Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-12-12


This" said Alice, al she passed
him a manuscript enclosed in a cover,
is my capital offence. If I escape pun
ishment for my other misdemeanors,
I know l shall not when you have read
this" And she handed him the pa.
per.
Quincy opened it and read, The Lord
of the Sea, a Cantata.
CHARACTERS.
Canute, the Great, King Of England
and Denmark.
A Courtier.
An Irish Harper.
Queen Emma, the Glover Of Nor.
mandy"
Courtiers, Monks and Gleemen.
Place.
Part 1.-The palace OF the king.
Part 1.-THE seashore at Southamp.
ton.
Time-About A. D. 1890.
AS he proceeded with the reading he
had a fine voice and had taken a prize
for oratory at Harvard.
When he finished he turned to Alice
and said, "And you wrote that?"
Certainly" said she. "Can you for
give me?"
Quincy said seriously, Miss Petten-
gill, that is a fine poem; 1t is grand
when read, but it would be grander still
If set to music. / can imagine" Quin-
lcy continued, chow those chornses
would sound if sung by the Handel
and Haydn Society, backed up by a
full orchestra and the big organ" And
he sang, to an extemporized melody of
his own, the words:
God bless the king of the English,
The Lord Of the land,
The Lord of the sea!
81 can imagine" said he, as he rose
and stood before Alice, king Canute
as a heavy-voiced basso. How he
would bring out these words!
Great sea! the land on which I stand,
is mine;
It's rocky shores before thy blows quail
not.
Thou, too, o! sea, are part of my do.
main.
And, like the land, must bow to my
command.
I'll sit me here rise not, nor dare to
touch,
With thy wet lips, the ermine of my
robe!
"And." cred he, for the moment over.
come by his enthusiasm. how would
this sound sung in unison by five hun
dred well-trained voices?
For God alone is mighty,
The Lord of the sea,
The Lord of the land!
For He holds the waves of the ocean
In the hollow of His hand,
And the strength of the mightiest
king
Is no more than a grain of sand.
For God alone is mighty,
The Lord of the sea,
The Lord of the land!"
AS Quincy resumed his seat. Alice
clapped her hands to show her appro
baton of his %oratorical effort. Then
they both sat in silence for a few min
utes. each evidently absorbed in
thought.
Suddenly Alice spoke:
"And now, Mr.. Sawyer, will you LEI
me ask you a serious question? If
continue writing pieces like these, car
/ hope to earn enough from it to sup
port MYSELF"
Quincy thought for a moment, ant
then said, 81 am afraid not. If 70,
would allow me to take them to Bos
ton the next time I go / will try ant
find out their market value, but editor.
usually say that poetry is a drug. ant
they have ten times as much Offered
them as they can find for. Oh
the other hand, stories, especial!
short ones are eagerly sought ant
J good prices paid for them. Did ,yo,
ever think of writing a story, Mis-
Pettengill?"
ooh. yes!" said Alice, 81 have sever
: al blocked out. I call it, in my owl
, mind. but it is such a task for me Il
: write that dare not undertake them
> If I could afford to pay an amanuensi
; it would be different"
Quincy co%mprehended the situation
in a moment. 81 like to write. Mis-
Pettengill," said he, "and time hang
heavily upon my hands. We are like
: ly to have q long spell Of winter weatf
: er, during which | shall be confined I
the house as well as yourself. TAX
K pity on me and give my idle hand
something to do"
"Oh. it would be too much to ask,
said Alice.
t But you have not asked" answere
f Quincy. II have offered you my SCI
n vices without your asking"
But when could we begin?" aske
Alice hesitatingly.
e Sat once" replied Quincy. :
drought with me from Boston a ha'
" ream of legal paper and a dozen goo
e pencils. I can write faster and muc
Y better with a pencil than can with
pen, and as all legal papers have t
h be copied, I have got into the habit {
g using pencils. 1t took Quincy but