The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-20
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Living In n downtown hotel Is a quiet little
gentleman whom his acquaintance know rs a
shrewd. eccentric business man with q Gaelic
accent. His friends say that Incidentally, he
writes poetry, and very good poetry. too.
Probably. II he were asked. he would confess
that II Ia tho business that is incidental. His
room Is high up. under the roof. and across the
street from him IL a gray old church with a
picturesque foreign air that quite divorces It
rum tho cable cars and the broadway traffic.
That church is responsible for a wonderful
amount OF poetry. Each separate line OF 1t has
inspired a sonnet. Tho ivy that trails over the
carved window easements has leavcd out in
quatrains. and, as for tho magnolia tree in the
rcctory yard, II blossoms every spring into mad.
riRals.
The poet and church are on good terms with
each other. In fact, each Is the Others only
consolation in a neighborhood prosGically
! noisy and urromantic. The birds that nest in
the ivy and the fretwork OF the spire have grown
fond OF the poet, TOO. They don't quite appre-
ciate the mood Of church and poet. The one is
a place peculiarly adapted to nests and tho
other, they have found, can DO relied upon for
bseakfasts. Consequently. they are good friends
to tic to. The birds views Of life are n good
deal like those OF the crowd that rides up and
down in the cable cars: but because they have
cousins in woods and fields, the church and the
poet are fond OF them and 60 on furnishing nests
and breakfast.
The birds have made a study OF the poets
habits. They chatter around his window at Z
O'Clock In the morning and hold mathis there.
with frequent glanccs through the glass to
make sure that their friend is still asleep.
Ut course. he never does get up until half
past 2" they say. but there's no telling when
AZ half past : precisely there is an excited
twitter. lie Is getting up. They, watch his
so,,St Wnn shamsiess interest, and there is a
new blue tie in place of the old black one. He
comes to the window and says good morning to
the birds and TO his friend the church across the
way. who seems to be still doing. Then he
takes his hat and goes to the door. That Is the
they scurry; and. when the poet takes his seat
by the north window, there they are. perched
on the T window %S, ledf H} and the iron railings out,
"pinna fret. he says. IN no eat it as"
and his waiter gives a sympathetic grin.
When the poet has finished his breakfast he
takes the rolls that are. left and breaks them
on one side. The waiter opens the window |
without waiting for orders and the crumbs are
scattered on the sill. Then the poet stands
boyish smile on his face; and the walters who
are not busy look ont over his shoulder and the
other guests are amused, but at last the poet, |
the birds who are flying back TO the church
and goes of to his office.
One morning not long ago two strangers
started 10 enter the restaurant door when they
the window Dane ee:' and "a a s seenn ana later tork n n touns
rosy, irascible little man dashed out OF the door. |
cannoned into them and launched a volley OF
In dismay. The strangers read the sign above
the door again just 10 make sure that the place
they went in. and in the course of their break.
fast the water ,SaNed confidential and told
Hes a quiet body" he said. but it do make
him mad when the boys scare them birds"