Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-05-23
The Troubles of a Poet.

Max Adler, in New York Weekly.
While Colonel Bangs, editor of the Ar
gus, was sitting in his Office one day,
man whose brow was clothed with thun-
der entered. Fiercely seizing a chair, he
slammed his hat on the table, hurled his
umbrella on the floor and sat down.
care you the editor?'' he asked.
eyes"
''Can you read writing 20
tOf course
''Read that, then,' he said, thrusting
at the colonel an envelope with an in
scription on it.
B" said the colonel, trying to
spell it.
"That's not B. It's an So said the
man.
IS; o yes; 1 see! Well, the words look
little like salt for Dinner,' or Souls of
Sinners, - said the colonel.
''No, sir,'' replied the man, nothing
of the kind! That's my name-SamI h.
Drummer. I knew you couldn't read. I
called to seeyou about that poem of mine
you printed the other day, on the Sur
cease of Sorrow
81 DON'T remember it," said the Col
onel.
'Eof course you don't, because it went
into the paper under the infamous title of
'Smearcase Tomorrow
ga stupid blunder of the cOmpositors,
suppose"
eyes, sir, and that's what want to see
you about. The way in which that poem
| LOT cir 1xr
haven't slept night since. It exposed
me to derision. People think am an ass.
Let me show you.''
SEQ ahead, - said the Colonel.
FFThe first line, when I wrote it, read
in this way:
Lying by a weeping willow, underneath gentle
That is beautiful, poetic, affecting. Now
how did your vile sheet present it to the
public? There it is! Look at that! Made
it read this way:
Lying to weeping widow, to induce her to elope.'
Weeping aotdoa0, mind you! A widow! o
thunder and lightning! This is too much
It's enough to drive man crazy!''
F'I'm sorry" said the colonel; ''but-''
''But look a-here at the fourth verse, -
said the poet. ''That's worse yet. What
L said was
Cast thy pearls before the swine and lose them in
the dirt
wrote that out clearly and distinctly, in
plain, round hand. Now, what does
your compositor do? Does he catch the
sense of that beautiful sentiment? Does
it sink into his soul? No, sir! He sets
it up in this fashion. Listen
ECart ov3 1o,-o
| they hurt
Now isn't that cold-blooded outrage on
a mans feelings? I'll leave it to you il
it isn't?'
'It's hard, that's fact, said the Col
oneI.
FfAnd then take the fifth verse. In the
original manuscript it said, plain as day
light
Take away the jingling money; it is only glitter
A man with only one eye, and cataract
over that, could have read the words cor
rectly. But your pirate upstairs there
do you know what he did? He made il
read
Take awaGT thy ieerng monkeys on sOrey CLAN
By George, Ifelt like Draining him witt
fire-shoyel! was never so cut up il
L my life.''
l 81 was natural, too,'' said the Colonel
< 'sThere, for instance, was the sixtl
verse. 1 wrote
i I am weary with the tossing of the ocean as
heaves.'
1t is a lovely line, too; but imagine m,
horror and the anguish of my family
when opened your paper and saw tn
line transformed into
& wearing out my trowsers tilt they're open q
D.. the kneesr
i That is little too much! That seems t.
me like carrying the thing an inch or tw
too far. think have a constitutions
u right to murder that compositor; dom
o you?''
o 'FI think you have.''
l. FFLet me read you one more verse.
It wrote
1t 4 swell the flying echoes as they roam among tt
g And I feel my soul awaken to the ecstasy tn
4 thrills
Now, what do you s'pose your miser;
BILE outcast turned that into? Why, int
this:
& smell the frying shoes as they roast along tt
e And smell my sole mistaken in the erctary tn
- whirls.'
Gibberish, sir! Awful gibberish, mu
slay that man Where is he?'
"He is out, just now,' said the Colone
)! "Come in tomorrow
If ''I will, - said the poet; ''and I wi
I'll come armed.''
re Then he put on his hat, shouldered h
rs umbrella, and drifted ,O6 down stairs.