Mexico weekly ledger., 1878-06-06
TROUBLES OF A POET.
By MAX ADELER.


Argus, ws sitting in his office one da
a man whose brow was clothed wit
thunder entered, Fiercely seizing
chair. he slamed his hat on the table
hurling his umbrella On the floor, an
! sat down.
care you the editor?' he asked.
eyes"
"Can you read vriting?'
"Of course"
, 'Read that, then," said he, thrust
ing at the Colonel an envelope will
an inscription on it.
"B-," said the Colonel, try
ing to spell it.
''That's not a B it's an So sale
the man.
"S? Oh, yes, see. Well, the
words look a little like Salt for Din.
ner, or Souls OF Sinners, said the
Colonel.
''No, SIR" replied the man, "noth-
ing of the kind That's my name,-
Samuel II. Drummer. 1 knew you
couldn't read. Icalled to see YOU
about that poem of mine you printed
the other day on the 'Surcease of Sor-
row.
II don't remember it," said the
Colonel.
"Of course you don't, because it
went into the paper under the title
Smear case Tomorrow
"a stupid binnder of the compost
tors, suppose"
eyes, sir; and that's what 1 want
to see you about. The way in which
that poem was mutilated was simply
scandalous. haven't slept night
since. 1t exposes me to derision.
People think | am an ass. Let me
show you"
"Go ahead" said the Colonel.
1.-The first line, when 1 wrote il
read this way:
Lying by weeping willow. underneath
sgentle slope"
"That is beautiful, poetic, effect
ing. Now, how did your vile sheet
present it to the public? There it
is! Look at it! Made it read this
way:
Lying to q wesping widow, to induce her
to elope.
Weeping widow, mind you! A
widow! o, thunder and lightning,
This is too much! It's enough to
drive any person crazy
Il am very sorry" said the Col.
ssbut-"
"But look a-here at the fourth
verse;" said the poet That's worse
yet. What said was:
Cast thy pearls bei.re the swine and lose
them In the dirt.
81 wrote that out clearly and dis
tinctly, in plain round hand. Now
what does your compositor do? Does
he catch the sense of that beautiful
sentiment? Docs sink into his
soul? No, sir! He sets it upin this
fashion:
Cart my pills before the sunrise and love
them if they hurt.
'Now, isn't that a cold-blooded
outrage on mans feelings? I'll
leave it to you if it isn't"
at is hard, that's fact" SAID
Col. Brngs.
''And then take the fifth verse. In
the original manuscript it said, as
plain as daylight.
Take away the jingling money; it is only
glittering 6ross.
"a man with only one eye, and
cataract over that could have read
the words correctly. But your pirate
stairs-do you know what he did?
He made it read:
Take away th.y jeering monkeys, on a
sorely glandered hoss.
s'By George, felt like Draining
him with fire-shovel! l never was
so cut up in my life
at was natural, too," said the
Col.
There for instance, was the sixth
verse. / wrote;
l am weary of the tossing of the ocean as
it heaves.
1T is lovely line, too; but I'M
agine my horror and the anguish OF
my family when opened your paper
and saw the line transformed into
am wearing out my trousers till they're
open at the knees.
sThat's a little too much! That
seems to me like carrying the thing
an inch or two too far. l think l
have a constitutional right to murder
that compositor; don't you?"
81 think you have
Let me read you one more verse. l
wrote:
/ swell the flying echoes as they roam
amsng the hills,
And feel my soul awaken to the ecstasy
that thrills.
snow what do you s'pose your
miserable outcast turned that into!
Why, sir, into this;
/ smell the frying shoes as they roast
along the bulls;
.And peel my soul mistaken to the
srcrtsry that whirls.'
"Gibberish, sir Awful gibberish.
I must slay that man. Where is LeE
ssHe is out just now," said the
Col. Come in tomorrow.
..r-:II ca:I tlo moot. s.and