mr.. Edward Case. the shop manager.
Miss Wilkes highly approved of Mr..
Case. He was bachelor In the late
fOrties, he lived at club, he always
displayed fine raiment on his tall, we'll
built person, and was altogether to
her taste, being deemed the most
cashing, if not daredevil figure In our
select community.
he was a member of the group
about whom legends had grown up.
He was more or less Travelled and had
polished manners, so he could be con-
veniently provided with past in for
eign parts by those determinedly ro
mantle; and there were few to con-
tradict these dreamers, for Mr.. Case
was the ranking employee, next to
Ulysses, In length of service, and no
body really knew great deal about
him. once had suggested that this
was probably because there wasn't
great deal to know, as the poor man
was the only conventional person on
the staff.
My other colleagues, who arrived
briskly in due season, were: Daisy
Abbott. outwardly a fair, frail flower.
but really pretty hard-shelled Emily
James, plain and thoroughly seawor-
thy; and George Henry Dibdin, nice
lad who when in France had got 20 he
liked to read. Red Cross lady in a
hospital library having unwittingly
given him lead toward career
which he had speedily proceeded to
follow when he came back with his
helmet.
Our select clerical force entered
and betook themselves to regions
above. Mr.. Riggs, the stout head ship
ping clerk. dashed in distractedly.
"Mr. Roberts come YETI" I'm short
handed; one of my mems down sick.
and the others still off on his wedding
trip-drat him land them govern
ment books laying mile deep lin yon-
der!"
And then arrived Mr.. barrow him.
self, for even he came early that morn
ing, as an example. Very short and
stout, stiff, bald. and cIean-shaven, he
moved down the aisle like an armored
tank" to quote Mr.. Dibdin. bestOwing
a bow on me. one of the employees he
spoke to.
Bookselling was MI. DarrOw's one,
his only love. He had not only made
his shop different and famous, he had
also, years ago, marrieo his sister to
an Ashland. In the trade this achieve
ment recalls master stroke; the Ash.
lands have been known In London for
generations as rare-book dealers, so
that this political marriage gave Mr..
barrow an International business con
nection. He was little seen In his
own shop however. and ! fear truth
compels the statement that we man.
aged without him. To his employees
he was known chiefly as Voice on
the telephone.
With his arrival, the whole staff was
accounted for, with one exception:
Peter Burton, our young traveller. He
had been expected back from rather
long trip the previous Friday, but had
not arrived. II was his first important
trip; MFR. barrow had hitherto done
most of the rare-bOOk buying himself
though he had been training Peter as
:, future assistant But bad cold a
fortnight previous had deprived him
of his voice for several days, and he
had been obliged to dispatch Peter in
his stead on an extended tour he had
been preparing to take.
Nine O'Clock pealed through a ST.
Ience unmarried by any click from the
time-clOck, and all of us In the shop