Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1893-02-03
MEETING A POET.

Ea NIN A"NE.A t. NaAH NHAAANNLa
morning packing my trunks f,r my fan
removal from my uncle's hcuse 10 the
country to the marble fronted hotel o n
Broadway that numbered me each win
ter among its inmates, whom 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?" I asked. you
know l have to go out west after l reach
New York. Come what may, | must
see an Indian summer on the prairies."
Bother the p~rairies and the Indian
summer, toot' cried Adelaide, taking a
letter from her apron pocket and waving
it in the air. "Look at the signature"
/ did look, and 1 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 nj old ~schoolboy league l have se.
lected W as the place Of my exile.
and shall be there on the 2Oth-wind
and weather permitting
What do you think Of thatg' asked
Adelaide, making large eyes at me over
the top Of the letter.
Il have not heard anything yet 10
make me postpone my Journey"
oval a moment-Iu finish. 4 am,
as ever, yours faithfully w."
"Well, go on"
"tJames Quitman.'"
"James Quitmaul You are med, 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 the
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 l had made myself a Niobe
scores of times-was it possible that the
same roof was going to shelter us both?
Dinner WINS n thing %unthought of in
the house that day, ard my uncle lunched
meekly at one Of the china closets off
cold meat and bread and preserved
strawberries, while Addio and / actually
ate rose leaves and sugar and cream as
u suitable pendant to the work in which
we were engaged. Nothing less ethereal
would we partake while fitting up that
poets chamber.
By 4 o'clock that afternoon our labors
were ended. The house was like a bed
Of roses; they blushed and bloomed
everywhere, and their fragrance was
delicious in the upper chamber. My
favorite pictures had been ~unpacked
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 cuke and wine for the evening
were ready on the sideboard, to say
nothing Of some delicately 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
l had time to work ourselves into n fever
ish state that gave us some very becom-
ing red cheeks. We heard the whistle
Of tine train, and five minutes afterward
acarriage stopped before the gate. The
poet had cOmol
He climbed out Of tho carriage like a
crab-sidewise-and, coming mp the
gravelod walk toward the front door,
presented to our adniring eyes the figure
Of a stoutish, middle aged man, with
dark eyes and hair and a very pleasant
smile. He did not wear a Spanish cloak
and a Hombrcro-he was clad IN linen
garments and matched with q rough
looking straw hat that had evidently
seen service. Weheard him as he came
up the walk.
Every pretty house, Toni very pretty
house. Those girls your daughters,
hey? see they've got those hOrrid city
fsshions-low neck and short sleeves. If
had a daughter I'd sew her dress "a
her ears"
Addie and l looked at each other in
CONSERVATION and barely managed u
give him a civil greeting as he crossed
the threshold. Was this the man who
had rayei about his Lydia
That bosom. white and fond and fair,
! wolld 4 were tue cnanorod air,
To faint and fall in passing there.
Low necks, indeed sat beside him at
the tea table, as had been previously ar
ranged, and saw that all things were
within his reach. Never did Hindoa
idol tax his votary more severely. HAD
hardly time TO snatch a mouthful my
self-though, for the matter Of that, his
appetite quite took away my own, lie
was a regular DR.. johnson for tea
strawberry preserves pleased nm, and
soda biscuits vaniahed before his attacl,
as green things before the march Of a
cloud Of %iocusts. Heaven knows he had
one qualification stomach!
Tea over, we adjourned to the rose
scented parlors, ana the volume on tho
center table caught his eye. He took II
M. turned over the pages, laughing now