Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-04-05

| ticular. Just now recall case IN
point In my younger days / once
knew a man who was gifted with po-
etic talent of high order, for | am a
firm believer in the theory that "Ioets
are born not made" He was possessed
OF an innate modesiy, so offered but
few poems for publication, but these
evinced poetic talent OF so high al
order as to attract very general alien
ton; some Of them being copied INTO
the metropolitan papers. / often think
that could some of his productions be
sprung on the public as unpublished
poems OF Bryant, Longfsllow, or
Holmes. they would create a Juror in
the literary world.
But, like Burns, he com bined farming
with his literary work. sc, while the
most poetic fsncies were coursing
through his brain, his eye never lost
sight of the growing crops nor the live
stock. Among his possessions was sn
immense porkeT, who, at stated inte-
walls, would increase the number of his
swine by about dozen, and thus was
very valuable, though she was fighter
''from was back" Once when she
was missed from her accustomed
haunts, be was an his way to the post
office, snd while his mind was filled
with lofty poetic measures. his eyes
wandered from side to side ia search
of the missing porker. Finally he
espied her snugly ensconced in fence
corner. surrounded by a numerous
progeny, but she at tnce showed fight,
and would not LET him come near
But being anxious to know the number
of her pigs he climbed over the fence
and concluded be would count them
from above, as the good old German
who had built the fence made it so
higb-ten rails, '.staked and ridered"-
| that be thought himself out of all dang
er on top. But as he threw bis weight
on the rider, 1T broke, and down be
went, head first on The pigs. and it was
question in his mind " neither he fell
on the old one or she fell on him. The
imagination may family picture tie
scene that followed, but language is
inadequate to describe it. Round and
round that fence corner flashed two
streaks, the one streak OF poet, the
other strt ak of SOW, in hot pursuit.
The one was kicking. striking, hallow-
ing and uttering prayer for deliYer-
ance, the other making that horrible
barking noise that only an angry swine
can utter. 1t is probably proper to
confess that the words ordinarily used
in prayer were under the strong excite
ment of the moment, and by poetic
license" so mixed that had one been
within hearing, he mig bit have mistaken
them for profanity, but under strong
provocation and long usage even this
mas been recognized as military nee
essary. However, deliverance came
from some source, and as he put safe
distance between himself and his pur-
suer, he gazed anxiously in every di-
rection and was gratified, even thankful,
to lind that ne had mad the full enjoy
ment of his little circus all TO himself.
But as he clawed the dirt and straw and
particles of smashed small pig out of
| bis hair and mustache, broad smile
| lighted up his countenance as the
thought came, ''there is only step
| from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Whether the poetry went cut of his
soul / cannot say, but from that day to
this the public has been deprived OF the
pleasure of seeing any of his pOetical
productions in print. We'll, we all APP
preciate joke best when the victim of
it is The .'other fellow" and as the
above was told me in strict confidence
and / have kept it so many years. |
guess would better not tell it.
One of my old school mates. who
was formerly we'll know throughout
Wisconsin, spent the winter in Seattle,
but has gone back to St Joseph.
z. V. Wise was one of the big boy
scholars in the first Hurricane school
in 1889, and his father was the first
post master at Hurricane. Z. v. went
TO California with his father in the rush
of 40, but returned to Wisconsin
year or so later and began the study of
law he first entered law Office at
Beetown under K. G. Bierce. who was
carried to bis long home from the
Adiutant Generals office at Madison a
short time Def ore l entered it.
Many of the good old-timers at Bee
town will recall the time legal gentle
man held the sack in the brook TO
catch snipes, and may remember
another who injured his slipper bv
kicking a hat that had been thrown
into the street in such manner as 10
fall over stone that completely filed
it. Wise went 10 Prescott early in '53
and opened law office and began the
publication of rabid democratic
paper. He became so imbued with
his own teachings that after the cleo
ton of Lincoln he went south to be
"where men could haye their rights"
and settled in Memphis. In the winter
before the outbreak of the war they
were enrolling troops for the impending
conflict. Wise billed the city for
public speech on the condition of af-
fairs. but being northern man he was
called before a committee and given
the alternative of joining the army or
pulling hemp The first was repug-
nant to his ideas of duty, and the latter
TO his ideas Of personal comfort. espe-
oially as he deemed the conditions un-
fair He was not to pull in with his
hands. but they were to be tied behind
him, and the hemp was 10 be fastened
around his neck besides he was 10 be