New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1896-02-26

all. right, ne wrote p0me fer the paper,
md the name Of the pome wuz Mary. =
but whether Mary wuz his sister or his
wife or an old sweet heart Nv his'n I me-
yer knew. But il looked from the pome
like she wuz dead md that he loved her.
Bill Huz the best lokil editor the pa
per ever had. He didn't hustle around
much, but he had kind er pleasin' way
nv Gishin' things up. He cud be nigh
ty comical when he .sot out to be, but
his best holt was serious pieces. Nobo-
10y could beat Bill writin' obituaries.
When old Nose Holbrook WIZ dyin' the
minister seq to him s.Mr. Holbrook, you
seem to be sorry that you're passin' away
TO a better land?''
wall, no; not exactly that, seq Nose,
.sbut to he frank with you, I.hev Jest one
regret in connection with this affair."
.'Whats' that?'' asked the minister.
81 can't help feelin' sorry seq Nose,
''that | amt goin' to hev the pleasure NV
read1n' what Bill Newton SEE about me
in the paper. l know it'll be somethin'
uncommon fine; I loant him two dollars
year ago last fall" 49,. %s. I.
The Higgenses lost darned good
friend when Bill died. Bill wrote a
pome 'aout their old dog Towze when he
wuz run over by Watkins hay wagon
seven years ago. I'll bet that pome is in
every scrap-book in the county. You
couldn't read that pome without cryin',
why, that pome wud hev brought a
dew out on the desert Nv Sary. Old Tim
Hubbard, the meanest man IN the state,
borrered a paper to read the pome, and
he wuz so 'fected by it that he never
borrered another paper as long as he
lived. don't m"re'n half reckon,
though, that the Higginses appreciated
what Bill mad done for 'em; I never heerd
Nv their givin' him anythink more'n
basket NV greenin' apples, and Bill wrote
a piece bout the apples mex day.
But Bill wuz at his best when he wrote
things about the children bout the lit
tie ones that died, mean. Seemed like
Bill had way of his own of sayin'
things that wuz beautiful md tender; he
said he loved the children because they
wuz innocent, and I reckon-yes, I know
he did, for the PONIES he writ about 'em
showed he did.
When our little Alice died 1 started
out for Mr.. Miller's; he wuz the under
taker. The night wuz powerful dark,
md it wuz all the darker to me, because
it seemed like all the Ii light he'd gone out
IN my life.
Down near the bridge, met Bill; he
weaved round in the road. fer he wuz in
likker.
"Hello, Mr.. Baker," SEE he, ''whar he
you goln' this time o night?"
'tBill," seq I. "I'm goin' on the sad
dest errand Nv my life.''
."What d. ye meang' sez he, comm up
to me as straight as he cud.
'Why, Bill,' seq I, 'sour little girl
my little girl-Allie, you kncw-she's
dead.'
1hoarsed up so couldn't say much
more. And Bill didn't say nothink at
all; he jest reached me his hand, and he
took my hand and seemed like in that
grasp his heart spoke many words of
comfort to mine! And mex day he he'd
piece in the paper about our little girl;
we cut it out and put it in the big Bible
in the front room. Sometimes when we
get to fussln', Martha goes md gets that
bit of paper md reads it to me; then us
two kind NV cry to ourselves, md we
make it up between US for the dead
child's sake,
Well, you kin see how it wuz that so
many Nv us liked Bill he he'd soothed
our hearts,-there's nothin' like sympa-
thy after all. Bill's potry he'd heart in
it; 1t didn't surprise you or scare you; it
jest got down in under your. vest, md be-
fore you knew 1t you wuz all choked up.
/ know all about your fashionable potry
and your famous rotes,- Martha took
Godey's for year. Folkssthat live in
the city can't write potry, not the real,
genuine article. To write potry, as
figure it, the heart must hev somethin'
to feed on; you can't get that somethin'
whar there amt trees md grass md birds
md flowers. Bill loved these things.
and he fed his heart on 'em, and that's
why his potry wuz so much better than
anybody els,'s.
/ amt worryin' much about Bill how;
/ take it that everything is for the best.
When they told me that R;ll. diad in q