The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-01-03
cLuosroN VISITED BY 4 POET.
who Learns sons Inporiast Pats About ths
Money vaIss Of Pestry.

Money vaIue Of FoeSry.
"What would this be worth to you9"
inquired tall. slender man with
largo and mobile mouth. retreating
chin and thin fringe Of whiskers on
the angle OF either jaw, as he walked
into the Office OF the Doodleville Yelp-
err and laid bundle OF manuscript on
the editors table.
Editor Clugston picked II up leisure
ly and looked 1t over.
Him! This is poetry. is 1t notp'
he said.
Eyes. A poem on Immortality :"
II thought noticed that most OF
the lines seemed to begin with capt.
tai. What was the inquiry you mado
about itp'
What is it worth to you"
what is your idea OF its valued"
..Well. it took me four hours TO
write it. burned midnight oil over
that poem"
II have dono the same thing over o
tariff editorial many time" unused
Mr.. Clugston.
sand it seems to me 1t ought to DO
worth 80"
''Are you aware. Mr.. 49,"
"My name Is Isnoggles
Isnoggles. Accent on tho T."
Thank you. Are you aware. Mr..
Isnoggles. that John Milton sold
Paradise Lost for only $72. one-third
cash and the rest on titneP' .
why"
'Are you aware that Robert Burns
once tried to sell Tam O'Shanter' for
a suit OF clothes worth about 30. SOP"
mo. never heard"
ibid you know, Mr. Isnoggles,"
said Editor Clugston. with increasing
severity, ''that Oliver Goldsmith once
sold a poem two stickfuls long for q
glass OF ale and three links OF sausage
and that Homer refused an offer OF u
sheepslsin for his Iliad because he
thought 1t was worth two sheep
skins"
"l'll take s. for the poem. Mr.. Clug-
ston.'
Perhaps you have never heard,
MIR. Isnoggles," pursued the editor.
"tht Plautus, the Roman poot would
grind out "A rondeau at any time for a
half-pint of shrimps."
Say $780," suggested the visitor.
"And you did not know, possibly,
that Tasso, the Italian poet, hawked a
four-page poem about the streets Of
Sorrento for six shillings. and couldn't
sell it at thatp"
Would $3.50 be too much for this?"
IA dollar and half for five pages
OF manuscript that Dryden would have
sold. even when he was thirty years
old, for half CROWN"
you can have it for nothing. Mr..
Clugston."
Him! This will take up-let me
, see-in loaded long primer, ut least
half column, Mr.. Isnoggles."
I'D like to have it 60 in. wouldn't
(, -er-mind paying you, say. fifty
cents, Mr.. Clugston, II you can make
room for it."
''At regular rates, Mr.. Isnoggles. I"
replied the editor. .'this would come
to about $3.50, but believe in encour-
aging home poets as much as can.
You are a home poet are you notP"
II was raised out here on the Billy
farm"
''And on that account" resumed the
editor, making few figures on u sheet
OF paper before him, II will come
down to an even IS bill"
"ThanIk you. Mr.. Clugston. 1t ISM.
exactly what had expected. but IL
Cash in advance, OF course"
Mr.. Isnoggles drew out rather lean
wallet, extracted the money therefrom,
and handed 1t over.
please say nothing about this"
said Mr.. Clugston. grandly. as he put
the money In a pocket book ten times
leaner than his visitors. Il wouldn't
do it for everybody"
Mr.. lsnoggles expressed his graft
tude and walked out"
Darn newspaper man that can't
devise some way to meet wash bill"
soliloquized Editor Clugston as he
leaned back in his chair and looked ut
himself in the glass.