The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-06-26
The Troubles of n Poet.

While Col. Bangs, editor Of the Ar
gus, was sitting in his Office one day
a man whose brow was clothed will
thunder entered. Fiercely Selling {
chair, he slammed his hat on the table
hurled his umbrella on the floor, and
sat down.
"Yes.b
Can you read writing?"
"Of course.n
Read that, then" he said, thrust
ing. at the Colonel an envelope, with
an inscription upon it.
"B--,' said the Colonel, trying to
spell it.
"rhat's not Il B. It's an S." said the
man.
as; oh yes, I see! Well, the words
are q little Salt for dinner, or Souls
for sinner" said the Colonel.
mo, sir" replied the man, "noth-
ing Of the kind That's my name
Samuel III. Bruner. / knew you
couldn't read. ! called to see you
about that poem of mine you printed
the other day, on the 'Surcease of Sor-
row.W
4" l don't remember it," said the
Colonel.
"Of course you don't, because it
went into the paper under the infa-
nous title of 'Smearcase Tomorrow
" A stupid blunder of the compos-
itor's, suppose"
" Yes, sir, and that's what + want
to see you about. The way in which
that poem was mutilated was simply
scandalous. | haven't slept light
since. 1t exposed me to derision.
People think / am an ass. Let me
show YOU"
$50 ahead" said the Colonel.
''The first line, when wrote it, read
in this way:
: ying by weeping willow, underneath Il gentle
SLOPE
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 widow, mind you! A widow!
0 thunder and Lightning! This is too
much It's enough to drive man
crazy ~
- "rm sorry" said the Colonel;
" But look a-here at the fourth
verse;" said the poet. "That's worse
yet. What said was
Cast thy pearls before the SWINE and lost them in
the dirt
wrote that out clearly and distinctly
n plain, round hand. Now what
loes your compositor do? Does he
atch the sense of that beautiful senti-
nent? Does it sing into his soul?
10, sir! He sets it up in this fashion.
;
art thy pills before the sunrise and love them if
they hurt
"There for instance was the sixth !
ersc l wrote
weary of the tossing of the ocean as it heaveS
1t is lovely line, to; but imagine t
~ horror and the anguish of my l.
lmily when | opened your paper and =
NV the line transformed into
am wearing out my trousers till they're open at t
the knees! t
That is little too much That G
GEMS to me like carrying the thing =
II inch or two too far / think | have Il
constitutional right to murder that n
don't your" ;;
" think you have.
s." Let me read you one more verse l S
rote-
swell the flying echoes as they roam among the Al
hills" :"
nd feel my soul awakening to the ecstacy that
thrills
Now, what do you s'pose your T
iserable Outcast turned that into?
Thy into this: q
smell the frying shoes as they coast along the
bulls.
ID peel my sole mistaken in the erctary that C.
whirs.'
ibberish, sir Awful gibberish Ct
ust slay that man. Where is he ?" n,
"Hc is out just now," said the Col
ell. "Come tomorrow"
II will" said the poet, land I will NJ
me armed" b
Then he put ON his hat, shouldered al
J umbrella, and drifted off down
.irs. ii
go