The Osceola times., 1881-12-03

oil, as II invariably does AZ lnls tltne ol
the wear, he gives Punch and Judy ex-
hibitions in schools and churches, and
occupies his spare time in making and
repairing shoes.
In reply 20 an inquiry, he said "Oh,
| can reel of poetry just as fast as | want
to, but the trade amt what it was, so
have to si,cs - my business (shoe-mak-
ing')
Here he dropped the shoe he was last
ing, and, diving under the desk in front
of him, fished out an old aud massive
portfolio, filled with printed proofs and
newspaper clippings of many of his
editions.
SOME PRIZE POETRY.
"No,I can't say as | care whether write
sentimental or comic. Sometimes one
thing pays best; then, again, another
will. | used to make power of money
writing things like this" and he read
the following words in praise Of dent
ist
He extracts teeth without giving pain
And all that try him call again,
single moler, if you wish, you can get
Or beautiful grinders at 50 II set.
81 charge 10 cents line for that kind,
and can write it by the yard. Oh, yes,
get more for sentimental poems about
dead folks. Here is one | shaped up
about a man who died across the street.
His widow was tickled TO death about it.
No. no; not about his death-about the
poem;
Farewell, my wife and children dear
leave the earth and leave you here
go 70 rest with kindred clay
Until the resurrection day.
"Fine verses like that for IS; cheap,
amt it, when you think how mans got
to addle his brain to get up something
new nowadays? got s. for the address
the butchers read at the opening of
Oxford Market. ! used to do a heap in
love poems for gals, but they don't take
so much now. reckon they cut pieces
ont of the papers and copy 'em; gals al
WAYS did do that | know. No 7 don't
write for fun. Three or four years ago
I wrote a poem, called-lem me see, lem
me see-I most forgot it. Oh, yes the
Crippled Hero's Lament | did it for a
a one AIMED soldier, and ii went like hot
cakes. hut before a week went by ! was
pestered almost to death by crowds Of
manned soldiers who wanted me TO fix
/ I
work for nothing, and then they got
mad-said my poetry wasn't worth read
ing. | wrote a Fifteenth Amendment
Ode aud the darkeys b.ufht thousands
Of copies. | reckon | made $500 on
that ode | wrote poem for the Ger
mans when the Prussian war ended, and
ere society gave me 500. That was
pretty good, wasn't it? fixed up poem
called the Belle Of Philadelphia for a
Camden newspaper once, but | guess il
was lost in the mail. At any rate ii
wasn't printed.
last spring a mighty fine looking
woman, all dressed in silks and bracelets
came to the door and asked for the poet.
You see had been backin' stove and
| was so dirty that she didn't recognize
me. | said. i am the poet She was
knocked all in heap, but she recovered
and said, 'Tm a poet myself, but ! can't
get my mind to work on a subject want
something written on | said, All right,
and she gave me her ideas about a May
picnic. She came back two days after
wards aud was tickled to death with the
poem / wrote. She gave me S5"
wasn't that below your regular
rates?"
"Yes, but YOU see she was one Of the
trade, and ! didn't like TO make it too
steep. Some years ago ! had an Office
on Sixth street and every one knew me.
No, | never met Walt Whitman, but !
know the bard OF Tower Hill, and he
amt nov, now is he? These labor
unions want me TO write poetry against
monopolies, but | won't do it. You see
that kind Of work kills poet quicker'n
lightnin'. Oh, yes, | write burlesques
on people, but never use bad language
and they don't get very mad. | write
lots of things that | don't have orders
for. When old man Donahug's hoss ran
away | wrote the whole thing in five
verses, and it was frst-class. No,
haven't a copy left"
The gem of the poets numerous works,
however, is local story entitled Heart
less Sarah Gray. The first verse is
descriptive of one Thomas Pringle and
the depth of his infstuation for the
young lady referred to in the title of the
effusion:
Thomas Pringle, 80 Swampoodlers say,
Was kDee-deep in love with sarah Gray,
But sally was gay and risky dame
And stubbornly refused TO change her name
In the first two lines of the second
verse the poet, with touching simplicity,
describes the unhappy condition of the
gallant Pringle:
The young man mourned his time away
A-standing on the corners day by day.
In the remainder of the verse the
rythmic historian Suddenly reveals tn e
reason the hearts of pringle and sally,
OF swamp-poodle did not beat in unison:
But sarah's heart not beat did stop,
For she had another fellow in a baked bean
shop.
Five other stsnzas tell how the "bean
man" declined to return Sarahs love,
how hope returned to Prngle's bosom
and how Sarah, in desperation, made
herself unhappy for life by marrying a
street car driver.
Before the interview with the poet
came TO an end Mr.. Cam was kind
enough to inform his visitor that be was
now enGaged composing a hnmeroGs
enic---a modern Odyssey, as it were--de-
81. IF k.t -