The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-05-23
VERSATILE vERsrFIcArioN.
Samples of Rhyme Scrubbed for Social Pu,


Samples of Rhyme Scrubbed for Social Pur.
poses.
At one of the clubs the other night q
group of young society fellows were
talking about people they didn't like.
They were not so much mentioning in
dividuals ''who never would be missed"
as discussing types which did not meet
their august approval
III tell You what boys" said one Of
them, II don't know but what I've kind
o changed my mind about one sort of
follow. If there's any kind had no
earthly use for it's the chap that has lit
erary aspirations-thc kind that's al
ways scribbling what he calls poetry
and fishing for chance to write limp
ing verses in girls autograph album
and all that sort of thing. The other night
l went to u dinner given by Il young
lady to dozen or so of the young set
down in my part of the town. l don't
know why it is, but find swell din
ner the stiffest sort of thing, and ex-
pected to find this the usual bore But
it wasn't-not by long shot l haven't
had a jollier time this season.
''But it looked bad for r. while. All
the boys were in evening dress and the
girls in thcM best gowns. All had their
society manners with them, and things
were about as pr;m as Il praycr-mceting
up to the time we took our seats at the
table. Then each of us discovered a
menu card done in pen and ink on our
plate, and what do you suppose it had
on it? Verses. l was going to skip
reading mine when young woman
next to me snickercd right out and the
chap opposite me gave great ha! ha!
Then | changed my mind and before
I'd finished reading mine l was laugh
ing with the others. Funny quotations?
Not much. Somebody who knew us all
like book had touched up each one of
us. Mine was Il clever little jingle
about my amateur photography. OF
course we were each curious to know
what the Others had, but our hostess
stopped our comparing notes and asked
one OF the boys to read his. He squirmed
a little, Tor his was about the atrocious
puns he continually makes, but he had
to come to time and had to join in the
laugh. BY that time we were onto the
fun of the thing and there wasn't any
moro stiffness at that table that even
ing. We read them between courses,
and after all the verses had been read
we had any amount of fun accusing
each other in turn of being the author
Instead of being a bore the dinner was
thoroughly enjoyable, and all because
some body present had the kn:c., u
scribbling rhymes. There wasn't any
lofty poetical sentiment about them
and some of the lines liinped. but :he-e
was point to every line. copied the
one the girl on my right had. She was
a big, handsome creature with Il bcauti-
full figure and Il striking carriage. Her
Christian name was-wcll, never mind,
but her intimate friends call her Eve.
Here's her poetry:
'Evo-Bible-madc OF rib;
Bible good book-can't be Hb;
Believe Bible-must believe.
I've bony. crooked, thin,
Eve scrnggly, homely sin;
Don't go down-pretty thin;
Not this Eyc-s'mother Eve'
1.-The girl on my left was the guest of
one OF our number and IL comparative
stranger to most of us Her front name
was Margaret and these were her lines:
Margarcts stranger,
Wen let her of 'aisy"
And we simply remark:
"Marguerltc's' 4 daisy"
did we find out who pcrpctrated
them? Not that night, and some of us
don't know yet, but I've found out since,
and he's fellow of real good common
sense, too. Chicago Tribune