Wichita eagle., 1888-02-05
JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY
Tells Newspaper Man q Couple of Pa
thctic and Humorous Stories.

Tells Q Newspaper Man Couple Of Pa
thctic and Humorous Stories.
Mr. Riley, who was dining at an Italian
restaurant, bit the end off one of those crow
bars of bread that are served in those cara
vansaries, while his listener begged him to
emit story. He finally consented to tell
this combination Of humor and pathos:
81 was wandering up one of the principal
streets Of Indianapolis one Decoration day,
when met a rugged old farmer from TIE in
terror who seemed to have lost his way. AS
te wandered aimlessly along 1 approached
him and asked: DO you enjoy the exercises
of the dayr 'WaD, so So he answered; but
amt here for fun. I come up TO 60 to the
buryin' ground up there on the hill.
My boys buried up there. He was
in the army, you know. He had TO
lie about his age to git in, but tho angels
III forgive that one lie. Lord how he did
fightl I've hearn the other soldiers tell
about it, Wall, he went into the Battle o
the Wilderness an got wounded awful They
telegraphted to me, an went right down.
He wanted to be took homo an fetched
him. On the way up be grew worse, an he
said to me if he could live to get home an
SEQ his ma he would be satisfied He KEEP
rittin' weaker an weaker, but he held on till
| GOT him home His ma tried to muse him
back TO life, but he KEEP on runnin' down.
He called me up to h3 he'd one night bout
shutdown, an said, SEE he, Pa, wanter be
buried up in town (neanin' here in Ingian-
apoiis AN l want you TO keep my grave
green
Here the old farmer wiped the tears from
his cheeks with his big brown hand and
then brought it down on my shoulder in a
determined manner, and exclaimed: AN,
mister, I'm agoin' TO keep that grave green il
/ have ter paint it."
One of the most affecting stories that Mr..
Riley tells is that which gave him the inspi-
ration for his pathetic poem, Cause I've
got curvature of the spine" II voices the
boastful, CHEEKY sentiments Of a little de-
formed child who glories in his deforinity,
and whose Only fear is that his aunty will
not know him when she gets to heaven,
where he is, because there, as she has told
him. he will be erect and free from deformi-
ty like the other angels.
''The idea for that poem, said Mr. Riley,
Twas suggested by rough, rugged man that
met on one of my tours. l had been lee
turing in little interior town, and had to
get up at daylight one cold morning TO ride
to tho nearest railway station. The man who
drove me over was one of those rugged char
actsrs that you meet in the rural regions
one of those men who deem sentimentality
weakness and tears something 10 be
ashamed of. As we rode along over the
creak:ng snow he said, Il hearn you talk
last night | remarked, Indeed. I hops
you e7joyed il Yes said be, 'fust rate
NV little girl was there She likes that
sort o thing. She's great on potry. You
may bev seen her. She sat on the front row.
She's little girl, not very tall You must
a-noticed her / told him that did not re-
call having seen her, and he continued: She
amt very big. She don't weigh morn fifty
pounds. You see, she's got curv'ture Of the
SPINE Her mother died when she was q lit
tie thing, and kavin' no ono % look out fer
her as a mother can, she fell down stairs one
day an hurt herself She never got over it
nev took care o. her the BEST knew how,
bu. shes never growed- Sometimes / think
she'll never be no bigger The tears weiled
To his ewes as he talked He was ashamed to
show the evidences Of hts grief, and turned
aside his head Seeing that was looking at
him and had discovered his emotion, he
dashed away the moisture from his eyes with
one Of the heavy leather Inittens that he wore
and said I dunno what's the matter with
my eyes One o my bosses is lame, an I put
some hnimen. on his leg this mornin'. 1 must
n got some Of il on this yer mit.ea o mine.'7
View York Evening Sun.