The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1893-04-15
A ST PATRIck's DAY EPISODE.
How a Degenerated Poet Managed to Ss-
cure y Loan from e.. NJ. De,ew

How a Degenerated Poet Managed to Ss-
cure y Loan from e. NJ. Depew.
MIR. Chauncey nj. Depew attends
the dinners of all the various ma
tional societies-Scotch, English.
Irish, Welsh. He always has an ap-
propriate story with which to gar
nish his speech. He related the fol
lowing experience at a st. Patrick's
Day dinner some years ago:
l walked out of the New York ho-
tel and up Broadway today. When
! came opposite the Old London
Street building a middle aged man
accosted me. He looked as if he had
seen better days. His clothes were
very old fashioned and the top but
ton of his shiny coat answered for
both necktie and scarfpin.
In a Celtic accent he said:
Mr.. Depew. that building over
there is a travesty on the old streets
Of London"
us ita" said L. looking straight
ahead and quickening my pace. He
quickened his pace, too, and he kept
up with me. l couldn't get away
from him.
They tried to represent the ould
London streets" he went on, land
the places where Sam johnson and
Oliver Goldsmith and Edmund Burke
and all them byes used to spind
their tonne. But they were away
of. know the streets of ould Lon
don and know all about them byes,
johnson and Goldsmith and Burke.
All, that was a great period in Brit
ish history whin thin byes lived"
"You we're not contsmporaneous
with them, l suppose" said L, glanc-
ing at his clothes.
"Oh. no, but | know all about
them. In that ould London street
they we're represented as being all
the tonne in the commercial part of
the city. Now that's all bosh.
Goldsmith knew nothing about COM
lnerce. He could not even sell his
Own manuscripts. Sam johnson had
to sell them for him, and then he
didn't know what to do with the
money after he had got it,"
This is st. Patrick's Day." I re-
marked.
'Yis, l know it u.s." said my com.
panion. "Fingal and Ossian wrote
about st. Patrick. l say, MI. Depew,
Homer was not a Greek"
Wasn't hea" said |.
mo. sir. have looked that up."
You must be in the literary line
yourself" said.
"Oh, yes, | am a poet, and, if l do
say it myself, my poetry has been
read on both sides Of the Atlantic"
We had reached Fourth avenue by
this time, having walked up Broad
way to Eighth street, and through
Eighth street. stopped to wait for
a Fourth venue car and turning to
the poet said: We'll, my friend, how
much is it7 What is this going to
cost mes"
He looked panied and said: We'll,
! am sorry you look at the matter in
such a commercial spirit. But as
have been out Of work about two
months, and there is no demand for
poetry just now. l think about fifty
cents will do"
But this is st. Patrick's." said /.
II remember that, but I don't drink
anything but coffee"
"Oh. we'll, if you don't drink any
thing but coffee twenty five cents
will dc, and there it is"
handed him a quarter and
jumped on the car, and the last / saw
Of him he was standing in the same
spot looking after the car and won
Two or three days later, when the
had been published, the man
called upon Mr.. Depew and borrowed
five dollars or the plea that his acct
dental encounter with the orator had
supplied the incident which saved MI.
Depew's speech. New York World.