Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1878-05-23
The Troubles OF a Poet.
Max Adler, in New York Weekly

ing chair he slammed his hat on the
table, hurled his umbrella on the
floor and sat down.
"Are You the editor?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Can you read writing?"
"Of course"
"Read that, then," he said, thrust
ing at the Colonel an envelope with
an inscription on it.
"B-," said the Colonel, trying to
spell it.
"That's not b. It's an s." said
tho man.
as; Oh, yes; I seel Well, the
words look little like Salt for din
DER or Souls OF Sinners" said the
Colonel.
"No, sir" replied the man, moth
ing Of the kindl That's my name
SamI FL. Drummer. 1 knew you
couldn't read. l called to see you
about that poem Of mine you printed
the other day, on the 'Surcease oi
Sorrow"
"I don't remember it," said the
Colonel.
"Of course you don't, because ii
went into the paper under the infa-
nous title of 'Smearcase To-mor-
row."
GA stupid blunder OF the compost
tors, I suppose"
"Yes, sir, and that's what I want to
see you about. The way in which
that poem was mutilated was simply
scandalous. haven't slept a night
since. 1t exposed me to derision
People think 1 am an ass. Let me
show YOU"
$50 ahead" said the Colonel.
"The first line, when 1 wrote it
read in this way:
Lying by weeping willow. underneath gentle
slope
That is beautiful, poetic, affecting
Now how did your vile sheet present
it to the public? There it isl Look
at that Made it read this way:
Lying TO weeping 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 q
man crazyw
I'm sorry" said the Colonel
"but-"
"But look a-here at the fourth
verse;" said the poet. That's worse
yet. What I said was
Cast thy pearls before the swine and lose them il
the dirt
wrote that out clearly and distinct
ly, 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, sirl He sets it up in this
fashion. Listen
Cart thy pills before the sunrise and love them 4
they hurt
Now, isn't that a -blooded out.
rage on mans feelings? I'll leave
it tc you il it isn't?"
"It's hard. that's fact" said the
Colonel.
"And then take the fifth verse. II
the original manuscript it said, plair
as daylight
Take away the jngng money; II is only glitter
ing dross.
A man with only one eye, and catar.
act over that, could have read the
words correctly. But your pirate uI
stairs there. do you know what ht
did? He made it read
Take S,S away thy eering monkeys on sorely CLAN
By George, felt like Draining hin
with fire-shovell / was never sc
cut up in my life"
cit was natural, too," said the Col
onel.
"There, for instance, was the sixth
verse. Iwrote-
Il am weary with the tossing of the ocean as /
heaves.'
It is a lovely line, too; but imagine
my horror and the anguish Of my
family, when 1 opened your paper
and saw the line transformed into
i am wearing out my trousers till they're open u
the knees
That Is a little too muchl Tha
seems to me like carrying the thing
an inch or two too far. / think
have a constitutional right to murder
that compositor; don't you?"
"I think you have"
LET me read you one more verse
I wrote
And feel my soul awaken to the ecstacy tina
thrills.'
Now, what do you suppose your mis-
erable outcast turned that into? Why
into this:
Il smell the frying shoes they roast along tn
| bulls.
And peel my sole mistaken In the erctary tina
whirls.
Gibberish, sirl Awful gibberish
I must slay that man. Where is he?
"He is out, just now," said the Col.
onel. "Come in tomorrow"
81 WILL" said the poet; "and viii
come armed"
Then he put On his hat, shouldere,
his umbrella, and drifted off dow
stairs.
Reports from the Michigan frui
belts show that all Of the strawberrie
and most of the blackberries ar
killed, except in the immediate vicin
ity OF the road along the lake shore
| The pears and cherries are believet