The Newtown bee., 1897-10-29
That ''Puzzling Couplet'' of
Ours.


G. W. B. REPLIES TO THE CRITICISMS OF
o. o. w.
we were glad to see in THE BEE of
last week that our rhymes had brought
out the "Bee Buzzer'' as a critic of
rhymes, land man who is willing to tssk
for information" 1t seemed to US that
bis pen had lost some of that ''scientific',
dip that it once had. Any attempt to be
facetious or funny, falls fat unless per-
1ectly successful. The couplet was SO
mysterious that he cried, ''me no under
stand" This reminds us of the minister
whose sermons were so deep and learned
that few of the congregation declared
to their pastor that they couldn't COM
prehend his meaning. He replied, ~
cannot furnish you with brains and SER
mons, too" Now, L cannot furnish
poetry as mysterious as Browning's and
be Laughed at besides" I am willing
to meet 40. o. W. about half vav
down the sky and apologize for this
couplet:
little room for those whose appetite,
Makes dim the beauty that the good see right
provided, he can show me anything so
obscure thatfthe warfaring man, -
should err therein
should have thought that the pame.
policeman, as he used it, would have
suggested that "little room" where he
could comb his hair both before and
after lunch" When we see a policeman
we always think of that ''little room"
and we do hope that our critic will too.
1t is said that at Fleetwood liquors are
sold openly on the grounds, but If any
man 'does not .behave" he is snatched
up and taken into ''little room"
We think the Newtown fair would be
failure if liquors were sold without
prosecution and fines. o. o. W. saws
that 1, the author of that couplet, am so
democratic in my habits of thought, that
he fears some people will take sdyan-
tage of my poetic expressions to abuse
my goodness. Oh! how tender to my
feelings! L wish I could say that he
has more democratic habits of thought
than have.
Now comes in his bear story. Well,
we are up in bear stories, and we hope
that if bear should come down from
Mount Pisgah and attack our esteemed
friend, that his wife would catch her
broom and with all her might and main
lay it on to - and not be neutral in
the encounter" Cervantes in Don Quix-
ote, goes off his story often to tell bet
ter one that has no relation to the main
one. Our friend fears for me but would
let the bear eat me up and he remain
neutral. But his story puzzles me in
its application. NV story is this: A
young handsome man became betrothed
to the daughter of backwoodsman, but
in marriage, he sternly asked, "How
much money have your John replied,
''not dollar" Now this prospective
had killed several bears and
felt very proud OF it, and then he asked
John, "Have you ever killed bar?
81 have not" The cruel father said,
''Never come here again, nor speak to
Florence till you have killed a bar or
show me hundred dollars of your own
This meant business and sor-
roWfully the young man went away.
Now this father had an open flume or
trough to slide down wood to his back
door. Here the disconsolate young man
sat often at the mouth of the trough and
exchanged signals of eternal fidelity
with the sweet girl he loved. One morn
ing when this woodslide was glazed with
ice, John sat waiting to see his beloved,
when suddenly he heard a rush behind
him and looking backward, saw a huge
bear about to spring upon him. He fell
into the trough and the bear followed
him; they landed in the kitchen to the
surprise of all, when John cried out,
there's you bar" The old man an
swered, "Here's your gall"
Now we don't tell this to Justify that
mysterious coupIet," but to tell bear
story as applicable as O. o. WIS is.
Then he goes out of his way again to say
shat oxen should not be put into show
case" etc. Who said they should?
Who said we should give free
seats TO alli TIE question is
not on the ability to pay for reserved
seats, the question is, aShall necessity
compel the farmer and family 10 pay so
cents for seats. The Farm Journal says
the farmer should cit at the head of the
table. No man felt proud because OF
bis 90 cent seat, unless he thought that
the s.human cattle" or ssoxenn were all
on the % cent seats. Perhaps there
should be boxes la theater for those
Of liability TO pay Reserved seats are
Ill right, bat don't ssreserven half OF
them for those ssbovinesr shut ont of the
Is cent ssshow case.n We hope O. O. w.
viii explain his obscure prose.-[G. W.
B.