The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-06-28
"REMINISCENCES OF WRITER'S
sodanra's Entertaining Stories Of Literary Folk Of All Countries

London in a choice edition and is called
by SIR. Stoddard and by Edgar Allan
Poe zone OF the noblest poems in the
language"
The extracts from 1t here given are
tantalizingly few, but here is a line
apostrophizing a tempest:
Thy madness is music that brings calm into
my central soul.
He wrote a mass for his soul, in which
he prayed that he might never know
rest" Mrs. Browning was mis- friend.
and letters from her to him have been
published recently.
One Of the most amusing chapters is
that in which the author describes his
visit to some strolling players at STRAIT
ford-on-Avon. which went far to make
up 10 him for certain disappointment
he felt in the place itself. He expresses
his disappointment in this whimsical
fashion:
"All this morning ! had gone about
The streets disconsolate Things were
not as I had hoped 20 find them: the
house of Shakespeare. patched. like
patched garment. until very little OF the
original remains; the schoolroom still
thronged by unwilling students who can
scarcely be expected TO venerate that
hall of learning. though it once Graded
the genius Of the language. and the
beautiful old church with its one re-
markable epitaph and its ugly bust"
The BRACES and Their Play.
Then he heard OF the Bragses and de-
parted in search of them and their play.
1.-The Life of a Soldier. or the Bloody
Field OF Battle" The play did not ma
teriaIize. but the Bragses did, and this
is the conclusion OF the incident:
"Brags and /, arm in arm, passed into
the dreary street. down which the re-
treating footsteps OF the disappointed
audience echoed family. The beacon in
front of the booth had burned out.
though some few embers that flashed
now then as when the wind passed over
them, had life enough left to hiss a lit
tie when an occasional raindrop fell
among them. A dozen PAGES 10 the left
stood one of those curious houses on
wheels, such as are frequently met with
in the byways OF England: a short STEP
ladder led to the door in the rear OF
the house. and as we approached-the
door was wide open-I could not avoid
catching a glimpse OF the interior. II
was like the pretty little show boxes
into which you peep with an astonished
eye. but are never permitted to enter
in the flesh; only here the box was large
enough 10 live in. It's interior disclosed
such wonderful combination Of colors
that all thought OF form was for The
moment forgotten; II seemed 10 me like
an enormous kaleidoscope. and had no
doubt upon my first glance that il YOU
were TO tip the whole concern over on
its side. everything would Immediately
assume a new and brilliant combination
Of colors and form. quite different from
the last, and perhaps even more unin-
telligible.
''Brags begged l would enter this
variegated cubby- house; Mrs. Braes
came to the door. like an apparItion
shaping itself out Of the bewiIderins
chaos. and strengthened her husbands
offer of hospitality with a tempting
mug Of stout.
81 entered with curious eyes; the lit
tie house on wheels was like a reve-
lation. The walls were hung with stage
wardrobe OF the most gaudy descrip-
ton; swords. banners, battle-axes. and
kitchen furniture discovered themselves
everywhere: IL was a thin slice out of
the very heart OF a pantomime. There
was an inner room OF the same descrip-
tion. and a bed in each \ movable
stove stood under the house. between
the wheels. and by 1t was as little
tableware as Is necessary in a camp
life. such as theirs. With a pot Of stout
or the floor between Us, and creamy