Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-03-05

4 laxpf : Asn q fsfssrtt4 Tor Ink HfRAf9
eallstl ga him Ia bis al4rtments ia fisr
MiHtan Yesterday
Mr. hil~y 49, doing Il v ifh the air II
4 snsn that knc~ nishiy sasti ns,Fe
sixut the prue.zs than be cared L, tell
lie ess using the dark side - the strop.
AZ Intervals he stopped work aud ear
sssed the shining blade wifb tbs know
iBir look 20 ctsnnossssuf. suf b. = s<n
ssonu2,iss<ur. He admitted il himself.
snd the snann,tf ia which he pulled the
@ts<i over the leather demonstrated that
ne knew what he MAS talking atout
Mr. ksicy has not aged much since has
arpearans. here With Mr. >,e several
years ago. Ills fsce still retains the catid
i-ts expres>iou II Ho-e-ier Innocence. HIS
straw s,,loFssi hair y c1mhesi down over
hls forehead until II i,-pkr something
like hang Net II isnt bang
Yesterday he we're suit ~
clothes q peculiar shade II would
he called ~brindle" down IN Indiana.
One II the trc,-ef legs was creased tore
and aft. The other was as cylindrical
az piece II stos.plpe. Perhaps the
most uncompl.mentary thing that can
be- said IL Mr.. Riley Il that he looks like
his PICTURES
Pretty razor that. isn't III" said the
N .osirr poet as he he'd up the delicate
steel affair with an ivory handle. Il
frequently buy things just because they
are pretty. But the man that sold me
this assured me that II was one ~ the
test razors made. Looks innocent,
doesn't IL. No man could look at that
weapon and imagine what Golgotha
~ human misery there Is hound up In
the dsd gastsd thing. fear the man
deceived me.
I'm shaving myself now. continued
the author ~ Good bye jim. a. he
Hoped the razor over ON the other side.
do like il. That isn't the point at
all Years ago made resolve To shave
myself. 1t takes me a long time Ia get
started on anything. When | do,
though. there is no chance To stop me.
have resolved 10 mutilate my own face
IN my own peculiar way. and shall do
II II the heavens fall. Here Mr.. Riley
drew IN. edge II the razor across the
end of his thumb.
Looks comfortable here. doesn't its-
demanded the poet as he turned around
and gazed into the open CRATE. Il shall
have two days Ia rest and mediate.
never do any literary work when I'm on
the road Occasionally | jot down an
so-cent thought. as my friend Mr.. Nye
would say. but no man can serve two
masters. want Ia be alone in "a quiet
room when | write. and want Ia do II
al night. III try to write when I'm In
a hotel my manager suddenly breaks m
upon me. and demands 10 know II have
my trunk packed. never have. Then
] miss my train.
Mr.. Riley STOPPED here and drew the
razor across the strop four err five times.
Then he hrandished il in the air in Il
warlike sort Of way and continued:
Funny thing about me when I'm on
the road. never know where | am at.
think am in Podunk and suddenly
find that I'm in Oshkosh. Was in To
ledo the other day. Kept thinking |
was IN Detroit. Can't for the life Of me
tell why. | wondered why some friends
] had written to there did not call.
Growing apprehensivc. ! started out to
find them. a kind hearted man told me
| was in Toledo. Detroit and Toledo
don't sound much alike. do they? They
don't look alike. either. They aren't
alike. But can't keep EN- separate
There are two towns down in Indiana
that I'm always mixed up about. One
il Lafayette and the other is Terra
fiaute. lf write Ia "A man down in
Terra Haute | always send the letter d
Lafayette. and vice versa.
Mr.. Nye used To explain that men
tai popularity Of mine in his own inim-
liable manner by the way. | met him
the other day and had most delightful
visit Mr. Nye said that when wascrcated
there Was an unfortunate shortage in
gray matter. They put in what they
had and filled up the vacancy in my
skull with mayonaise dressing. Ii was
all right as filler. Mr.. Nye said. hut il
Was difficult Tor me to think with it.
Perhaps that Is "a accurate an explana.
tion az can be found.
Mr.. Riley smiled in drol way at M.
Nye's Joke and shut up tho razor.
DO YOU know. he declared suddenly.
I'm 'agin college educationg Ii de-
stroys all individuality. Well educated
people are apt To become callousef.
They cant enter into the loys and sor-
rows and pains II the common people.
They cant endure the bad grammar and
the unpublished rhetoric. God almighty
endures them. bat they can't
AS soon a. boy gets into college
with 20 or Coo other boys he tries 10
get in line. ar he calls IT, He suddenly
finds that he isn't like the rest II them
and Immediately tries Ia be. He can
sc that his peculiarities aud his indi-
yiduality should be- encouraged. He
wants 10 be something that be isn't.
There ought 10 be chair ~ individual
ity in every college i'm the country
Il have often regretted that ] didn't
have college education. but II II would
al. a n
beautiful but honely things that | can
now appreciate and loye. Il il had made
me indifferent o. these exquisite shades
- feeling and sentiment that can now
discern when in contact with things an
parenily the most uupoetic. II il would
have changed nc in that regard single
iota. am thousand times glad that |
never saw the inside ~ a college aa a
student.
Il can remember. however" continued
Mr. Riley leaning against the dresser.
when | had a desire 90 boz lust like
everybody else. vas afraid somebody
would think | was peculiar | lived
down 10 little country village and was
ashamed % let folks know | lived
there. - when went "a town
II register from the eifs
didn't f-d anybody hat myself
though. Everybody else knew where
] vas from. n we're a man that bad
lived IN AT eighty acre farm ali nay lie
and bad never iern of a. I'd lrs4
about that farm. you know. ard swear II
WsA the most beautiful piece = property
under the light - heaven. and II any
other ran doubted " ~ geil him - ite
= lifetime On Iunt such = farm and then
hed know There d nn'hing - Te.sr.