Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-03-25
FUN

the young lady timidly. as the exchange
editor handed her chair. II have COM
posed a few verses. or partially composed
them, and / thought you might help me
finish them and then print them. Ma
says they are real nice as far as they 60.
and Pa takes the Eagle every day.
She was a handsome creature, with
beautiful blue eyes and GROWING glory of
hair as yellow as golden rods. There was an
expectant look on her face, a hopefulness
that appealed to the holiest emotions. and
the exchange editor made up his mind not
to crush the longing of that pure heart if
he never struck another lick.
ssMsy show you the poetry?" contin-
ued the ripe, red mouth. "You will see
that couldn't get the last lines of the
verses, and if you would please to be SO
kind as to help me-"
Help her! Though he had never even
read line Of poetry, the exchange editor
felt the spirit Of the divine art flood his
soul as he yielded to the bewildering mu
sic.
Help her! Well he should smile.
1.-THE first verse runs like this.'' she
went on, taking courage from his eyes:
ssHow softly sweet the Autumn air
The dying woodland fills
And nature turns from restless care"
ssTo anti-bilious pills - added the ex-
change editor, with jerk. "Just the
thing. It rhymes, and its SO. You take
ANYBODY now. Half the people you meet
are
81 suppose you know best, ~ interrupted
the young girl. II hadn't thought of it
in that way, but you have better idea
Of such things. Now the second verse is
more like this:
1.-THE dove eyed kline upon the moor
Look tender, meek and sad,
While from the Valley comes the roar
"Of the matchless liver pad!" roared
the exchange editor. sThere you get it.
That finishes the second so as to match
with tie first. 1t combines the fashions
with poetry and carries the idea right
home to the freside. If only had your
ability in starting verse with my genius.
for winding it up, I'd quit the shears and
and open in the poetry business to-mor-
row."
"Think so ~ asked the fair young lady.
cit don't strike me as keeping up the
theme.''
s'You don't want to. You must break
the theme here and there. The reader likes
it the better. Oh, yes! Where you keep
up the theme it gets monotonous.''
perhaps that's so, "rejoined the beauty
Frightening up. 'sI didn't think of that.
Now I'll read the second verse:
''Hew sadly droops thedying day,
As night springs from the glen,
And morning twilight seems to say
s'The old mans drunk again. wouldn't
do, would it2'' asked the exchange editor.
Somebody else wrote that, and might BIT
accused of plagiarism. We might hav.
this thing original. Suppose we say-noN
suppose we say, "'Why did l spout NJ,
Ben9''
lis that new?" inquired the sweet rosy
lips. AT least never heard it before. j
don know what it means"
'.New9 Deed it's new" Ben is the
Presbyterian overcoat, and spout means to
hook. why did I spout my Ben?"-
That's just what twilight would think at
first. o don't be afraid-that's just i'm
mense!'
"Well, I'll leave it TO you," said the
girl with smile that pinned the exchange
EDITORS heart to his spine. "This is the
fourth verse:
HTho merry mkmaid,s somhro sonp
Re-echoes from the rocks,
As silently she trips along
with holes in both her socks, by Jovel''
cried the delighted exchange editor. "You
Sc"
80, no, no ~ demonstrated the blushing
maiden. "Not that.''
''CertainlY," protested the enchange-ed-
itOr, warming up. "Nine to four she's
got em; and you get fidelity to fact with
a wealth of poetical expression. The
worst of poetry generally is, you can't
state things as they are. It amt like
prose. But there we've busted all the es
tablished notions, and put up an actual
existence with veil of genuine poetry
over it. think that's the best idea we've
struck YETI
81 don't seem to look at it as you do,
but of course yon are the best Judge. Pa
thought I ought to say:
GAS silently she trips along
In Autumn mellow tracks,
Wouldn't that do?"
do! just look at it. Does tracks
rhyme with rocks? Not in the Brooklyn
Eagle" it don't. Besides, when you say
tracks and rock you give the impression
of some fellow heaving things at another
fellows head who is Scratching for safety.
Socks, on the other hand, rhymes with
rocks, and beauties them, while it touch
es up the milkmaid, and by describing her
condition shows her to be a child of the
very Nature you are showing ur.'' :.
81 think you are right, said the angel
I'll tell pa where he was wrong" This is
the way the fifth verse runs:
And close behind the farmers boy,
Thrills forth his simple tunes,
And steals beside he maiden coy
ssAn6 tore his pantaloonsl'' 'sDone it
myself; know just exactly how it is. Why
bless your heart. you"
snip, snip, snip. Paste, paste, PASTE
But it is with . saddened heart that he
ships and pastes among his exchanges
now. The beautiful vision that for mo-
ment dawned upon him has left but the
recollection in his heart Of one sunbeam
in his life, quenched by the shower of tears
with which she denounced him ''yulgar
BRUTE" and went out from him forever
Brooklyn Eagle.