Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-06-03
CHARLES LAMB.
Amusing Stories of the Stammering
humOrist.
From the London Standard

a retired cheese-monger, who had been
for years IN some commission connected
with the poor laws. He was pompous
man, with n grand at1ectation of having
been born to the exalted position. At
one time in the course of the dinner
opinions ran at variance rs to the prop
er methods OF dealing with pauperdom,
and Mr.. D assumed very high
manner. Gentlemen, be said, thrust
ing his thumbs into the arm-holes of his
vest, lying back in his chair, and intlat-
inc his lungs to their utmost capacity
Gentlemen, should know what | am
speaking of, with all my years in the
public service, and with my opportuni-
ties for studying the dispositions of these
miserable and troublesome paupers.
Gentlemen, they are as worthless ind
ungrateful rs they are and have been I'M
provident. The time has been, gentle
men, when | had some Of the milk of
human kindness III my breast, for these
wretches; but now and he paused for
a moment in order to let the conclusion
come more overwhelmingly. "N-now,"
broke in Lamb, with his poor, thin face
all childish innocence" n-now, Mr..
D, | sup-p-pose that mink is all
made up into ch-ch-cheese!' Lamb re-
ceived an invitation on a certain evening
to be present at breakfast at Rogers
the following morning, to meet young
author, whose first volume of poetry left
the press that day. He went a tritie
early and reached the waiting room while
it was vacant, Rogers not having came
down, and none Of the other guests hav-
ing arrived. On table lay copy of the
young poets new book. Lamb picked it
up, ran through it, saw that 1t contained
nothing Of any special mark, and then,
in the few minutes yet remaining,
amused himself by committing to
memory three or four of the short poems
it contained. The guests arrlved-among
them the young aspirant for honors.
Some OF the leading men Of the London
world of letters were among thenumber.
Rogers descended, the young man wasin-
PRODUCED, and the breakfast was served
Some literary matters came under dis
cussion, pending the decentralization
of the young poets book. With the
gravest of faces, after a few moments
Lamb said: 81 DIDN'T think, g-gentle-
men, that [ h-haye ever repeated to
you one of my best p-poems.
What s-say? Viii you have it?
Nobody quite understood what
was coming, but all could read
the mischevious flash IN the
eye that was usually SO kindly; and the
demand for the poem was general. Lamb
quietly repeated, word for word, one of
the poems from the young mans book.
The key was furnished to the rest, when
they saw the young poet pale, then red
den and then fall back in his chair, as
astonished as if thunderstruck, and as
helpless as if paralyzed. Loud cheers,
clappingof hands, and demands formore.
Lamb bowed his thanks, pretended not
to remember anything else that he had
lately written, and then, under urging,
repeated another, and yet another, of the
poems from the young mans book, the
bidding poet manifesting symptoms OF
doubt whether he was himself, whether
ANYTHING ON earth was real, whether he
had really written the poems that up to
that time he had believed he had-until
he heard a man declalming them, and
claiming them for his own; O. man who
could not even have seen his unpublished
book. Louder cheers, and still
louder demand for yet another. The
fun. with all the cold uns," now
thoroughly instructed, began to grow
fast and furious" Lamb, who had pre-
yi9usly retained his sitting position, now
rose and said:
G-gentlemen, I have only been
o-giving You s-sQme Little bits of mmy
poetry. But l h-have one p-poem that
am little p-proud of. | wr-wrote il
g-good m-many years ago. This Il
h-how ii begins:
'OG m-Inan's first disobedience, and the fruit
q. That forbidden t-tree. whose mortal t-taste
Brought d-leath into the world with all cur woe
The recitation was doomed to go NJ
further. For the previous few minutes
the young poet, crazed with wonder, ano
yet aware that in some unaccomtabie
manner he was being robbed, had sim
ply been tearing his hair. But at tins
lmctpre he could restrain himself ne
longer he sprang to his feet, his FACE
aol9ze and burst out:
Gentlemen, this is too much I!
have sat here, gentlemen, and heard tina
man repeat poem after poem OF mine
canning them for his own, and ! have
porn it. But whea / hear him attempt
70 claim the opening lines Of Milton
Paradise Lost -"
nat address. too, was doomed to b
guy short like the recitation. Roger
@ferrel that T1evpr beneath his roof