Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-05-23
A BORN GENIUS.
The Cheerful story of n Poets 1lisad.
ventures.

The Cheerful story of n Poets 1lisad-
ventures.
"a very nice baby, indeed, my dear
does you credible does really. There,
purse, cover up his dear little tootsies,
and take him away. [ hope, my love,
he'll have health and good looks, and
what's that ?-genius. Oh no-oh dear,
no! You don't know what it is to be the
mother of genius do. l remember
the time when my Augustus was precisely
huch another pink, gurgling little bundle
:s the one that has just left us. That
was in his innocent days. But he grew
Older, as boys willard girls too, for
The matter of that poor things and
when he arrived ut what should have
been years of discretion he startled me
the day with the news that he meant to
be an author. Such a career, my love
and our family had always been most re-
tpectable--ironmonger9 from generation
b generation-Amcu
"'WhHt's to become Of tho business,
hugustus?' [ asked
ooh, the business may go to tle-op-
POSITION shop said he; and so it did,
every bolt and nal Of it, What does
iron weigh against poetry
"'Well, if you ask me. Augustus, /
should say iron was the more substantial
ii the two, and though you dcrido your
ntother's opinion, as it's the fashion for
Young men to do, still | know that iron
would fill your pocket and your stomach
sooner than poetry.
but, aupte, bssan my niece Mary
' no wss III tie r.oM a' tie li.C-l
|new which side was going to take
sAc ard Augustus were as good rs cnrag-
ed 10 each o.UeJ -But. arntic, tliuk
how glorious il rau .lbo 10 write book "
Don't you bc li..lc fool, my dear
] sail, "lt'a my opinion THAT more pe5-
pie write books thau t,Jd themuowadays ::
and if things 20 on like ills, the sub
tribers to Elruy ailI LIE paid instead
Cf having to pay money.
But poet, auntic surely there
ere very fgH pOetsY
And no wonder, my dear, when mod
trn advanced thought leaves us So little
e. be poetic!l about. What IS to RHYME
with 'lovs If Heaven above" is a myth &?
Where is the romance of death if there
is to be no reunion 1t must be verv
peculiar mind that could find poetry in
cur ancestors the monkeys.
but Of course my opinion went for
nothing. .,Augustus was determined to 90
to London to try his fortune as an author.
Mary aided and abetted him, though it
would separate them for time. So off
iron and apoet's corner in orr local news
paper.
From the very day Of his departure
Mary began to look in the publishers
column and amongst the reviews, as if
she expected the book to burst into bloom
at once, and to receive a flattering notice.
His letters didn't tell us much except
about dinners and suppers, until began
to think that authors ate their way to
fnme much as barristers eat their way to
the law. In little while he wrote to
borrow money. had expected that, and
sent him what l could spare. At last the
book WAS announced. You can imagine
the excitement there was in the house and
u the town when salf-a-dozsn beautifully
bound volumes found their way down to
US. Mary never paid so many visits in
her life as she did in those days, and
wherever she went the first topic was al
ways my cousins book of poems. She
carried them about with her everywhere,
and read selections aloud, till | used to
wonder she ever found any one at home
when she called. She recited them, too,
from memory; but noticed sometimes
that if she missed whole stanzas here and
there, the sense didn't suffer much. But
then | only like the old-fashioned poetry,
which one can understand. Certainly
the book was published, and no one could
know that be had paid every farthing
himself for the cost of printing, publish
ing and advertising.
''The next thing to do was to search
the papers for criticisms. In some there
Appeared few lines of faint praise, in
others few of contempt, but in the ma
Jority there was utter silence About this
time the neighbors began to return Mary's
visits, and it was wonderful how many
newspapers they all seemed to have seen,
and how carefully they had read them.
and how very sympathetic they were about
the harsh notices. Mary, however, was
not to be discouraged.
He has his foot on the first rung OF
the ladder she cried; he will never rest
I'LL he has climbed to fame and fortune
Then l am very much afraid there
will be another Wandering jew on earth,
thought.
presently there came another appeal
for money. / had expected that too, but
this time was obliged to refuse. l didnt
mean that all the little savings which ]
had destined for him and Mary and Their
children should go TO make waste paper
Poor Mary would have sent every farth
ing she possessed only luckily she didn't
possess any.
'"The next letter l received contained
some very surprising intelligence. An,
Bustus was going to bemarriod. He said
very little about the lady's beauty or &C
QQmplishments, but only mentioned that
she was the daughter of tho head partner
in well.known publishing firm. Pool
Mary she had fallen victim to the
genius Of which she was so proud. 1 had
set my mind on the boys marrying her
and believe lie was really fond of her
but what aspiring authOr could resist |
publishers daughter? Here was an OPP
portunity of never again being declined