Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-02-10

grounds with single friend To the
eyes OF his young, girlish friend he seem.
cd invariably cheerful and often playiu'
In mood. once only was he nouceaoiy
cast down. IL WAS when visiting ,he oiu
deserted Mayo place. called The Hermit
age, where he used TO go frequently III
his youth. and the scene was so PIC
turesque that II Is worth giving at length
THE LOVERS SEAT
ION reaching the place our party sepa-
rated and Poe and myself strolled slowly
about the grounds. ! observed that ne
was unusually silent and preoccuried, anu'
attributing Il 20 the Influence OF memories
associated with the place, forbore 10 IN
terrupt him. He passed slowly by the
messy bench called the lovers seat
beneath two aged trees. and remarked
as we turned toward the garden. "There
used to be white violets here Searching
amid the tangled wilderness or SHRUBS
we found few late blossoms. some OF
which he placed carefully between the
leaves OF a notebook. Entering the de-
serted house. he passed from room 10
room with n grave, distracted look anu
removed his hat, as II Involuntary on
entering the saloon where I'm old times
many brilliant company had assembled.
Seated in one OF the deep windows over
which now grew masses OF IVY MS
memory must have borne him BACK 10
former scenes, for he repeated the Ia
miliar lines Of Moore:
II feel like one who treads alone
Some banquet-hal deserted. =,
and paused, with the first expression OF
real sadness that / had ever seen on MS
face. The light of the setting sun shohe
through the dropping ivy-boughs into tne
ghostly room; and the tattertd ana NIL
dewed paper-h a ngings, with their faded
tracery OF rose-garlands. waved htiuliy
I'm the autumn breeze. An ineXpresslDiy-
eerie feeling came over me. when can
even now recall, and as | stood there my
old childish idea OF the poet as spirit
Of mingled light and darkness REQUIRED
strongly to my Imagination.
He spent much OF his time with Mrs.
shelton. and finally asked her TO marry
him and was, Il must be believed from
the correspondence. accepted She was
older than he. Poe got the wedding
ring and after his death she wore mourn
ing for him. At the last moment he stiii
wavered when he thought of Annie who
was evidently the nearest to him OF all
except Mrs Clemm-but that was impos-
sible. He was in doubt whether TO have
Mrs. GLENN come on to Richmond or
to 20 himself and bring her lie decided
on the latter course, and on sunday, as
Is COnlPclNFel, september DVlils VI tiF' VIZ
the following day, he left his friends in
Richmond and went on the boat sober
and cheerful. After raching Baltimore
Il Is said he took the train 10 Philadel-
phla but was brought back, being in the
wrong car from Havre de Grace In
state of stupor. 1t IS also said he dined
with some old military friends. became
intoxicated, and was captured by poll
ticians who kept him supplied and made
him vote at several booths on Wednes-
day, election-day. All that is known is
that. being then partially intoxicated. he
called upon his friend. Or. Brooks. on
an afternoon. and not finding him. went
away; and that on Wednesday. october
81. about noon. he was recognized at
rum-shop used as NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Fourth-Ward polls-and on his saying
that he was acquainted with Or. Snod-
grass. word was sent TO that gentleman,
who had him taken to the Washington
Hospital. He was admitted at . o'clock
and word was sent to his relatives. who
attended TO his needs. He remained. eN-
cept for a brief interval. in delrum, and
on Sunday. October T. 1919, at about )
o'clock in the morning. he died. The
funeral was taken charge of by his rela-
tives, and took place the next day. Five
persons. including the officiating minister.
followed his body TO the grave"
THE WINNOW OF TIME.
The critical introduction to the tales by
Mr.. Steadman Is an admirable piece Of
work. 1t closes pages l20-12D as follows:
1.-THE winnow of time. no less. has set
apart the writings Of Poe from almost
the entire yield Of those American con-
temporaries whose lines were not pro-
longed far beyond his own. These tales,
which now have been examined with the
respect due 10 works that have taken
rank in literary annals. were written by
an ill-pad journalist at time when his
own country depended on foreign spoila-
ton for its imaginative reading. When
they show him at his worst, his ext
eencies justly may be borne in mind; II
his STYLE seems often fOrmless and dis
jUinted, 1t must be remembered that he
wrote before the days OF Arnold and
Pater, of Flanbert, Daudet, and Maupas-
SAINT He has left us something Of his
best. and when all is said there are few
more beautiful harmonies OF thought and
sound and color than those presented In
Shadow Silence and 'EleOnOra, or in
THE MasQue Of the Red Dea.h'; nor Is
there any such a trilogy in our own lite
nature Of prose romances. taking wings
Of poetry at their will as 'Sigeia.' The As
signation' and The Fail OF the House Of
Usher Through all Of these moreover,
there is an impression OF some dramatic
energy in reserve, which, had il not
seemed otherwise TO the fates, might have
enabled this Numpholeptos TO escape from
out his 'pallied limit of the moonbeam-
| even 10
pass that goal.
| Gain loves birth at the limits happier
verge,
| And. where an iridescence turks. but urge
The hesitating pdllor on 10 prime of
| dawn"
GROTEsQUE AND ARABESQUE.
| After this follow, rearranged and
| grouped in natural and pleasing order,
| eighteen Of the Tales of the Grotesque
| and Arabesque," eleven Of them classed
| as "Romances Of Death" beginning with
"Shadow-A Parable" and closing with
"Silence-A Fable" The remaining seven
tales are classed as "Old-World Ro-
| names"
The paper, type, press-work. and bind
| ing are gratifying to those who love a
good book. and the four Illustrations by
| Mr. Steiner suggest somewhat the weird
| ness Of DOre The set is TO be completed
in ten volumes for SIS. and the volume:
can be purchased separately al $50 each
Volumes H. and III. are announced as
ready" and we look forward with In
terest TO their reception. 4 limited large
paper edition at so for the set was, We
understand, all subscribed for before
publication.
II is. perhaps, truthful TO say that Poe
is to-day better known and more widely
read on the European continent than any
American author and the "Quantin Ed
ton" Of his prose tales. translated by
Baudelaire, Paris, 1884, yet remains th'
handsomest dress with which the writing
OF an American author have been honoret
L.. u.
editors, publishers. and their patrons oil
the issue Of this edition OF the works o
that unhappy child Of genius,
"Whom unmerciful disaster followed fas
and followed faster"