Even these few books made a pretty heavy bundle for a man to carry in
one hand while he lugged all his other worldly goods in the other.
"Books are damned heavy, Mr. Vandemark," said he; "law books are
particularly heavy. My library is small; but there is an adage in our
profession which warns us to beware of the man of one book. He's always
likely to know what's in the damned thing, you know, Mr. Vandemark; and
the truth being a seamless web, if a lawyer knows all about the law in
one book, he's prone to make a hell of a straight guess at what's in the
rest of 'em. Hence beware of the man of one book. I may safely lay claim
to being that man--in a figurative way; though there are half a dozen
volumes or so back there--the small pedestal on which I stand reaching
up toward a place on the Supreme Bench of the United States."
He had had a drink or two with Buckner Gowdy back there in the saloon,
and this had taken the brakes off his tongue--if there were any
provided in his temperament. So, aside from Buck Gowdy, I was the first
of his fellow-citizens of Monterey County to become acquainted with N.V.
Creede. He reminded me at first of Lawyer Jackway of Madison, the
guardian _ad litem_ who had sung the song that still recurred to me
occasionally--
"Sold again,
And got the tin,
And sucked another Dutchman in!"
But N.V. looked a little like Jackway from the fact only that he wore a
long frock coat, originally black, a white shirt, and a black cravat.
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