The Irish standard., 1896-05-23
F 1 y
s'aines liitcomb Riley Has q Riyals
n 70 His Native State sof 4
N III Indiana. Il
DOR ALFRED ELLlso 1HE STAR


'Tflc Fiat pIainss 1t His Natlys Spu Rof
a. ss5s and Bplge Under the
5555 &. # Honor. /: IL:
u Isl .--4- b
The peoplesof Indiana, not content with
having given us James Whitc0nlbs Riley,
announce that a second poet mas erasen IRON z
8Hoosler soil, and. at present they are both
saving and writing great deal concerning
h.Tn, writes Edward w. Box. The new
poet is Alfred Ellison, and he has 9 dis
ttnct;on which Riley has not. Hesis q judge
Of one az the courts at Anderson There
fore, he affixes the title OF Honorable e
his name. It was. three years ago that
Judge Ellison first let the people of bis
state know that he was q poet. He vi wrote o
some verses called 81 Want ;to GossWhere
Mother ISL. The author intended the poem
simply for his friends. But fate would have
it otherwise; and Judge Eliison,s stanzas
appeared In one Of the Indiana local papers.
The., 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
Sluu
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 the poem, and they
reprinted 1t. Finally, the Eastern papers
TOOK up tie poem, and for six months The
verses were found in papers East, North,
South and West. Naturally, this st.n1u-
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 "Of the Wedding and in this pro-
duct:ou the Indiana critics found a sugges-
ton of Tennyson's diction. And they SAID
90. Then the Judge wrote s'some more
again, and So, he kept on until the fat plains
Of Indiana simply began to roll and bulgs
under the honor Of having brought d new
poet to the surface. ~
But one day the poet.oaI judge HE'D HIM
self off to fraterna1 order feast at: Blng-
hampton, N. Y. His fame had spread, and
the people of Binghampton wanted to hear
and see the new literary star which was
shining SO resplendent on the .HOosier
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.' y And
he went! But he had scarcely reached the
place which Dr. Parkhurst says IS the worst
political hotbed IN the Empire state when
he became ,homesick. He longed for his
Indiana people and his home. Anxiously
he looked for some word. Every mall was
scanned. But it was IKE nnto 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 himself in his own tears
instead OF Binghamton water. This was
too much for the fates. They knocked at
the 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-
voured it's contents. The Joy was too much
for the poet:cal soul of the Judge, and 1t
dubbed forth into song. Half dressed, he
sat down and allowed his fanc:es and exu-
berant spirits free play. 1t was we'll! 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 humor
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 well as hu-
morous and poetical-and the tremble OF
excitement visible upon his hands, he read
the following poem:
"A LETTER FROM HOME TONIGHT"
"As stranger who scans all the faces OF
ST.. people he mingles among, s$'s
Expecting to meet with the features OF
some one who knew him when
young,
So tonight l con over my letters that Come
from all parts Of the earth, ~
With a prayer for one only; to bring me the
news of my home and my hearth.
The Jest Of the banaueted frets me; bis
~ . music has discords that seem l..
TO break me away from my moorings, till
- . onward / drift in dream .x
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. :.
"The very same kind Of letter, with The
same kind Of look in each line,
She wrote me when was her loter and
she was sweetheart Of mine. ,..
And it seems can see the old orchard and
a little blue bonnet adoat .:sf( / :
On the pillows of b1ossomng clover, and
the Old rustic seat, where ! wrote
And read her q boyish poem that some
= Where and somehow begun, @
But ended at last where the rivers OF two
y. lives flow. out into one fl
And in my own hand Is the pressure OF.
a handsth Is tender and white, h
And there's perfume Of lover all over thy
letter from home tonight 1. ~. .tls5
at this point of the Judges reading the
entire Bnghamton 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. Ills own eyes were dimmed, and
although the hot judicial tears fell llpon the
valuable manuscript, the judge read on::I
"a letter from home! And the critic might
frown at.some N: spelled word,
Or urge with q mind analytic the grain
mar At times ia ahsiirff. - #lft