Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-08-10
M'Donald Clarke, the Mad Poet"

Marper's Magazine.
In 1925 Joseph Bonaparte, the OK.
King of Spain, who, with a numerous
retinue. was, stopping ut the
"United States,'' was present at din
ner party given in his honor by Mr..
Henry Walton. He was accompanied
by his sister, Caroline Murat, and his
two daughters. Though king. he
looked very much like other mortals.
His manners, dress, and eQuipage were
wholly massuming, quiet, and I'M
pretentious: as was the case with the
ladies Of his family. The rank was
there, and needed no demonstration.
In the course Of the dinner, Bonaparte
suddenly turned deadly pale. and,
with the perspiration standing on his
forehead, turned imploringly to his
host. gasping out, "Un chat I'LL chat
john" said Mr.. Walton to his wait.
er. stake away the cat; it disturbs
this gentleman"
"Cat, sir! 2 echoed John; Il can
see no cat - s.~
The other members of the family
now joined in the search and at last,
sure enough. crouched under the side
board was discovered little frighten-
ed kitten. But it was not until Bona
parte had lain down for some hours
that he recovered from the prostra-
ton into which the presence of the
feline had thrown him.
The dinner was followed in the even.
ing by a brilliant party. Among 9th.
er literary gentlemen present, there
was Theodore S. Fay, Percival. Paul.
ding, Irving, Verplanck, and Joseph
r. Chandler. M'Donald Clarke, the
mad poet was. also among the
guests. Clarke did not remain long,
nor did he circulate among the COM
pany. Most of the time he stood by
the door, his pose and style the ,famil-
lar attitude of the classic Napoleon,
with arms folded. His head rested
not upon his breast, but his eyes look
ed up to the ceiling, while OH one foot
was a Jack boot, and on the other 4
large clumsy shoe. After he had left,
colonel Stone related to the company
the history of the stanza by Clarke
that had lately appeared in the Com
mercial. 1t seems-that Lang, in his
New York Gazette, had alluded to
M'Donald Clarke, that fellow with
zigzag brains.' The insulted poet
rushed into the sanctum of the Com
mercial, blazing with fury.
Do you see, colonel said he, what
.:Jonny Lang says of me! He calls
me a fellow with zigzag brains.
''Well, so you are, said the colonel.
think it is very happy description
of you : -
.:Oh, that's very we'll for you to
say retorted M'Donald. "I;ll take a
joke from you; but Johnny Lang shall
not destroy my we'll earned reputation.
Zigzag brains, forsooth Zigzag brains
think of it colonel ! must have a
chance to rePly-to him in your paper.
"How,c much space would You
want p inquired the colonel.
Il think could use him up in col.
umn and half,' said M'Donald.
"A column and Il half!' said the
colonel. ''Stuff! You shall have 10
such space. I'll give you just four
lines and it that will answer, fire
away; but not one line mere.''
The poet, thus driven into a corner,
instantly wrote off the following neat
epigram u; :. .'f;.
II can tell Johnny Lang, in the way of a
In repsy to his rude and unmannerly scrawl,
To haveabrains that are zigzag than no
braias,t a."
"There, Colonel" said he, ':let John.
ny Lang put that in his pipe and
smoke it,