Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-09-05
Mn1npru,1s department.
AN OLD LADY PUZZLED.

An old lady who had been reading about
the great race between the celebrated horses,
Longfellow and Harry Bassett, has written US
the following letter, by which it appears that
she is laboring under an astonishing misap-
prehension. We will allow her to tell her
own story:
Editor Saturday Night-Su:-I have read
good deal in the papers long back, bout a
race between Longfeller and Harry Bassett.
Now I don't know who Mister Bassett is, but
I remember hearin' of Longfeller for years,
and I have read good deal of his po'try. I
didn't know as he run races, though, and
s'posed he was too old to run 'em now, any
how, if he ever did,
He must have cut pretty figure down
there ut Long Branch, at his time of life, head
white as snow, as I'm told, runnin' race
with Harry Bassett. 1 don't know whether
it was young Harry or old Harry, but 'spect
it was the latter, for l heard my boy Jim, who
is fond of racin', say, "It beat the old Harry,
how Longfeller rum"
He run for money, too, I hear, which is al
most as bad as runnin' for offs; though not
quite. A great poick like Longfeller ought
to be above money. My dead and gone hus-
bon, who had a sole above shumakin', which
was his trade, rit bushuls and bushels of po'try
and jest as good potry, he used to say, as ever
trod shoeleather-and he never got sent for
it!
But never knew my husbon' to run but
twice-once when he had cold and run at
the nose, nuther time when he run for con-
stabul wich finished him.
Never shall forgt that sorrowful mornin'
when nabor brot lis the turns from lection.
NV husbon' was abed from an overdose of de-
lirium tremings
"Nuther county heerd from p yelled hus-
bon, who was delirryus, "wha's news?'
"You'r beet" cried our nabur, Dustin into
tears, for he had bet on him.
eyes, ded beetP' groaned husbon', and he
never spoke again.
But can't git it out of my head Longfel-
lers hoofn' it around race track for the
amusement of that Long Branch crowd. l
can pictur him with coat and vest off, his gal
luses tied around his waist, his white hair
streamin' out on the wind, and his long legs
jest putin in for dear life. Couldn't they
find any short feller to run in his place?
My Jim, to whom l jest put this question,
says there was plenty of fellers "short" enough
when the race was over.
For my part, can't reconcile this thing.
Such po'try as he has rit. It's agin the natur
of the man. Who that has read his "Sam of
Life" where he speaks 50 touchin'ly of "leav-
in footprints in the sands of time" could think
ofLongfeller's leavin footprintsin the sands Of
Long Branch race track? The idea is pre-
posterous To cote his own lines
"Lives of great men all remind us
We may make our lives sublime
And, departing, leave behind us,
Footprints in the sands of time.''
But when great men like Longfeller takes to
runnin' races, they remind US how we make
our lives ridiculous. Trew there air poicks
who have run afore. David run to git away
from the javelin of Saul; Homer run through
great many editions; Byron run after the
wimmiu and hundreds of poicks have run to
seed, as they do now, every day, but no truly
CRATE poick know ever run foot races afore
Oh! Longfeller! Longfeller when your
race is so nearly run, don't try to run any
more races. MOTHER Quill.