The herald., 1895-07-03
HALsTEADs PADDY's RUN PAPERS

vi Cours6 tno l0DOr6u uUNoioovo V"o ous
gested by tho siege Of the wooden Tort OF
Colerain. There was bit OF history, but
my daring imagination pierced the stony
bosom of Bowling Green and introduced
there cave simply because 1t was con-
venient in a romance There did not seem
to be any uso trying to get along without
O cavern. The site of the old fort, as near
ly as it could be ascertained, was marked
by grove of willows. The noble red men
came from their ancient and remote vii
lagos to onter into my service, and the no.
bier Kentuckians rescuing captive white
girls from the ruthless savages came nlso
fear the story was not absolutely origi-
nal in conception. Few stories arc. The
beautiful girl In the case-I do not re-
member about it-but I hazard the con-
jeoture that she was saved from the flends
of the forest by her lover, and they were
happily married. There was vast TOLL
do not insist that 1t was brain labor, but
1t may have been for all know-expend-
ed on this romantic legend. Art was long
and time had been 1eeting good whilo
before 1t wns finished, three times revised
and rewritten; and have lived to hear
this romantic production reviled by an
unsorupulous press as 1.-THE Red H aired
Maiden of the Blue Miami" Such is the
reward Of an carly, II feeble effort, to pro-
duce a work worthy of western literature.
The second winter at Farmers college
was like the first, but there was greater
variety and less novelty in tho life of tho
place to the students from the rural dis
tricts, and among other indications of i'm
provement there were greater uniformity
in shirt collars and o marked reduction in
the average head of hair and not so many
pairs of cowhide boots. My three months
at Colerain had not been lost. Perhaps
tho habit Of authority, slight as 1t was,
had been helpful. My faults of modesty
were no moro announced in diffidence
Besides, had lot of manuscripts, but
they did not give confidence. On the con-
trary, the more I scratched out and re-
wrote the greater the incumbrances i'm
posed upon the presumed narrative. How
over, 1t slowly appeared that I had collat-
orally improved. The writing of an essay
was less dreary task than 1t was the year
before.
There was q difference between the
friends of tho Miami university at Ok.
ford, Butler county, just above the head
waters of Paddy's Run, and the Farmers
college. What 1t was has escaped rec
ollection. 1t was highly unimportant
There was competition between the
schools, and that was enough. Ono of tho
Butler county boys took the Hamilton In
telligencer, tho Whig organ of tho county,
the sheet edited several years by the ia
ther of William Dean Howells. Our homo
paper, and the one in which my mother
taught me the alphabet, was the Hamilton
Telegraph, and remember paragraph
in that paper about Mr.. Howells that
fixed an impression on me as q country
lad. Howells had said something about
the sweat of the laboring man and the
hardships the Democratic policy inflicted
upon him. The Telegraph's answer was
to quote few lines and follow them with
the statement In substance: wonder II
tho above was written by Howellsf The
idea of q man walking down the street
carrying an umbrella to keep the sun from
shining on him and talking about sweat |"
1t seemed to n young farmer very funny
indeed and have never forgotten it.
The Intelligencer came to hand with q
communication that was hostile to some-
body or something in or about Farmers
college and fell into my hands I was in
dignant and promptly wrote a reply scat
tered over sheet of letter paper, and tho
scribble, being duly trimmed, was copied
and put in the mail, was addressed,
after deep study of form, ITO tho Editor
Of the Hamilton Intelligencer, and signed
lone Of the Farmers Boys" carried
the important envelope to the postoffice
and saw it put in the mailbag. When the
day came around-and it was long
week for tho arrival of tho next Intelli-
goncer-I happened to be in the postof1ice
when the stage arrived and the mail
was ops.ed. saw the paper there, and
the Lrinted sheet was easily reached, as
three copies-the whole circulation at the
hill-were in wrapper, while the sub
scribers' names were on narrow separate
slip. l was allowed to glance at the paper,
and there was the communication signed
"One of the Farmers Boys" and the let
ters looked large and black and luminousi
I read the valuable contribution frequent
ly with the deepest interest and an appre-
oiation until then unknown of the mar
velous art Of printing, and felt such q
sense of responsibility that I indulged in
speculations whether the secrets of author
ship Of those controversial matters were
well kept. Surprising as 1t seems, held
the secret for two days, when, tho Farm
ers' boy writer being mentioned in my
presence, could not endure tho strain of
suspense any longer and enjoyed my liter
ary reputation. MURAT HALsTEAD.