Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-08-07

WRITTEN.
wanted anything Of that sort. Most
that have written 10 obituary poetry,
and as you have not lost wife or chill
dren Of course you have wanted moth.
Ing Of the kind"
"If you'd asked me about It." he con.
/ tinued rather sulkily. Il could have
told you that lost an uncle about
! twenty years ago. It may be purity late
in the day, but IL ali the folks along
here are goin' in for obituary poetry
why shouldn't we? That's what the
old woman and the boys say, and that's
what 1 say. However, as you are SO
drefful busy with all the others
| "You shall have your poetry in ten
minutes" 1 interrupted, and got
down. from my cart and went to the
house with him.
/ It was my first poem for two days,
and had to kick myself three or four
times to get my muse on the move, but
when struck my gait ! ratified OF the
following like barrel humping down
hill:
We mourn for him, poor Uncle Joe,
| Whose fate was full of sadness.
! Who took Pittsburg steamer and
Sailed down the stream In gladness.
To New Orleans poor Joe was bound
1 TO see the Crescent City.
l But IL at Cairo he'd have stopped
| ne'er had penned this ditty.
He walled aboard the Nancy Jane,
And In his luck he trusted,
| But twenty miles below Cat point
The steamer up and busted.
ITer boiler IL was shattered, and
Her hull 1t was demolished,
And Uncle Joe was one Of those
| Whose future was abolished.
He sleeps beneath ohio.s wave.
The trumpet call awaiting,
And that he is a busted man
Admits Of no debating.
.There you are, Uncle Billy" said.
as finished reading the poem to him.
land what do you think Of it?'
He took the paper with tender fingers
and gazed at 1t until his tears blinded
/ him. It was a long two minutes be-
! fore he could control his voice to say:
"Abe, II I'd lost two hogs by the
! cholera 1t wouldn't have teched my
feeln's as this thing has done. All I
can say to you now Is that I'm ten
million times obleeged, but next time
/ you come along I shall hope to prove
my gratitude"
At the blacksmith shop, two miles
below, I had to stop to get loose shoe
fastened, and was sorting over my
letters when i looked up and saw that
the smith had tears In his eyes.
asked him if he was in pain, and told
him that l always carried bottle Of
relief, but he made no answer until he
had fixed the shoe. Then he sat down
beside me and said:
ABE, that letter you handed my wife
the other day was from her mother In
Illinois and it contained bad news"
Nobody dead, hope"
"Yes-her sister Sally. She died OF
the kick Of COW. There isn't hui
man bein' in the state of Illinois who
can write poetry. and Martha asked me
if wouldn't ask you to get off some
thing. Wen send a copy out west, and
It will cheer US all amazingly"
"Will it do next time come along!"
I'm afraid not, Abe Martha does
nothing but walk around and weep,
and il you put it of another day she
may drown herself In the cistern. You
write me something, and I'll look over
the other shoes and see that they are
| all right"
I had to use piece of paper four
sack and the stub Of pencil, but my
| muse frol,cked around and enabled me
/ to invent the following:
| In certain western state, where the
/ beef trust uahes the rate.
! There did dwell maiden aged twenty
| years
Her name was Eal!y Tripper. and to milk
| she was ripper.
| And it's on account Of that were she'd
ding tears.
| Ntun the sun It was a-sinking, and the
| chickens were a-hiirking,
| And the w1iippoorwill was raising Of q
| row.
Then sally Of the dairy. with . smile just
| Me tAssy.
| Would 60 cut to do the milking Of ths
| cow
upoa th,s ana eeaaa,en. and without ~