The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-03-11
Artemus Ward.

Calling upon Mr.. Lincoln on one of
the darkest days in the late war, l was
surprised to see upon his mantel-piece
q couple of yolumes-one small Bible,
the other Arta,nus Ward, his Book. .Do
you read Artemus Wardp" / asked
him. Il don't read anybody else" he
answered, with smile on his care-worn
face: "he is inimitable." In the plain
building before which we are standing
the inimitable Snowman first set up his
.wax figgers;' and if we enter here we
may encounter the assistant editor of
the Taande0ter, who was the asso-
ciate and intimate friend of "A. Ward"
when the latter was the city editor of
this journal. He has many anecdotes
to tell of the genial Snowman. He de-
scribes his appearance, when he first
came to the office, as decidedly rustic.
He was, he says, long and lank, with
flowing hair, and loosely fitting coat.
and trousers too short in the legs and
bagging at the knees, His humor was
irrepressible, and always bubbling over,
and he kept all about him in constant
state OF merriment. He was wag-
nothing but a wag-but in that line
genius. He could see only the ludicrous
side of subject. Going away once on
short vacation. he engaged this gen.
tleman to perform his work during his
absence. He carefully instructed him
as 20 his duties, and in doing SO drew
from his pocket a tow string about a
foot and half long, and told him he
must furnish that amount of copy per
day, leaving on his desk the measure as
reminder of the quantity. About this
time he was called upon to respond to
toast to the Press at Ben Franklin fes-
tival held in Cleveland. He rose to his
feet, hung his head for few moments
in silence and, then sat down, hav-
ING said nothing In his account of
the festival in the next days PLaindea-
Ter his speech was reported by blank
space of about half column of eloquent
silence.
This gentleman remembers that soon
after "a. Ward entered the lecture
field he was invited by theatrical
manager in San Francisco to deliver
course in California. The season being
close at hand, the manager asked him
by telegraph: What will you take for
forty nights in California; Answer
Immediately" Ward answered imme-
diately, by telegraph, Brandy and wa
ter" The joke was noised throughout
the State and the result was, when Ar
temlIs went there to lecture on his own
account he was met everywhere with
overfowing houses. While engaged
lecturing in the West, he wrote this gen.
tleman the following epistle:
my DEAR GEoRGE,-I want you to do
me 4 favor. | re. led on one of my men to
save lie the press notices. He didn't. VIII
you collect them for me at once, and send
them to me at the Bates House? Now this
is taxing your good-nature, but you'll do 1t
for me-won't you, George? DO you know
that you remind me more and more OF the
noble Romans? | don't know who they
We're, but you remind me OF them; you do,
indeed. And could have Appeared to one
of those noble Romans to cut out some
press notices for me- i'll vain? l guess not.
Go on, young man, go on. Deal kindly with
the aged Remember that we are here for
only lit while, and that riches take UNI
| to themselves wings and fly away. lntoXi-
cate the stunning bowl. Support your
county paper. Love the Lord, and send me
those notices. Write likewise. And now,
kind sir, farewell. Farewell.
"'When other lips and other hearts,
"Your'n, my pretty gazeIle,
"A. WARD"
| -Edmund Krke, IN Harper's Maya
| zine for March,