St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-08-06
THE FALLS OF MlNNEHA4A.
1t is Alleged That Under the Fierce
DrOuth the Laughing Water is

DrOuth the Laughing Water is
Becoming Scarce.
'1I've got a poem here on the falls of Mime
haha," remarked fair-haired young man as
he came through the Office door yesterday,
land l thought would ask you to print it. -
A heavy lead cut OF last winters ice
palace was the nearest weapon, but the mild
hammered man lodged it with considerable
agility, and with face lighted up with a
smile, said: This poem is not one of those
gushing things that raves over that brook up
there. It's roast ON Minuehaha. That fall
is no good at this season of the year. This
poem that L have is sort of denial of what
Mr. Longfelow wrote. It's a sort of quo
warranto proceedings against his imagina-
ton. It's made up of about per cent, net,
of divine affiatus, and the balance is cold
fact.
You don't think Longfeow covered the
ground?' asked the man who had thrown the
cut at the poet.
Not for this season Of the year." was the
reply. THAT was all right in times of freshet
and general average of high water, but at
this season of the year that fall is wlted. 1t 5
dried up. It's decayed. It's too thin. It's
played out. In short, it has passed into a
state of innocuous desuetude."
''You can prove these statements?" asked
the man at the desk.
II can,' was the reply. 81 was there two
days ago. l examined the laughing waters
with q critical eye. They no longer laugh.
They can, at most, be said to smile very
family. They are becoming scarce. Nor do
they leap into the valley as alleged, to
any considerable extent. They simply fall,
what is left of them, over a rock down into
| small pool where man with a ragged suit of
| clothes is trying to catch fish. At the very
| moment when l thought / could detect a
small ripple of laughter, l looked a little more
closely and found it was simply the man spit
] ting on his bate preparatory to dropping it
| for another croppy."
''You think then that the glory, the poetry,
| the romance, the charm, the old association
has gone from the laughing water?'
81 wouldn't want to spoil a good thing on
one trial, but insist that for a dry time my
| poem is the correct thing, and as to the charm
being gone, why can at least say that some
| body has got to turn the hose on that brook,
| if it is to GO scattering down the next half
| century as it has the last
You have put the ideas you have ex-
| pressed to me into your poemT"
| Il have
81 will look at your poem'' said the man at
| the desk 81 will cut 1t to four stanzas, for l
draw the line at four stanZas,'' and the fair
| haired man picked up the cut that had been
| thrown at him, placed it in the desk and went
| away. He seemed to be very intelligent
| young man.
| On the copy paper that the young man left
was written long story of the gradual dry
| ing up Of Minnehaha falls. But the four
stanza rule was enforced and the young man s
effusion was boiled down to the following
| bald statement of facts:
] Like fair maidens crimps meath damp
| evening air,
| When they're wasted and wilted and sallow,
| Is the gay Minnehaha the poets sing of,
| The long drought has made it so shallow.
Ger the rough. rocky ledge small stream
| let runs down,
| Silver shreds from a web OF old lace;
| Or like tears that drop mournfully Off of
| the chin,
Coursing DER the maiden's long face.
Laughing water has shrunk to the size of a
| drink,
| So long and so fierce is the drought:
| 'Twouldn't drown mosquito; its beauty has
| gone,
And the truth of it's story you doubt.
Oh, Jupiter Pluvius, come to the Falls,
And come at two-twenty trot,
| Minnehaha is languishing; haste to be here
| With your largest-size watering DOT.