Evening journal., 1892-12-06
MEETING A POET.

was busy one bright September |
morning packing my trunks for my fan |
removal from my uncle's house in the
country to the marble fronted hotel on
Broadway that numbered me each win
ter among its inmates, when my cousin
Adelaide came dancing into the room
and commanded me to give up all
thoughts Of a journey for three months
at least.
"And why, pray?" l asked. "You
know have to go out west after reach
New York. Come What may, must
see an Indian summer on the prairies."
Bother the prairies and the Indian
summer, toow cried Adelaide, taking
letter from her apron pocket and waving
it in the air. "Look at the signature"
l did look, and | might have been
looking to this day for all the informa-
ton l got; but Adelaide grew impatient,
and snatching the letter from my hand
exclaimed;
"Listen, you goose" and read the let
ter aloud:
MY DEAR FRIEND am coming into
the country for a month or two, my
doctor positively forbids my staying IN
New York during the fall. Remember
ing our old schoolboy league l have se
lected W as the place Of my exile,
and shall be there on the 20th-wind
and weather permitting"
"What do you think Of that" asked
Adelaide, making large eyes at me over
the top of the letter.
81 have not heard anything yet t.
make me postpone my journey"
"Wait a moment-Ill finish. 4 am,
as ever, yours faithfully 49,
"Wel, go on"
"'James Quitman.'"
"James Quitmanl You are mad, Ad-
die--he can never be coming here"
"There is the letter-father has always
known him, it seems; it is the poet, and
we are to have him stay here all tho
time Father is to meet him at the sta
ton tonight, and not let him go to the
hotel on any account Won't people
stare when we walk into church next
Sundayg'
| closed the lid Of my trunk in the
twinkling of an eye. The poet had so
often longed to see, the man over whose
tender verses i had made myself a Niobe
scores Of times-was it possible that the
same roof was going to shelter us both?
Dinner was q thing unthought of in
the house that day, and my uncle lunched
meellly at one of the china closets off
cold meat and bread and preserved
strawberries, while Addie and / actually
ate rose leaves and sugar and cream as
a suitable pendant TO the work in which
we We're engaged. Nothing less ethereal
would we partake while fitting up that
poets chamber
BY o'clock that afternoon our labors
We're ended. The house was like bed
Of roses; they blushed and bloomed
everywhere, and their fragrance was
delicious in the upper chamber. Ny
favorite pictures had been unpacksl
and arranged upon the parlor walls.
Everything was perfect. The tea table
sparkled with silver and cut glass; flow
ers wreathed the dishes Of preserved
fruit, and cake and wine for the evening
were ready ON the sideboard, to say
nothing Of some dehcately tinted ice
cream which was still undergoing the
process Of "freezation' in the cellar.
OF course the train was late that night.
Trains always are late when we are ex-
pecting any one by them, and Addie and
had timeto work ourselves intoa fever
ish state that gave us some very becom-
ing red cheeks. We heard the whistle
Of the train, and five minutes afterward
a carriage stopped before tho gate. The
poet had comet
He climbed out Of the carriage like a
-sidewise-and coming up the
grayeled walk toward the front door
presented to our admiring eyes the figure
of st0utish middle aged man. with
dark eyes and hair and avery pleasant
smile He did not wear a Spanish cloak
and a sombrero-he was clad in linen
garments and thatched with q rough
looking straw hat that had evidently
seen service. We eheard him as he cane
up the walk
every pretty house, Tom; very pretty
house Those girls your daughters
hey? l see they've got those horrid city
fashions-low neck and short sleeves. j
had daughter ia sew her dress t,
her ears.
Addie and looked at each other il
CONSERVATION and barely managed {,
give him a civil greeting as he crossed
the threshold. Was this the man VIII,
had raved about his Lydia
That bosom, white and fond and fair,
would were tue onamored air.
To faint and fail In passing there.
Low uecks, indeedl SAT- beside him a
the tea table, as had been previously ar
ranged, and saw that all things aver
within his reach. Never did Hindoi
idol tax his votary more severely. / ha'
hardly time to snatch q mouthful my
self-though, for the matter Of that, hi
appetite quite took away my own. III
was regular DR.. Johnson for tea
strawberry preserves pleased him, am
soda biscuits vanished before his attacl
as green things before the march of
5 cloud of locusts. Heaven knows he haN
) one qualification stomach!
Tea over, we adjourned TO the ros
II. q