Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-03-05

ion: When he came home to dinner
| says to him, "Ye've an addition to
your family, Mr.. Realf." "Ye don't
say SC !'savs he. eyes" says l, "twins,
Mr.. Realf!' ct Wins !" says he, just
like that. eyes, SIR" says I, they're
over there" And he walked over and
turned down the flannel flom the pill
low, and took q look at-two of the dear
little faces. After he fully understood
that. There's another one over here,
Mr.. Realf," says l. "Good God!" says
he
at the next visit the father was at
home, and welcomed us with as much
grace and dignity as if to palace. Then,
for the first time, / saw Richard Realf.
He was of medium height. trifie stout,
and very neatly dressed. He had a full,
round face, clean shaven excerpts heavy
moustache, generous forehead, a Gre
clan nose, and large, dark, liquid eyes.
The curve from the lip to the chin. so
seldom successful, was perfect. His
dark, straight hair was touched with gray
about the ears and temples. Altogether
I thought it one Of the handsomest faces
I had ever seen.
! eve had some correspondence on the
subject of poems, for which he had ask
ed me to find publisher. When I re-
quested to see the manuscript l found
to my establishment that he had no
manuscript prepared He did not even
possess copies of all his poems. But he
drew from his pocket a worn and
crumpled roll of newspaper cuttings
which contained perhaps half of them.
Thereupon l produced copies of two or
three which [ had been rereading just
before leaving home. He found one
among them that he had not seen for
years.
"This, Lizzie" said he to his wife, sis
one you have never heard" and i'm
mediately he began to read it IN low
musical voice, while his face lighted up
with sudden glow, and it was evident
that he was far away from the little
chamberlain away in Dreamland,
whittier he had gone by way of the
campfire and picket-line where he had
first scratched the verses"
Of many letters that be wrote, Mr..
Johnson prints but one, from which we
thus extract: -s ....
NEW YORK, May II, 1S7S-DEAR
FRIEND: Your good. kind letter, with
its Enclosure from the editor Of,
reached me duly, but this is the first
moment in which khave had heart Or
leisure to reply. am weighted with
burdens that almost kill--that may kill
soon,-and you must pardon me that |
unburden myselftO you thus uninvited-
ly.
81 told you that my wife and children
had gone into the country. They are
back here now,-wife and boy, that is
to say the triplets being in charge Of
the Children's Hospital, New Brighton,
Staten Island. Two weeks ago last
Thursday wife and children went thith-
| er. ...
"Last Monday I received written no
tice that they would keep the children
if desired, but that, inasmuch as my
wife did not come within the scope of
the institution, must remove her. On
Friday brought my wife back. She is
utterly helpless. have nursed her
and my boy, and have cooked and swept
as best [ could. [ have expended all
the money of which I am possessed in
the world, with the exception of some
S.. have paid the rent of our little
room for the current month. We have
left the dear little triplets down there.
It was case of imperative necessity.
II thank you very deeply for all your
goodness. But you can Judge how i'm
possible it has been for me; in this cul-
minative stress. to do any worthy
work. Sometimes [ fear [ am losing
my grip On myself. Do you know Of
anybody in the city who would give me
hundred Or q hundred and fifty dol
lars, cash down, for the sole right and
title to all [ may have written?" If l
could get hundred and fifty dollars for
my verses, [ would send Lizzie to hos
pital and take for myself second-class
ticket to San Francisco at once.
should take my boy with me, and Liz
zie would come as soon as I could
send for her and she was able to travel.
8 [ will tell you when | see you the
reasons why I am. so DESTROYS to get
far away, far away. They are not
base ones, but [ shall never be able to
do that of which am capable of in the
east,-at least, not until certain per-
son dies; and you know it is written
that the good die first Out in San
Francisco [ can find work and recover
< ~ never thought to have
breathed these privacies to a living
man, but [ AN in an agony of appre-
hension and dread concerning the i'm
mediate future of my wife and child
unless can somehow manage to sell
my poor verses for the sum I have
named would sell them for a ticket
to San Francisco and hundred dollars.
And pray, dear sir, do not
permit any part of these imposing con-
fidences to get into the newspapers
at least while live"
'The next time. [ saw Realf:" says
Mr.. Johnson, S'he was fiat on his back,
and his face covered with cloth. But
for the voice that came from beneath it
and the hand extended to meet my
own, l might have thought he had
found that rest which now seemed the
only one for him. He had caught the
disease of the eyes from his little boy,
and was suffering acutely." ,.s