The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-07

zindy'S father died, the historian relaleS.
Wilder, 'peared ike, gradjully,
Jes' grieved after him tel she
Died. mex Apriie wuZ a year.
Kind O. grief 1 understand.
Losin' my companion-and
Still a widower-and still
Hinted at. like neighbors Wild
F-ourteen-year-old Armazindy was left
with the 1.-TWO twins and a ''fitifed' old
amt to care for, and her rural admirer
asks:
Jevver watch a primrose bout
Minute fore it blossoms out
: Kindo' loosen-like. and blow
Up its muscles, don't you Know h1oG
Ats the only measure
Kin size Armazindy by!
In spite of care and toll she bloomed
into maiden beauty:
Fer by time she wuz sixteen,
Purtiest girl you ever seen
'Ceptin' she lacked schoolin' ner
Couldn't rag out stylisher-
Lik some neighbor girls, ner tnumo
On their blame melodium,
while their pore old mothers sloshed
Round the old back porch and washed
Their clothes fer 'em-rubbed and SCRUBBED
Fer girls'd ort to jes' been clubbedi
The secret Of the narrator's deep inter-
est in the girl is described at the end.
when he says:
Years now, I've been coaxin' her
Armazindy Ballenger-
To in-large her fambily
Jes one more by takin' me
Which I'm feared she never Will,
Though I'm 'lectioneerin' still.
AS a story "Armazindy'' is deftly told.
and as q study and transcripture of West
ern colloauialisms can hardly be excelled.
When the time arrives at which the legion
of literary clubs is aiming, that all peo-
pie shall communicate their thoughts in
the most cultivated Boston manner, the
little tale will stand as a record of the
speech Of the plain people at the stage or
progress reached in this far-off year or
our Lord.
OF the other poems in the book some
are familiar through their appearance in
periodicals, but more are new; some are
in dialect, some in grammatical and ORTIZ
odox language. There are verses that tell
the stories of life, there are records or
transient moods, sentimental, sad, humor-
Gus. as chance might be; there are quat-
rains embalming each, a passing thought;
there are pictures of outdoor life, echoeS
of the music of bird and bee, watts or
fragrance from bud and blossom. There
are tender tributes of love to friends liv-
ing and departed; there are verses serious
and reverent, as those in memory of the
heroes when warm hearts beat their lives
out at the shrine of Freedom:"
When every star that glittered was a mark
For Treason's ball, ana every ripping bar
OF red and white was sullied with the dark
And purple stain of war.
There are verses rollicking and gay as
the unpoetic tale of "Ringworm Frank"
Jest Frank Reeds his real ~name.though
Boys all calls him "Ringworm Frank
Cause he allus runs round So
No man can't tell where TO bank Franku
Next you see
Err hear of him! Drat his melts!
That mans alluS Somers else.
There is speech from a tender heart.
as the call to Our Own"
They walk with Us, hand in hand;
We gossip, knee by knee;
They tell us al that they have planned
OF all their joys to be,
And. laughing. leave US: And to-day
All desolate We cry
Across wlGe waves of voicelesS graves
Good-bye. Goodbye. Good-byel
A masculine characteristic is confessed in
the answer to a woman's question.
How can she make me love her more?"
Ah, little womani IL indeed
L might be frank as is the need
OF frankness, l would fall before
Her very feet and there confess
My love were more If hers were less.
A division in the volume CLASHES the
last half as "Make-believe and Chi,d-play.'
The make-believes are some exceedingly
clever limitations of the work of the we'll
known writer's. The list includes a prose
sketch after Dickens; all the others are in
verse. and their models easily recognized.
Who could hesitate at this. for instance?
O bright is glowing morn on mountain
hight;
And bright the moon slipt from Its sheath
But brighter is the light of woman's eyes.
Or this:
Lithe-armed. and with satin-soft shoulders
AS white as the cream-cEested wave;
With a gaze dazing every behoiders,
She holds every gaZer a slave.
Or this:
Down in the night i hear them
The ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
And will not let me rest.
Among the number is the famous imita-
/ ton of Poe--Leonainie," which deceived
even the critics. The rest of this division
of the book is made up of child's verse
and nonsense rhymes. Mr.. Riley is never
more at home than when writing about and
for children. and his songs to them contain
some of his fruest poetry. Who but he
would have thought to ask:
w here do e0 you go when you e. to sleep
w ay2way in where's Little Bo-peep.
And Little Boy Blue, and the Cows and
A-wandering way in therein there
A-wandering way in there.
Excerpts from the album Of 'Lizabuth
Ann will doubtless become popular with
the unfortunates who are suddenly called
on to inscribe a sentiment in an auto
graph book. This, for instance:
Q Friendship. when / muse on you,
As thoughtful minds, o Friendship, do,
: muse, u Friendship, DER and Ger,
. Friendship-as / said before.
Or this:
What is Life?' If the Dead might say,
Spect they'd answer, under breath,
Sorry-like yet a laughin': A
Poor, pale yesterday OF Death!
Quote as one may, there Is always left
something better still; but since there is
limit to space these closing lines Of the
volume must end this hasty and incomplete
review:
When but q little boy, II seemed
Ny dearest rapture ran
| IN fancy ever, when / dreamed
- was 2 mara mani
Now-sad perversity.-my theme
VI rareSt, purest joy
Is when. In fancy blest, / dream
1 am a little boy.
"Armazindy" will be offered to the public
py the Bowen-Merrill Company. its pub
fishers. this week. Two editions are being
: prepared-one In uniform style with MI