| Show Grocers Grocer s Literary Treasure T Bought by ty a Rick Rich Ri h American Our London Literary Letter Special Correspondence Corre r O DOX March Is III the LONDON L rather pathetic little story of oC how howa ft fl rare Dickens book that once iras ras tho the pride of ot a n small greengrocers greengrocer heart recently the tho property of ot a I rich American bibliophile phile The story stor comes comell from W T 1 I Spencer the time London bookseller book eller and Dickens specialist Mho alma ho owns tho the larg harg largest hargest est and most moat perfect collection of oC this authors works work In the world and was told me mae the other day In the tho course cour of oC ofa ofa a 0 talk on book collecting generally Remarking that nowadays there timers are aro arosix ar six men amen who collect for one who collects Scott and perhaps four to tho the one ono who collects Thackeray this London specialist In Roz fioz declared that of the many man Dickens enthusiasts luts Aho ho have hILe dealt with him hy by fur far tho the keenest have been those thop least leut able to afford such uch luxuries lI and Ind ho lie Instanced the greengrocer already referred to as os asa asa a 11 case ca e In point For I or several years carl It seems this hum humble ble luhe tradesman who did In was WAil one olle of ot Mr 11 best customers the tIm dealer t sis i s he lie sold him the time only perfect ropy copy OIl of ot TIme The Strange Strang Gentleman that hu lie h huH has ever seen seems It II cost the time little seller of vege mege vegetables ell tables BO ho he paid for it itIn ItIn ItIn In monthly Instalments of ot 2 each cacti Their dealings hail a tummy funny Hide mitIe t too tou for tor It seems that the tins grocers wit wife i IX cx no doubt In hum other othel ts dM IllI not hot sympathize with her husbands love hive for rare arl es he utah hurl to em employ employ ploy plo all 1111 sorts lorts of o In III order to smuggle hits his cherished volumes on to his hut shelves without detection by b her bier Occasionally In fact declared SOnic some of ot tuft costly Dickens first edU I therm would bo ho tied lIerl on oil to the limo greengrocers cers back hack under his hili coat amid thus by hy him to his modest At other tItmice If It his hili parcel pari arc 1 of books was 1111 too big for tor secretion In III this way vay wayn wa waa n a I man latin would carry It down to the In Iii which tho the green greengrocer greengrocer TellI grocer had his imis hl shop hop and when lien tho the coant was ai clear the time bibliophile shopkeeper would make u mu signal HI to tn that effect Ho lie always Insisted tho time book dealers messenger should houll hue have a II bottle of or so that If Ir his sod sud suddenly dent denly den looked In it would teem eom as us If It an ordinary customer I was M being served My II greengrocer client finally 11 lIa II tell fell on evil lays days tor having endorsed on an old friends bill tom for about ho was a suddenly obliged to furnish the time money anti and In order to tn do 10 this ho lie had to soil ell his hili beloved collection thin tion Including Tha Th Strange Gentle Oman man This Thill copy cop was omen even eventually tun II sold old for or 1920 and quite recently recent It was as acquired by II an American million millionaire III lou alto aire whose name minnie I am ala not at liberty to mention for lOO I OO anti and It l Is II i now on the other othel side of ot tho the Atlantic Among AmonI mans man other othel Dickens treas mires meA W S T P Spencers priceless collection collection tion than Includes tIme the famous fanmous hirst edition of ut J Papers which was In 20 0 parts The mere wrapper of ot part larl one Is IA Isalone isalone alone worth 20 Meanwhile the Hh anniversary of oC the time birth of ot Charles Dickens has limits led ono ammo of his hll lii admirer to search the time London directory director for or names borne borno hy h 1 his char ChAI ChAInet actors net The Tho results disprove dl the pupil popular her lar notion nation that exercises In nomenclature were too weird to be he true to life Ono One Oliver Twist was discovered discovered ered erI anti two members of or tho time Hikes SIkes family but limit tho the creation of ot tho the dl ll table Bill Is III doubtless responsible re for tor forthe forthe the fact Cart that n a much larger number lime have changed the time spelling III of their pa Ia to Sykes One Pickwick was found and six Fix ellers Other Pickwick Ian diameters ore represented rei hy hi h one OUI Winkle nine Trotters one 37 of nt whom by ly the way Ia lire are doctors and one Paul Dombe appears as 18 a tailor and net Dom Iommi boy hn Son Hon carry on the same business There are 11 II lucks Chicks anti and sis sig I tour four nudges fudges lOll four 37 7 Mrs Irs Harris but bitt diligent search railed failed to 10 discover dl one OM Mrs Gamp Hut tut the rank ranks of or the dressmakers discloses a 11 nl imi In teal life lite Queer Quer sounding ns nil are most of oC the lan names It cannot be he as ns assumed that the tile great novelist Invented them H It was at mit according to tn an old resident that hn lie In first rati lIe He II mietO the name minnie of oC Guppy out alit with mm lIh Macready of ot tc Ir 1 hen he lie noticed the patron patronymic mic Inscribed on oil a n brass braes door plate plat It H caught hU hl mimic nt at once onte and antI he ime Jotted It II down in ills his notebook Not ot long bug afterward nfl appealed the story that made tIm th name a familiar ono otto to the time world If It Mr de tie tf III e hind had utah pub tI her hI lid recent little book How lIow Like Ilke TI The Tle e King In lii she 11 have hae been b ell held guilty of lem leFo She hl maki s VII VIt of or ort t spend a it 1 week or I so po n nt lit a Il small suburban residence re to tu I find out how holl what she describes ns mis great big 1111 solid oll 1 loyal middle class Pome people ople have supposed that the time In hil might really I have happened but hul much as liS his would no at doubt have enjoyed such lIeh nn man th that Illat it whIch doth hedge hed about a In would have ha prevented him from under undertaking taking It II There Thre can cnn h hI be no doubt how hem av that time the middle ela class K Is II ex ext exes ec anti and dearly loves homes n a lord lorl too The transference of Huron von xon H II lIy jy e efrom king kin of ot th diplomatic n from the time lection at jt nl role to tu II a murli mooch better hetter post at lit Is II of ot 0 some literary Interest on account of oC his Ills talented wife It IL was while she was sharing chairIng her husbands lire life In III time the far tar east enst that she wrote Letters that Nev Ner Never er cr Reached Beached Him which was wa translated Into English and created some omo stir Ince then thell tim tho baroness haul has written an nil another another other book The Day DRY of at Par son Ion which was wal by b no means so ri 0 popular lar mr It was decidedly morbid In III ton Implying that the tha good things thinK nf ot life lite come collie not to the Iho Individual who hat has O 0 n t don nv most t to deserve them then but hut to some soma third person who simply Imply happens alon iA Now Xo however that her husband ha hn har md r received the tho much coveted post flost or cm Prussian minister at Hamburg sin she will f probably conclude that merit does doe oc mr t meet with Its It II due dime reward remard In Ire Inthis this topsy top turY world and may In III con consequence sequence treat us its to of or a II a L s much mOT more cheerful character than thon j r her lice last work cik Optimism pays stays even evel In Im IA literature litera tUrf I I c t 11 DI N CHunCH lj n l i |
