The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-10-13
JOHNS POETRY SPELL.

TO MIS- Peterson, while the cold shivers
chased each ether NJ an down NY back.
for reasons which I will explain You
know. I reckon, that Johns one or these
literary folks, an not a be.n' very dis
cernin' he thinks he's intellectual, and
tell you without apresurin' 10 pose as
E.ver OF information, that there's n wide
difference in the two things. As I've sed,
he thinks. an alus has land so do n. that
he knows more an any one here AZ the
Corners. Why. onct when he wuz sick
(sscker 7 should say cause he's always
sick). and thought he WE go.n' 20 die. he
ser 70 me. in acksense all broke W; Mar
tha." ser he. I'm Eoin' 20 6.e. and while
all my earthly goods II he yourn. I'm not
satisfied. / could die happy II I could
leave you my intellect"
NOW. John" seq I. very solum and
earnest, don't you worry a mite about
that I may be able 20 use your ole close
20 make a new woman out OF myself. but
don't think I could use your intellect 70
any advantage. and I'm not one of them
folks es likes 10 hev things layin' around
that I can't use"
To this day can't tell you whether he
thought I was apok.n' fun at his great
and glorious intellect. or whether he didn't
want me to be a new woman. I can't tell
you, but for reasons best knowed TO his
self. he didn't die. an sence, excsptin'
chore time, he hez seemed as pert eny
OF me men OF tbs age mere al LElA 0OENSFS.
until the poetry simptum showed itself.
an kin tell you never wuz much skeer-
der than when he took that. fur I he'd no
more idee what kind OF tea TO make him
for the disease than the man in the moon,
an I was ashamed 10 ask emmy Of the
neighbor winin. fur lznowed how 1t would
get out an go the rounds. an we would
be d.sgTace6 in our ole age-Johns ole
age. I mean.
Well. he went on a read.n' every speck
of poetry that he could lay his hands or
eyes on, an not day but he would read
some OF the stuff 10 me. an II you'll be-
neve il, the heft of il wuz about blue
eyes" azure eyes" 'ehloomin' cheeks or
"bloomin' lips" which teched me consid-
cradle. aconsderin' that my eyes is black
an I am nigh onto so years old. John was
q widower when he married me, an
suppose that the rose-tinted part of ro-
nance was lived by him before he saw
me. though he did seem to think then that
black eyes wuz all right and has seemed
satisfied with the present administration
up to the time OF which I speak. At first
1 was sad cast down and detected, then
WIZ provoked and worried, too. Though
I am not usually a remarkable woman.
several time I made remarks, some OF
which I'm afraid wuz little sarcasucker
than you would expect from woman of
my kind an lovin' disposition. He kept
on areadin' an I kept on aremarkin' I'M
til 1 saw that he didn't mind the remarks
as much as ala the readin', so I kept
still: how hard 1t wuz 10 do this the wirnin
folks will all understand an appreciate.
That is, kept still till the next stage of
the disease-the worst stage-when he be-
gun TO write poetry.
My! VIII / ever forget 1t. I was so
sure that he could never be cured, that I
really wished that had acted more tickled
about John leavin' me his intellect an a
let him die that time. But I guess most
every one can look back and see in the
distance some opportunity that they let
get away from them, an this wuZ one OF
mine.
Wei. John didn't get any better. an
wuZ gettin' worse skeered every day, so
I finally screwed up my courage 10 the
pint OF sendin' 20 James for the best doc
tor to be found in the city. and told James
that HIS father was dangerous and to send
the doctor at once. The next day the doc
tor come an James an Lizzie with him.
John sec them a comm and sed ez how
Jameses was a comm with a strange man.
Sec very firm outside. but inwardly very
unstedy: That's the doctorr' "The doc
tor" sed he. what DOCTOR" BY that time
the folks was UP to the house and I he'd
no chance to explain.
Why, father" seq James, surprized. IT
thought you WIZ sick" "Sicki' seq John.
why. who sed rs sick?" why. moth
er did," seq he, so Of course I he'd TO ex-
plain to them, and try 10 convince and
pacify John. but he wouldn't lissen TO me.
I went right on with my doOty an told
the doctor every symptom. even to the
azure eve part. Fe sed he'd diagnosticate
the case. which made me mighty oncom-
Portable, 10 say the least. But for the
feelin' that was a doin' my dooty 7 never
could hev stood the strane on my nerves.
James and Lizzie seemed rail put out an
John wuz mad as a wet hen, which
didn't make II any easier for me-
After two DAYS of 6iagnosticatin' an
talSin' an snokin' ana looking over the
poetry give him. the doctor told me that
he thought Mr.. Jayne would soon get well,
for as soon as ne. the doctor told him.
John. that there want no more sense 70 his
poetry than Mr.. Browning's. John handed
him the whole parcel and sed he'd never
write another line. For six months or
more after the Doctors visit he was too
busy to write anything seein' ne had 10
raze garden truck 10 pay the 800 he owed
the doctor for his Information.
don't want 10 wrongfully accuse a fel-
low cretur nor expose my husband to
bloomin' remarks, but I've alus he'd 4
teelln' that that poetry Of Johns and Mr.
Kipling's WIZ related-ez near ez cousins,
anyhow. MARTHA JAYNE.
Gduak CriCk