The Yellowstone journal., 1894-09-26
ANTICIPATING FAME.
eEsANT's PATHETIC STORY OF "PAuL
THE WANDeRER."

THE WANDeRER."
ne Quiet Dignity Of . Man Who was Liv-
ing For Posterity-A Pretty Little Skis
written In the English Novelist's InimS
table style.
knew him for several years before
his death. When l first made his ac-
Quaintance, he was already an old man
he was also, as was evident from the
first. q very poor man He went about
shabbily dressed He carried biscuits
in his pocket to the reading room Oh
which he lrnched or took snacks at in
tervals during the day. Perhaps he had
dinner afterward, but always suspect
ed his dinner to be an uncertain and q
movable feast. 1t was understood that
he was something in the literary way.
got to know him by sitting next ~
him day after day. We exchanged the
amenities of the reading room. apollo
Gizod for crowding each other with
books abused the takers, remarked on
the impotence Of those who go to the
room in order to dirt and SO forth.
When / got to know him better, l
made little discoveries about him, as,
for instance, that he liked a glass OF
beer in the middle of the day and that
he could not aft ord the twOpence. may
say, not boastfully, that | was able TO
offer him this little luxury. We used
to 20 ont together for the purpose. He
was good enough TO take an interest III
nv work He proved to have consider
able knowledge of books and gave me
considerable hc p III this way.
One Sunday / met him iii the street.
We stopped TO peak. He lamented the
closing of the n.aseum on Sunday. For
his own part, he said, he would have
the reading room open every day in the
week. Why close the avenues of knowl-
edge! Why damn the fountains and
springs of wisdom? So we walked and
talked. He was perfectly dignified in
his manner, though his great coat was
70 thin and shabby that one might be
ashamed 70 be seen with him. He stop
BED presently at the door Of house In
High street, Holborn.
II lodge here" he said. will you
come up stairs and see my hermitage
remember that he called it grandly
his hermitage. He led the way; the
stairs were dark and dirty; he took me
to the fifth, or fifty fifth, floor. He liv-
ed in the back attic.
This he said, lis the cell of the
recluse. live here quite retired. There
are other dodgers, ! believe, but l dc
not know them. ! live here with my
library in simplicity. The air is whole
some at this height.
He threw open the window and sniff
ed the fragrance Of the neighboring
chimneys The room was clean; the
furniture was scanty; there was no fire
in the CRATE: on shelf were about %
books-his library. The man looked per
fectly contented with his hermitage.
There were no papers on the table,
nothing to show that he was writer.
l do not know how he lived-certain
ly he did no work at the museum-bu
he never borrowed In one corner stood
. wooden chest. He lifted the lid ant
nodded and laughed.
"Ahar' he said, now | am going tc
reveal secret You didn't know, no
body at the museum knows, the people
in the. house don't know, that l am
what do you think?-a poet Ii is ~
years since / paid for the publication
Of my collected poetical works. Yes
sir, and l am going not only to commu
nicate this secret to your honor-ln SAT-
keeping-but to present you with
copy. There. my young friend'' He pro
duced thin volume. Il am Paul tn
Wanderer - In fact, the title page bor
the legend, COLLECTED Poetical Worl
of Paul the Wanderer. p"
Thirty years, he repeated ''Ther
were 500 copies. The press received 80
the public bought four; there Remained
446. have now given you one. Their
now remain AS. l have bequeathe'
these to the public libraries of the Ma
tion. Sir, you are young You vii
yourself perhaps publish your poems
Remember for your comfort that
takes so years, or two generations
for the noblest poets to take thei
proper place. Greatness-true, stable
solid greatness, not the empty applaus
given to an ephemeral favorite-re
quires so years at leaSt. Go, sir! TAX
the book have given you, and in afte
years, when / am gone, tell the worl
that You knew-Paul the Wanderer!
Iwrung his hand in silence and lef
him More than so years have passe
since he published that work. No on
has yet spoken to me Of Paul the Wan
derer. But now understood his digni
~, his self respect and his content h
was anticipating and enjoying his fu
ture fame He was living for posterity
Present poverty and neglect were notl
in1.-Walter Besant in London Queen
Another Mammoth Statue.