The Worthington advance., 1881-02-03

strand,
Faint US dream;
Forms OF those dear in the days which have
Forms Of beloved ones in life's morning
With them they bring lost scenes of the past.
Back to our view;
Pictures of friendships not destined to last,
Loves that grew weak meath adversities'
blast,
Ridges and ripples time shifting sand,
Hidden till now in the far shadow land
-Tinslev's Magazine. -.
"WHAT MY LOVER SAID"
A Poem Attributed to Horace Greeley-Oae
Of Barton Hills Recitations that TOuched
the Hearts Of = Merry Party Of Newspa.
per men. 'lG
New York Correspondence Of the philadelphia
Times.
The Park theatre was just out, and
a number of actors and newspaper men
had gathered in the Palette club bar.
rooms on twenty second street. There
were present Barton Hill, his son
Henry of the editorial staff of the
herald the veteran night editor, DR..
j. B. Wood, and w. a. Curtis, Tom
Mcguire of San Francisco, Col, Glider,
who recently came back from Artic
explorations with Lieut.. Schwatka; !;
Chief Judge DAILY, W.: E. Sheridan,
Cyril Searle, Leander p. Richardson
and one or two other fellows. Town.
send Percy came in and there was
chaff to him about the play of the
Baff1ed Beauty" which awoke angry
answers from him and made it necess-
ary that the conversation should
change lest something be said to the
author of that rather peculiar drama
for which there would be regrets.
And this is the way the conversation
turned. Tom Mcguire said to Barton
Hill: ''why dom you repeat your even.
ing with Unknown and Forgotten
Poets, Hill! and Hill said, ''The affair
was so much of personal compliment
to me by the people of San Francisco
that I'm afraid it wouldn' work here"
1T was so personal" said Mcguire,
''that the tickets were put at SIS, and
the great hall was crowded. suspect
1T was the most remunerative piece of
WI VANAV OOA kOll ONCl ulOs
The title of the entertainment at.
tracted attention and the question was
put as to how and from what sources
the poets had been brought. There.
upon Mr.. Hill drew programme from
his pocket and read the names of his
selections and the authors of each
when they could be had. AS he ran
through the list he read:
''wIIAT MY LOVER SAID,
Written by Horace Greeley when
DR.. wood interrupted, remarking:
"Greeley wrote some poetry, but I
don't remember that. How does it
go!" And half dozen voices called
out: ''Y es; let's have it," The actor
sat back in his chair and repeated it.
1t is impossible to convey any idea of
the reading, of the modulations of
voice, the tender and delicate phrasing
of the three lines at the end of each
verse. When he had finished there
seemed to be finer sentiment pervad-
ing the little crowd, the next order
| for beer was in lower and less authoita
tive toues, so that the bar man came
| half hesitatingly, as fearing some out.
break, and copies and history of the
piece were generally asked for. This
is the poem:
BY the mercst chance, in the twilight gloom,
| In the orchard path he met me
| IN thc tall, wet grass, with its faint perfume,
And | tried to pass, but he made no room,
Oh! tried, but he would not let ME,
So ] stood and blushed till the grass grew rcd,
With my face bent down above it,
While he took my hand as he whispering said
How the clover lifted each pink sweet head
| To listen to all that my lover said!
| Oh! the clover in bloom-I love it!
In the high, wet grass went the path to hide,
ana the low, wet leaves hung over,
But lcould not pass on either side,
For found myself, when I vainly tried,
| In the arms of my stcadfast lover,
And he held me there, and he raised my head,
| While he closed the path before me,
AND nc looked down into my eyes and said
| How the leaves bent down from the bouph
o'erhead,
To listen to all that my lover said,
oh! the leaves hanging lowly DER me-
Had he moved aside but little way
| could surely then have passed him,
And he knew could never wish to stay,
| And would not have heard what he had to say,
| Could only aside have cast him.
II vas vas almost am datk, and the moments sped,
/
but he drew ME nearer und softly said
! How the pure, sweet wind grew still instead
| 10 listen 20 all that my lover said,
Oh, the whispering wind around us.
I am sure he knew, when lie held me fast,
That | must be all unwilling;
| For tried to go, and would have passed
| AS the night was come with its dcws at last,
And the sky with its stars was filling.
But nc clasped me close, when would have
| fled,
And he made me hear his story.
And his soul came out from his lips and said
How the stars crept out when the white moon
| led
To listen 10 all that my lover said.
oh, the moon and the stars in glory:
know that the grass and the leaves will not
,,::! And I'm sure that the wind, precious rover,
VIII carry his secret 80 safely and we'll
! That no being shall ever discover
Ono word of the many that rapidly fell
From the eager lips of my lover
And the moon and the stars they looked over
Shall never reveal what fairylike spell
lhey wovc around us that night in the
dell,
In the path through the dew laden clover;
or echo the whispers that made my heart
As they fell from the lips Of my lover.
Then Mr.. Hill said: II was in Seat
tie, W. T. some years ago-two or
threc-when Mr.. CHI. .Larrabee of that
place recitcd that poem. I was SO
pleased with it that I obtaineda a copy
and committed it to memory. Mr.
Larrabee told me that lie had cut it
from the Erening Post of New York
some twenty-five years before. In
that publication it was ascribed to
Horace Greeley. 1 promised to look
up the history Of it, but all my endeav.
ors up to this time have proved un.
| availing,"
"'I remember the poem.'' spoke
Curtis; '' cut it from the Sun some
sixteen years ago. think it was the
Sun, any way, it was given rs anony-
! nous, and ifGreeley wrote it certainly
Mr.. Dunn wonld have known it, and
| probably have seen that it was duly
credited
| This statement, having SO many
hypothetical conditions, was not re
garded as important, and a committee
| Fnr ol