The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-04-28
How He HELPED Her.

From the Brooklyn Eagle.
at you please, sir,'' SAID the young lady
timidly, as the exchange editor handed her {
chair, 81 have composed a few verses, or par
TALLY composed them, and l thought yor
might help me finish them, and then prin
them. Ma says they are real nice, as far as
they go, and pa takes the EGgIe every day"
She was a handsome creature, with beauti
full blue eyes, and browning glory as yellow
as golden rods. There was an excellent look
on her face, a hopefulness that appealed tc
the hottest emotions, and the exchange editor
make up his mind not to crush the longing OF
the pure heart, if he never struck another lick
s"May show you the poetry?" continued
the ripe red mouth. You will see that
could mt 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 music.
Help her Well he should smile.
"The first verse runs like this" she went on,
taking courage from his eyes:
GLOW softly sweet the Autumn air,
The dying woodland fills,
And nature turns from restless care"
"To anti-bilious pills p added the exchange
editor, with jerk. "Just the thing 1t
rhymes, and it's so. You take anybody now
Half the people you meet are
81 suppose you know BEST interrupted the
young girl Il hadn't thought of it in that
way. but you have a better idea of such
things. Now, the second verse is more like
this:
'sThe dove-eyed kline upon the moor
Look tender, meek and sad,
While from the Valley comes the roar
GOT the matchless liver pad !" roared the ex-
change editor. "There you get it, That
f1piohoc ho coocn6 noc To oh xu;fh tbo
first. 1t combines the fashions with poetry
and carries the idea right home to the Preside
If only had your ability in starting a verse,
with my genius in winding it up, I'd quit the
shears, and open in the poetry business to-
morrow"
think SOP" asked the fair young lady. cit
don't strike me as keeping up the theme"
You don't want to- You must break the
theme here and there. The reader likes it bet
ter. Oh, yes Where you keep up the theme,
it gets monOtonous."
frightening up Il didn't think of that. Now
I'll read the third verse;"
Elbow sadly drops the dying day,
AS night springs from the glen,
And morning twilight seems to say
The old mans drunk again" would mt do
would it 2" asked the exchange editor. Some
body else wrote that, and I might be accused
OF plagiarism. We must have this thing orig
lnal. Suppose we say-now, suppose we say;
why did | spout my Ben %
lis that new ?" inquired the sweet rosy lips.
cat least, l never heard of it before. ] don't
know what it means"
Now Deed it's new. Ben is the Presby-
terrain overcoat, and spout means to hook.
"Why did spout my Ben" That's just what
twilight would think at first. 0, don't be
afraid-that's just lmmense?"
swell I11 leave III N Won y said the GIRL with
smile that pinned the exchange EDITORS
heart to his SPINE 'This is the fourth verse:
.'The merry milkmaids sombre song
Re-ec hoes from the rocks.
And silently she trips along"
with holes in both her socks, by Jove !"
cried the delighted exchange editor You
see"
20, no, MOP" demonstrated the blushing
maiden. "Not that"
Certainly" protested the exchange editor,
warming up. ''Nine to four she got em; and
you get fidelity to fact with wealth of peeti-
cal expression. The worst of poetry generally
is, you can't state things as they are. 1t amt
like prose, But there we've busted all the es-
tablished notions, an put up an actual exist
ence with veil of genuine poetry over it. |
think that's the best idea we've struck yet"
Il don't seem to look at it as you do, but of
course you are the best Judge Pa thought /
ought to say,
ssAs silently she trips along
In Autumn's meadow tracks,
Wouldn't that do?'
DO! Just look at it. Does tracks rhyme
with rocks? Not in the Brooklyn Edgb, it
don't. Besides when you say tracks and
rocks, you give the impression of some fellow
heaving things at another fellows head, who
is searching for safety. Socks, on the other
hand, rhymes with rocks, and beauties them,
while it touches up the milkmaid, and by de-
scribing her condition, shows her to be child
of the very Nature you are showing up"
II think you are right" said the sweet angel,
"Pll tell pa where he was wrong. This is the
way the fifth verse runs:
"And close behind, the farmers boy
Thrills forth his simple tune;
And slips besides the maiden coy"
"And splits his pantaloons !" Done it myself;
knew 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 beau
tiful visitation that for moment dawned up
on 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 as a NASTY brute,' and went out from
him forever.