The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-02-08

But poor Emily's long forgotten love
affair is not the only ancient memory
revived by a glance at the little book
Buried in its table OF contents are the
names OF twenty people who in their day
were famous as literary lights but who
have long since ilickered out into OBJ
livion.
Who remembers Mona, Eliza. Caroline,
and the rest. whose Legendary Stan
zas" Romantic Tales" and Lines 20
a Wreath Of Dead Flowers moved En-
lily and her sisters of the 1820s 20 tears9
Who remembers Bernard Barton, the
Quaker poet and friend of Lamb? Least
Of all, what modern reader would fol-
low him as for half a dozen pages or
more he Threads with slow and mourn
full steps the loved and lonely shore2'
Lord Byron died less than two years
before this volume of Friendships Of
ferings' was printed, and 1t is pretty fun
of newly-found verses by his Lordship-
Mr.. Washington Irving sends some verses
by his late lordship, extracted by that
gentleman from the album OF Captain
Medwin,' and it only needs a glance at
the first line-"Be il so-we part for
ever''-to recognize the true Byronic ia
vor.
Lady Caroline Lamb. who had been
separated from her husband the year be-
fore, and whose iHtrigues with Lord By
ron were still familiar, extracted from
her album another set of verses by his
late lordship. the perusal OF which at
this date is likely 10 provoke smile OF
amusement-they arc so typical OF the
strained and grandiloquent poet
In all the emphasis and extravaganza
of italics and capital letters. Lord Byron
implores Lady Caroline 70 let him go, and
Lady Caroline apparently takes a mali
cious pleasure n printing the verses by
oh
in love with her.
Since still ting vulture tears my heart
Let me this agony endure.
Not thee-d. dearest as thou art
In mercy, Clara, let US part.
Who is writing poetry OF this kind
now And if such poetry were written
who would read IT.
There is one paper In 'Friendship's
Offering which might well furnish a text
for some one who is anxious TO accuse
Or. Conan Doyle Of plagiarism IN the
creation OF Sherlock Holmes. The paper
is by the late Richard Lowell Edge
worth. Esq" father Of the better known
Maria Edgeworth. It is called Stage
/ Coach Physiognomists.' and relates how
one Of the passengers was able 10 tell
the fun life history Of all his fellows by
simply noticing such bits Of gesture,
manner, or apparel as have since guided
the famous 0etectlF6 IN Ms amazing 0ls~
coveries. Sherlock at his best was never
more observing or more astonishing than
this casual coach passenger who trav-
eled the same way more than fifty years
before him.
L. Z. L.-Letltia Elizabeth LAndon-
whose pen name is more familiar ;hau her
writings. was then in her early twenties
and contributed half dozen sets Of
verses in heroic style. Nor was Friend
ships Offering" without names which are
well known even now Miss Milford has
\ sketch, THE Lady Of BeachgTove fun
OF old-fashioned sentiment and Iadylike
mystery. Perhaps the best remembered
/ thing about Miss Milford is the fact
that when she was only IS years old
! she drew q prize Of 10000 IN a lottery.
and that after her father had sGuander-
Cd her money she supported him for
years by the earnings Of nor pen
Robert Southey. then in his prime. has
a long poem in the fat, iittie book. and
Miss Jane Porter whose scottish Chiefs"
and ''Thaddcus u warsaw had already
been printed. IS represented hy a meian-
choiy tale.