Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-06-17
STORIES OF THE DAY.
Why the Famous Poet Composed His
Sonnet to Wheeler

Ihey tell many stories about General
FlghtIns Joe Wheeler. He IL a ia
mlllar sight Ia Washington, where he has
been most Of the time since rec0nstrIIc-
ton days As a speaker he is a rare Ia
NOrlte IN the House, not so much because
81 what he says as because of his manner
battle than in debate.
since he war began. says the Pbila-
dclphia Pos. he has been the recipient
81 more Idudatory poems probably than
any other officer in the army. Even in
scotland and England tributes have been
written in verse praising the yalor of the
niue man from Alabama. on one occa-
sion recently he received a charmlngIv
written sonnet in his honor. composed BIZ
q world-famed poet. He is said to have
been 50 pleased by the compliment that
ne mao ms secretary write 10 the poet
My. Dear Sir-I don't know why YOU
nave honored me 70 such an extent
really am only humble worker in the
The answer, refreshingly frank. was as
follows:
inspired by your bravery. but that was
really not the chief cause Of its compost
ton. | wrote il because il was 50 easy
to make things rhyme with 'Jo.'"
HE DROPPED THE CANYON STORY.
NY. r. Curtis, i'm one Of his Southwest
crn letters to thc Chicago Record, tells
about captain llance, famous frontiers
man anu yarn-spinncr. who lives On the
verge Of the grand canyon of the Colo
rado. Captain Hancc used to claim that
ne built the canyon; that he dug 1t out all
alone by himself when ne was a bDy;
that he loved to work " much that tne
Eastern states did not furnish an ade-
uuate field for his energy. 80 he came to
Arizona and tried his hand in making a
canyon. But he does not tell this story
any more. \ year or two ago little girl
came 70 the canyon ana listened with
eyes ana mouth ana ears apcn to the rel
GNntlTElraG vtl fll lN- int,
Hance. ana when ne had finished telling
the members Of the party to which she
belonged how he dug the canyon all by
himself the child exclaimed Indignantly:
II don't believe a word Of itr'
My dear, responded Captain Hance
repro22chiuliy, don't you believe that
IF YOU dug IT," replied this enfant ter
rible, what did YOU 40 with the oirt?'
For once in his life Captain Hance was
silent and says he has never told that
story since.
KIPLING'S DEFINITION OF DRUNK.
Just before his recent illness Rudyard
kiplins was made very welcome at the
Century Club, in New York, and there
are several unpublished bits Of Kipling
going the rounds of other haunts of men
IN this city in consequence. one Of them
purports 70 give the adult "Eeetlc's" de-
iinition Of intOXicatiOn. \ group Of men
Were discussing the exact location Of the
boundary between sobriety and inebria-
for his verse ana his views on civic pa
triotism. asked the Anglo-lndian when he
should say man was drunk. Accord
ing to the story, kiplng replied in his
driCst style: II should say mat a man ia
drunk wnen he sits on the curb outside
his club ana cries because he isn't at
home.
EDWARD ATKINSON'S ASSURANCE.
A chara cteristic story on Edward Akin
son, the one man on earth who knows 1t
all, is told by the Boston Journal
I'VE recall story, ii says. told by
the late Col. William w Clapp, for TWEEN
ty-iive years the distinguished editor Of
the Journal. lie and Mr.. Atkinson had
though they quarreled furiously about al
most every public question. were always
personal friends. Fifteen or twenty years
ago, when the subject of enSilage
food for cattle was under discussion Mr..
Atkinson called one day at Colonel
Clapp's room in the journal Office and
said: William, what Is all this talk in
the newspapers about cnSilage?What Is
ensilage? Colonel Clapp who had made
some experiments himself at his country
place in CohaSSet explained briefly the
process of preservation. fermen tation,
etc. Mr.. Atkinson expressed much inter-
est, ana went away remarking that he
would look up the subject. Do you
know said Colonel Clapp, in telling the
story, within ten days | read OF Atkn-
sons addressing farmers institutes On
ensilage and its uses and laying down
laws Of his own about it for farmers to
follow