Evening journal., 1902-09-13

Bill Parsons
Column
~
Published Now and
Then.

Then came the reaction, and for dN
he would be tortured by the thouE
that he had hurt his young frie1x
The result was more calls on his PIN
for presents.
His favCrite pupils he followed
they grew to mature years. He mel
lost sight Of them, and loved IN
babies for their parents sake, as n
as for their own.
There wasn't much that went on
Those country communities in which
wasn't a leading spirit. Was it a
vival? He could lead the singik
make a prayer or preach a sermN
Was there a debating society? He n
the master spirit, and drew from
wealth of knowledge that was surplN
ing, and when this was exhausted
fertile imagination was made to serN
In all of his schools he held annH
exhibitions. He wrote the dialogu1
composed the poems, set verses
music and usually acted one Of
parts. Those exhibitions usually wou
up in a blaze Of glory amid a display
flags and with a patriotic selection II
he himself had composed.
In all his work there was a flash
real genius, but it was so frequent
coupled with some absurdity that
effect went for naught- Some of
verses were really respectable, and d
various local papers used to publ
them much to the delight of his fIdenI
l remember the martial ring Of q
lines that he composed at the openi
Of the Civil War when the ConfederrI
adopted a flag with the single star.
the lines have vanished from memoI
save the refrain:
60 on! and do your worst;
The end cannot be far:
And soon your sons shall rise Al
curse
That flag with a single start"
He even essayed fiction, and wrotd
serial which began its course in
coHntry paper, but was never. .conpl
ed. AS l remember IL his story BEG
with heroine in a garden. and thou
II ran week after week. she never
out I suppose she is there yet, thou
she must be a gray-haired dame nd
Anyway. the publisher could not
the end. so he stopped it in the mi
die. Doubtless many of his old. frie1
have wondered what became Of her
A source Of inexhaustible humor WI
him was his own deformities and
euliarlties. Seldom an OCCASION pass
without his alluding to his pecl.S Q
and he seemed to invite others to do
But occasionally some real friend 8
into the heart of the man and fou
revealed a depth OF feeling that '
pathetic
remember one occasion when
poured out all his soul to a sympathe
} friend, and yet there was no bittern
in it, Why should he be deformed,
pulsive and hideous? A source
mirth. so that even the little child
laughed at him?
Nature had given him a mind Z
sensibilities. She had put into
heart longings for wife, home and III
ones Of his own. All that he wisl
for most had been denied him, and
/ was obliged to wander the earth,
clown and an outcast
Yet. he believed in the Divine D
4 pose; there were compensations al
all. He had made many warm frier
q and he believed that someway Hea'
a would make it all right.
d The next morning he said goodlb
his hand trembled. and his eye /
T moist. Occasionally through the y
!. we looked for his coming. 1t pas:
s then another. and then came the
Q nouncement that Elihu d. Tarr
d died in a home for the aged in Aif
d land. Doubtless all his hopes of e.
S pensation had been realized. No pri
ever had a warmer heart; no man
|, ever more loyal to his friends than
n deformed little pedagogue Of long
r. Bill Parson