The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-12-04


on which were pcnciled few lines.
Here" said she, lis something / jot-
tod down last night after you left
Shall read it to you?, And somehow
there was merry twinkle in the girls
eye, which passed unnoticcd, however,
by the sedate Blodger
Il shall be delighted to hear you do
so. was Mr.. Blodger's response. So in
a clear, sweet voice. in which the slight
" hooking tones could only have been
discerned by far sharper ears than
Blodger possessed, Armida read, as fol-
lows:
Ihave lovers and beaux half dozen.
Who poster me day by day
Not to mention . gay, handsome cousin
Who Is always alack. In my way.
But they bore me so much with their chatter
And worry me half to death.
Till it's really q wonderful matter
Ipossess cen one spasm Of breath.
For. you know. your young highly dressed
dandy
Is not my ideal OF man
ALTHOUGH I confess he comes handy
When we wish some amusement to PLAN;
fancy man who Is portly,
Whose hair has tinge Of gray,
Who makes his bow slowly and courtly,
Gives his arm with ALLOW me, pray"
Imam who can never be twittcd
With being too fresh or too green;
man who need hardly be pitied
For fevness Of years he has seen;
man who can love like father
As vel as a heart broken swain,
With experience that tells him tits rather
Cnwise TO stay out In the rain"
When the soft light Of evening is fading
And hushed is the noisy earth,
When darkness old ocean Is shading
And fed are the voices OF mirth;
When the stilled hum OF nature Is soothing
my ears,
And naught through the silence sounds.
long for my lover Of fifty years,
With his solid two hundred pounds.
During the reading Mr.. Blodger sat
enraptured, and as she finished he MUIR
INJURED:
..Bee-autiful." Then, continuing in
a louder key: why don't you send that
to Harpers', Miss Delaro; they would
jump at the chance to publish it. The
sentiment is admirable and magnificent
~ expressed"
''Oh, I'm not at all anxious to rush
into print" was the reply.
'.On the contrary, you ought to be de-
lighted to give such literary treasures
to the world.' responded the old Wild
over, who secretly felt that Armida had
taken graceful way OF paying him q
compliment, never dreaming that he
was the butt Of a joke in rhyme.
1.-THE world would be all the better
of II not oppressed with such illusions, =
she quietly replied.
During this time Mrs. Delaro had re-
mainel in passive silcnce, but she now
spoke up quietly and asked: "Do you ever
have your poems published, Mr.. Hlod-
gero
well. ! have sent many in for con.
sheraton, but fear that they do no,
get the attention which thcy merit and
are cast aside" he answered.
THAT appears strange. Surely your
name in itself should command fail
and impartial examination OF your lit.
erary work?'
''Ycs, that may be; but you see, mum
(Mr. Blodgcr was lapsing into tho soar
business AGAIN., I'm only known as a
soap boiler, and editors have no use sor
such as we. We NAV. and do, have mat.
ter to send in which possesses merit,
but no money can make those missing
ers print it with a name like Blodger al
the foot"
THAT is a pity. l fear the reading
public in that way is the loser Of some
rare gems, said Mrs. Delaro.
True enough, but there is no help
for it" sadly replied the poet Then he
continued: ''Some day | will publish
my collection at my own expense. and
so give it to the world"
With these words he picked up his
hat and babe the ladies . courteous
adicu.
As soon as he had departed Armida
burst into fit Of immoderate laughter.
s.His earnestness is too much for me:
can not help laughing. Pardon me,
mamma she said.
Mr. Blodger had not been gone very
long when the bell-boy again came to
the door and handed in telegram for
Mrs. Delaro. She opened 1t eagerly
and. as she read the contents, she sighed
almost nOlSelcSSly.
What is it, mamma?" anxiously asked
Armida.
1T is from Mr.. Wilcox, my dear. He
and Percy will be here in two days, and
we 60 to New York"
But she made no allusion to the fac,
that they had been lead of on false
clew, and for the fiftieth time had scat
tered her gathering hopes.