The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-10-28
ny UARhANp CONFE,sION.
when a.d why lie Wrote the bnhsu
"Sweet Marie"

The sun had Just gone down behlnd the
hoary hills. flooding the June twilRh'
with its gold and glory. Having hnished
my dinner. | had strOllcd out to take
turn beneath the maple trees that line
the walk about the courthouse. Honey
laden, hOmcward bound, belated bees
drOued in the trees, and all the world
seemed hllcd with the sound and scent
of summer.
Here would l walk and watch out the
dying day and breath the pure air fresh
from the snOw-fclds Of the north. Here,
too, ] hoped to win a goodnight smile,
for down this way she was to pass TO
the theatre-with another man. | was
turning the corner when she came. Face
TO face we met, and such a smile, There
was Il world of tenderness in 1t. ana,
with mans COncct, | fancied there was
something back OF IT.
/ wondered, too, If she had guessed my
secret; ana while the sound of her car
ridge wheels were still In my ears. 1
said, half aloud:
I've secret in my heart,
Sweet Marie,
A tale ! would impart,
Love 10 thce.
And then, az "A man having been drunk
with wine imagines that everybody
knows It, | felt that my secret was out,
and ! had gone less than a dozen yards
when | finished the half stanza:
Every daisy in the dell
Knows my SttItl- hiAiNS IL N'A
And yet / dare not tell. Sweet Marie.
Then the whole song came rushing
upon me Ike a mountain stream after a
Cloudburst Like a CLEAN OF glory IN
COB Of gloom II came fast ana hooded
my soul and filed me with Justices JOy.t
ON / walkcd-sdng my new song ana
gloricd i'm il as a happy mother glorles
in the first fainst smile OF newborn
babe
When more people and the stars came
nttt nd tbaTa LONGER room LOT
the VIDE wings ul my muse, ! boarded
cable car and went out 10 the very
shadow of the hills. Then the white
moon came up from the plains, making
one of those matchlcss moonlit nights
that invariably follow perfect day IL
Denver. The tired laWnmuWer that had
struggled all day against vigorous
brass band at last laid down and the
mellow notes of the bah came rant
and TAR away.
Far into the night | sat there, saying
IL DER and Ger till every line was reg
istcred IN my memory.
TO General David 5. Stanley; he submit
ted II to Mr. Dana; II was accepted, and
on the following Sunday received some
editorial mention, and l reJoiced anew.
] think ii was eX-CongreSsman Beliord,
the "Red-headed Rooster OF the ROCK
les" as he was known In the House, who
first advised me TO have the verses set
10 music.
time, and | persuaded him TO call at my
office, When | read the song 10 HIM he
snapped his fingers. Tears OF enthusiasm
stood III his eyes as he declared thal II
would make the sweetest song ever
out Of the third staza, which begun
originally:
Not the sun-glints In your hair,
Sweet Marie,
Nor because your face is fair,
Love, to see,
made a chorus. had my stenographer
copy it, then holding the revised copy IN
his hand he began TO mum, Soilie,tnln6
sweet and low" he said, like this and
then he sang exactly as million mouths
have sung since
Come to me, Sweet Marie,
Sweet Marie, come to me.
repeated and remembered the notes he
sang and when a year later VIII /. carr
ION came TO the footlights in the Broad
way Theatre and sang the song, | was
glad TO note that MT Moore M I,,iTo
Varied a shadow from his first insplra-
ton. 49,, ar,t
IN happened that about the time the lrst
faint echoes OF the song reached thS
Rocky Mountains we started co E a. s,,n ariu
The black boy on the burlington hushSu
his pillows and hummed that tuheI ~
Chicago we heard II after. Al SleNslaII
a man pounded the wneels W Mo 10 himself
As ,Va sat at dinner In the ihlpeIldl IN
New York the orchestra PLAYED H. no ana nc
where we shopped the sdopgmlS f S
ami smiles Ss' a Wnd-toned street piano played
Sweet Marie" in the street. 49, ,roa.
At Manhattan Beach we haa 'n nIaS f..
b }"y u Rayman sing 1t in a theatre in
town then Mr. Moore and s,.N Went G 2Ner
to see the Manhattan Publishins No So"
many From there we went 10 NJ
Hnrns,d street where each received
check for more money, we thought IMAM
there was In the world. - ohorr,,
"How'U YOU have it2' asked cherry
voice as We faced the paying teller III
Nassau street bank;
big pieces, salu l.
"And your - A. hundred
and the -est In ones" said Rayman. Ana
a. the money man began TO slide OUT the
,,o,es ne said, 1--WE secret IN my
hoarr,'" Ant that was as far as he got,
TO- we both laughed-not at him, OF
course. but II was time TO laugh.