Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-11-28
THE CONFESSION OF BILL Nre.
Being True Story of How This Base
Man Came to Write the Poem of
"Beautiful Snow"

stances wrote TIE now famous poem
called Beautiful Snowp"
l had been reared in luxury. and ms
youth did not have to do ANYTHING
but cut cordwood and clear of timber
land, but in an evil hour Twas tempted
to go to the great city, where folks
did not readily fall into my ways. So
l left the clearing, and, like Cincin-
natus, | also left my steers standing in
the furrow, to strike out for the rip
snoring town. At first l was afraid
of the cars and would shy little when
the band played. but gradually l got
used to it, and if things sort of startled
me | concealed it. and could almost
fool some people and make them think
was town-bred, although l even yet
hold a cigar like an immigrant and
dodge when sit by car window aud
so past a telegraph pole.
l had not been in the city long be-
fore noticed that though l was OBJ
served L was not recognized as gen.
eral thing. Observation without recog-
milton is metropolitan popularity. l
soon grew to be more and more vacant
! and the different coats of my stomach
began to get out at the elbows. for /
had brought my sylvan appetite with
me and also glazed portmanteau,
which would not stay shut except when
l wanted to open it to see if my new
kip boots were still safe.
walked up and down the same
street good many times trying to
look like | was really going somewhere.
which, as Heaven is my Judge, l was
not. l stopped now and then to
scratch my chilblain against the curb
and look at the most expensive dia-
monds in the jewelry show-windows.
and, though my taste was pleased and
gratifed, it only annoyed and tanta-
LIED my appetite.
For days and nights did this. hop
ing that some kind banker would al
low his team to run away near me, so
that could save his little daughter
and get chance to wet my finger on
sponge ut his counter and count his
coupons for him. But when you come
to consider this in n cool. methodical
way. you will see that it is most I'M
certain method for obtaining situa-
ton. for bankers are getting more
careful in selecting their horses. and
also the coachman generally takes his
pick of the daughters. thus leaving
talented but frccklcd young buck
wheaters to marry otherwhere.
| was so empty that when | buttoned
my vest in the morning could hear it
echo along down my corridors. l
thought of begging. but could not do
that So said | must starve. If |
had not been so hungry would have
gone home where Il barrel of picked
pork and bin of atrophied potatoes,
with pale green sprouts yard long
just fairly held out their long arms to
me. But | had put it off too long now.
l must die on the streets of great
city and be all mussed up by an
autopsy. put on n clean shirt so that
| would not shock the authorities too
much. and then composed myself and
waited for death. l waited quite awhile
and thought was going. Then the
smell of soft-shell crabs came to my
surprised and astonishcd senses. 1t
was awful. / rose up and tore out a
few handsiul or handfuis of hair, for l
could afford it at the time.
Suddenly came the temptation to
lead an immoral life. did not know
whether to do that or write poem. /
saw on every hand how vice throve,
while agricultural virtue stood around
and chcwed imaginary victuals.
Oh. it was an awful hour? In the
midst Of it all | said ut last: mo. |
will not lead life of shameful l
have tried literature anyhow. l will
compose n poem, for according to
what have heard am just about hun
CRY enough to do good literary work."
| 10 / tnI hx-t h. I,.rl,t
and on sheet of brown wrapping
papcr. with piece of keel. l wrote the
words of beautiful Snow"
/ can show you the spot yet. 1t Is
between the old Castle Gardens mort h.
west corner and pier l of the North
River. also have what is left of the
piece of keel and my unsoiled character.
Oh. how little | care for the honor of
writing Beautiful Snow when L
think that it saved me, for took it to
an editor and was going to read it to
him. He was irritated. because it was
Saturday and the business Office had
expressed wish To usurp the editorial
page for advertising purposes, and he
was so hot that he told me to 90 where
it had been the whole aim of my life
thus far to avoid and escape, and he
said also that if | would not read the
poem aud would go far. far away and
never come back any more he would
give me a dollar. | closed with him
and with this generous start l rapidly
rose to where | now am able to keep
a team and dawdle through the day at
the seaside.
This in brief is the history of
Beautiful Snow" The idea of in.
cooperating into it young woman
who had led Il life of shame was pure
ly Imagination on my part and not in
any sense II personal experience. The
poem was lost that evening accident
ally by me when | got something to
eat. Mt the Live aud Let Live chop
house in the Bowery. | never saw il
again till it was printed in the news
papers aud copied broadcast over tn,
world.
cared little for the poem and hated
to connect my name with it. fearing
that my folks might get hold of it and
surmise from it that MS soon us / got in-
to town had fallen when such was not
o I..s,