The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-05-23
dBR
l'jIuDaE ALFRED RLIlsoI, 1HE STAR
I The Fiat Piainssof ffis rsatiYet ;SpiT Roll
and Bulgs Under the
VI. ysg. u Flonor. .i. 4, .sS 81 s5 &:


The peoplesof Indiana, not content Wltn
having given us James Whitcomb Riley,
announce that a second poet has risen from
d Hoosler soil, and. at present they are Doth
saying and writing q great deal concernln az
h.rn, writes Edward w. Box. The new
POET is Alfred Ellison, and. he has g DIS
ttnct.on which Riley has not. HeSis, q judge
OF enc OF the courts at Antiersony 4 There
fore, he atfixes the title Of Honorable %
his name, It was. three years: ago that
Judge Ellison first let the people Of has
state know that he was a poet. He wrote
some verses called 81 Want to Co Where
Mother Is The author intended the, poem
simply for his friends. But fate would have
it otherwise; and Judge ElMson's stanzas
appeared In one of the Indiana local papers.
Then one Of. the Indianapolis papers found
them and reprinted the poem. Then fol
lowed scramble among all the other pa
.psrs in Indiana as to which would give the
Judges poetry the most prominent and
conspicuous position Almost the entire
press OF the state copied the poem. This
fact led the Illinois papers to feel that there
must be something in ythe poem, and, they
reprinted It. Finally. the Eastern papers
took up the poem, and for six months the
verses were found in papers East, North,
South and West. Naturally, this stimuli
lated the Anderson barrister, and he took
up his pen and wrote some more" as his
friends asked. This. proved to be a poem
called tsOf the Wedding ! and in this pro-
duet:on the Indiana critics found a suggess-
ton of Tennyson's diction. And they SAID
SO. Then the judge wrote some more
again, and so he kept on until the Fat plains
of Indiana simply began to roll and bules
under the honor Of having brought new
poet to the surface. .
But one day the poet.cal judge HE'D HIM
self off to fraternal order feast at; Blng-
hampton, N. Y. His fame had spread, and
the people of Binghampton wanted TO near
and see the new literary star which was
shining SO respondent on the .H0osier
plains. They had their own poet, 1t IS true,
in Charles M. Dickinson. But they wanted
Alfred Ellison, just as at one time the Dey-
onshire people Of England wanted Alfred
Tennyson! And the judge was willing to
oBlige the people OF B.nghampton.s And
he went! But he had scarcely reached the
place which Dr. Parkhurst says IS the wo1st
political hotbed ia the Empire state when
he became homesick. He longed for his
Indiana people and his home. Anxious'y
he looked for some word. Livery mail was
scanned But it was Ike nuto the case OF
"waiting for the letter that never came -
He began to dress for the dinner at which
he was to: speak before the intellectual,
artistic and scientific element of Bingham
ton. He, washed himse,fin his own tears
instead of Binghamton water. This was
too much for the fates. They knocked at
tne forlorn judges door and handed him a
letter. 1t was. the letter. The radiant
Judge forgot the fact that he was not
dressed; he forgot about the dinner, forgot
about everything save the letter. IN mad
haste he tore open the envelope and de-
youred it's contents The JOY was too much
for the poet:cal soul of the Judge, and it
dubbed forth into song. Half dressed, ne
sat down and allowed his fanc:es ana geKu-
berant spirits free play. 1t was WelH For
when the Judge, beaming with pleasure,
reached the banquet hall, and his turn came
to speak, he arose! But instead Of setting
the merry makers laughing with his humof
and wit-for the judge Is wit as well as
poet, clever man!--he arose, and with pa
thos in his voice, tears gl.stening IN his eyes
beautiful eyes, the Indiana people say,
for the Judge Is handsome as we'll as hui
morous and poetical-and the tremble of
excitement visible upon his hands, he read
the following poem:
"A LETTER FROM HOME TONIGHT"
Gas a stranger. who scans all the faces of
people he mingles among,
Expecting to meet with the features Of
some one who knew him when
young, #4
So tonight con over my letters that come
from all parts Of the EARTH ,.'
With prayer for one only; to bring me the
news Of my home and my hearth.
The Jest Of the banqueted frets me; bis
-s music has discords that seem .
To break me away from my moorings, till
= onward drift in dream -
Through mystical maze Of letters and
waken at last in delight %
To find that my prayer has been answered:
I've letter from home tonight.
1.-THE very same kind Of letter, with the
same kind Of look in each line,
She wrote me when was her lover and
she was sweetheart of mine.
And it seems can see the old orchard and
little blue bonnet afioat s,. I
On the pillows Of blossonl:ng clover, and
the Old rustic seat, where ! wrote
And read her a boyish poem that sonae~
- Wnef6 anu sOLneHOW US4AA, .
But ended at last where the rivers OF two
q b lives row. out into one, s
And in my own hand IS the pressure Of
a handfthat Is tender and white, !;
And there's perfume Of lover all over thy
;letteI from home tonight = !. 1T n
At this point of the judges reading the
entire B.nghamton assemblage was; already
in tears, just as the Judge had been pre-
vious to the time he received the letter.
But he had no sight for the emotions Of his
auditors, Els own eyes were dimmed, and
although the hot judicial tears fell llpon the,
valuable manuscript, the judge read on
"a letter from home! And the critic might
frown at some nl.sspelled word,
Or urge with 8 mind analytic the gram
mar at times is absiIri; = .stts.5i 375$: