“A free reading-room,” said I to myself; “that is what we want at Wheathedge.”

The same thought had fortunately occurred almost simultaneously to my friend Mr. Korley, though his reason for desiring its establishment were quite different from mine.  His family spends every summer at Wheathedge.  His wife and daughters found themselves at a loss how to spend their time.  They had nothing to do.  They pestered Mr. Korley to bring them up the last novels.  But his mind was too full of stocks; he always forgot the novels.  On Saturday he went over to Newtown, hearing there was a circulating library there.  He found the sign, but no books.  “I had some books once,” the proprietor explained, “but the Wheathedge folks carried them all off and never returned them.”  Thus it happened that when the week after my visit to the free reading-room, I met Mr. Korley on board the train, he remarked to me, “We ought to have a circulating library at Wheathedge.”

“And a reading-room with it,” said I.

“Well, yes,” said he.  “That’s a fact.  A good reading-room would be a capital thing.”

“Think of the scores of young men,” said I, “that are going down to ruin there.  They have no home, no decent shelter even for a winter’s evening, except the grog-shop.”

“I don’t care so much about the young men,” said Mr. Korley, “as I do about the middle-aged ones:  My Jennie pesters me almost to death every time I go down, to buy her something to read.  Of course I always forget it.  Besides, I would like a place where I could see the papers and periodicals myself.  I would give fifty dollars to see a good library and reading-room in Wheathedge.”

“Very good,” said I, “I will put you down for that amount.”  So I took out my pocket-book and made a memorandum.

“What! are you taking subscriptions?” asked Mr. Korley.

“Have taken one,” said I.

That was the beginning.  That night I took a blank book and drew up a subscription paper.  It was very simple.  It read as follows: 

“We, the undersigned, for the purpose of establishing a library and reading-room in Wheathedge, subscribe the sums set opposite our names, and agree that when $500 is subscribed the first subscribers shall call a meeting of the others to form an organization.”

I put Mr. Korley’s name down for $50, which started it well.  Mr. Jowett could do no less than Mr. Korley, and Mr. Wheaton no less than Mr. Jowett; and so, the subscription once started, grew very rapidly, like a boy’s snowball, to adequate proportions.  The second Tuesday in July I was enabled to give notice to all the subcribers to meet at my house.  My parlors were well filled.  I had taken pains to get some lady subscribers, and they were there as well as the gentlemen.  I read to the company the law of the State providing for the organization of a library association.  Resolutions were drawn up and adopted.  Stock was fixed at $5, that everybody might be a stockholder.  The annual dues were made $2, imposed alike on stockholders and on outsiders.  A Board of trustees was elected.  And so our little boat was fairly launched.