The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-12-24

which. had been published but few
DAYS before, had been read by the del
egates to that convention and by the
spectators, who joined IA the applause
which greeIed the APT quotation from
the poem That circumstance brought
the business rnanageFsof the. journal 70
Rlley's rescue. and his first book, The
Old Swimmin' Holeaand LeVen More
Poems. was published and made a
great hit. SINCE that time things have
been coming easy for Riley. If Halford
hadn't fired him he might never have
discovered himself
I heard a story on Riley when 1
Nas IN Indianapolis the last time that
10 a good one, said another member
OF the group. Riley used to have
fondness for dogs, and always, in his
younger days, had one at his heels.
One day in Indianapolis he came across
a magnificent coach dog, and induced
It TO follow him away from the place
II had been left by the owner. Riley
took the dog down to the Journal Of
nee and tied it to the leg of his table,
where he was doing some work. Along
IN the afternoon the owner of the dog
came in with an advertisement in
which he offered a reward for the re-
turn of his prize coach dog. Riley's
expiana tons did not go. and only the
intervention Of other members of the
staff saved the poet from getting a
owner of the dog. The story got out.
and Riley was joked a good deal about
IT, He usually turned the matter TO
account by using the story to prove
that It paid to advertise.
Riley told me once how he hap
pened to adopt his homely style in
writing poetry, said another member
OF the party. He had been credited
with having discovered a new field, but
ne told me that the idea came to him
like d fash. lie had been abroad. and
was on his way home to Indianapolis
he looked up at the sky and decided
that 1t was just as blue as it was in
Italy. The purling brooks purled just
the same IN Indiana as they did in
Switzerland. The trees were Just as
green on the Wabash as they were in
France, and the birds sang just as
sweetly in America as they did any
place else in the world. 1t came to
the poet that il wasn't necessary to
get out of sight of the plain people to
find the poetry of life. The popularity
of everything he has written along
homely lines is proof sufficient that ne
was right about it
Did you ever notice" asked another
member of the conversational group.
tnaI there IS always a violin solo on
Riley programme? 1t always hap
pens that some place on the entertain
ment programme a place is found for
@ hAOAiAA AAuli1BytI- L nat Is zone out OF
Difference to Riley, although it is not
Known that he ever requested such a
favor, There's a story back of that,
TOO. II appears that RiIey's ambition
early in life was to be a viOlinist. He
is quoted as saying that an accident
spoiled mighty fine fiddler to make
q secOnd-rate poet. but then people
may not agree with him on that score.
When he was a young man he exer-
cisco hddle a good deal. ] am told
that when re began practicing out on
the front porch the neighbors went in
ana closed the doors and windows. no
matter how hot it might be. but that
may be a SANDER. At any rate. Riley
wanted to be a vi0liHist and was get
ting greatly Wrapt up in his studies
when he met with an accident that
caused the loss OF his left thumb. This
made 1t impossible for him TO pursue
ms violin practice, and the songs thar
were struggling for utterance through
the medium Of the violin found escape
through verse. and the world is better
on on account of his accident. Rilev'5
managers know of his weakness for the.
nddic, and that's the reason there is
always a violin solo on the entertain
ment programme