The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-01-31
The Sweet Singer at Home.


But Bijah took him in.
The Sweet Singer at Home.
lChicago Inter-0cean.i
I found woman with strong likes
and dislikes, with frank soul and q
warm heart-a woman showing all too
plainly the marks of her narrow
younger years and the hard touches OF
the unromantic life of the farmers wife.
During the entire interview she re-
manned standing behind q large home
made chair, with her hands, brown and
stained with toll, on its broad back.
EYES," said she, in answer to ques-
ton, ga good many people come here 70
see me, and if l answered all the letters
/ get it would take all my time. 1 get
from six to eleven letters day, from
all over the country, asking for my auto
graph. A good many are from people
who have tried to write poetry and who
haven't succeeded very well. These
want my receipt. | answer the ones
who send envelope and stamps, the
others sell for paper rags. 1t would
take all my profits to buy these things
myself"
"When did you commence to write
poetry, Mrs. Moore?"
"Let's see, the first poem ever wrote
was about fifteen or sixteen years ago,
when the war was. / never tried to
write any before, but when / saw how
good it was, thought I'd write more,
and SO every time one of my darliDgs
died, or any Of the neighbors' children
were buried, / just wrote poem on
their death. That's the way / got
started. / never thought I'd have q
book full of them, though"
"Can you sit down and write any
time, or does this wonderful gift come
by inspirationT'
a"Well, that depends. Sometimes,
when my children are cross, and my old
man-that's my husband-don't feel
very well, can't write anything good
at all. But when everything is right ]
can compose like sixty. Now, there's
that poem on Brigham Youngs Wives,
eight long verses. 1 sat down about
nine o'clock one morning and had it all
composed, copied, and ready for the mail
by four o'clock in the afternoon"
Are you writing much now9"
"No, / don't have very much time
I've got an order for poem from the
Philadelphia Weekly Times, and have
written to them, asking them what sub
ject they want it on. / only write te
order and on any subject they send me
l can't afford to furnish the subject.
am now writing poem on the Beauti
full Snow for Ryder, my Cleveland
publisher, which is just splendid.
have got four verses already. 1t is likt
this:
'Oh well do remember,
Fifteen years ago lg-
A sleigh-riding did go
Upon the beautiful snsw.'
1t will be six or seven verses in all. III,
told me to put in something about my
childhood days, and Pm going to get il
something about my grandmother, ane
how my uncle took me out sleigh-riding
fifteen years ago, when the horses ruI
away and broke the cutter all to pieces
"What one of your poems do you con
slider your masterpiece 2"
"My whatf"
What one OF your poems do yot
think is the best one"
"Oh, think my Libby Prison is
it is SO real and life-like."
"Did any of your ancestors posses
this wonderful genius of poetry?"
"Nary one of them. Twas the onl,
one that could write a poem to save thei
necks."
"You must make considerable none,
by the sale of your booksW
No, / don't make very much. Ryde
(the publisher) makes the money. Th
most / make is what l sell myself
have sold pretty near twenty-nine do
lars worth of the books to the neighbol
around here to send to their friend
AS soon as / can go through the countr
reading my poems / think ] can Sc
more of the books"
"Then you are going on the stas
againf"
ayes, in March. / shall read
Cleveland one or two nights. Ryd,
offers one hundred dollars night al
me and my old mans expenses. ha1
two gentlemen in Grand Rapids wi
want the refusal of all the other cities
elbow much will they pay your"
"They offered me five hundred dolla
and expenses for ten nights. / thir
it's worth more than that, though, dor
youT
She was assured that fifty dollars anig
was a very small remuneration for SUI
display of talent.