Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-08-02
NOTED IOWA POET
IN LECTURE FIELD
Will Read His Star Poems in
a Setting of Catchy
Comment.
LEGENDS AND JlNGLES

1E--f@ g. "AA'ti ~ iiFA'ttA EEJSIiN-
and Ehymed Stories from the In
cidcnts OF Every
Day Life.
Friends OF Homer Z. Branch. the poet
icai editor Of the Westaate Herald. an
noeace ttat he is prepared 10 appear as d
reader of mis- most popular uoeiical sac-
cesscs. m~terspersod 10y catchy comment
the program to 3c introduced by Il short
pithy address in which amateur poets arc
cNtolled encouraged and instructed, aua
the postical side of the American poop,
SGT forth IN Unusual praise.
Mr. Branch, who mas published two
editions of his p|oetical works. one "a
brochure and ore a cloth bound volume.
has not sought to contribute to the maya
zines, but has introduced all his poems IN
local Iowa new.palers to which he has
been attached. OF from the platform TO
home audiences. Though editor OF a cour-
try paper, member of the town council.
volunteer fireman. mcmber Of the West
gate cornet band. clerk of his Woodlnan
camp. teacher OF a Sunday school class
and member of the choir In his church. he
finds time to occasionally write a delight
tul Indian legend. a romantic rhrmcd
story. II pretty lyric or bit of high-flown
blank verse. But his most successful
verses, the ones thai have given him a
statewide reputation, are those descriptive
Of pretty features of local scenery and
romantic or otherwise interesting incidents
Of village and country life.
Mr.. Branch's latest poe.ical success is
"BilHs School Ma'am.' "A rhymed romance
In broken metre, in which Bill. an I'M
lettered but manly young farmer, tells his
married sister, who has just arrived for a
visit at the old home, of his love for the
pretty school ma'am who is boarding
there. Bill opens his remarks by declar-
Ing this young lady to be;
-- the incest gal on the girth
OF this great old whirlin' earth.
He then goes on to tell how she has
awakened in him an ambition to BE
somebody" and grows eloquent describing
her superior qualities as a school teacher,
! boarder and Il lady, and how ahashed he
was when first she first came. The stanza
setting forth her beauty is quoted entire:
Is she purity? Well. j should say.
Purity as the break of day
Wy her hands is jest like lilies, and her
eyes
They are picturs from the skies
And them teeth,
You should see EN- shine beneath
Her lips when they are slightly parted.
JFSl NH'll al siIiIlt mas SldIt'u
On that face that heaven lent her,
Face fashioned by some inventor
Mong Gods angels up above
WY Sis. 'twould make We love
Every inch of her. Main grace,
But she has the sweetest face
Ever ! see, and them little feet o. her'n
They jest make ME yearn
To hold en- In my hands
They look so cunnin'-
Joshua, but they are stunnin',
Don't see how She stands
So handy
On SIGH purity bits of candy
A; them feet,
Neat?
Bless you. yes.
And the bewitchin'est dress
That ever was she wore
Last Sunday. You'd a sworc
That she jest tloated like a fay
In it; std OF waikiki; It's a way
She has that makes her seem
Like somethin' seen in a dream
One has had, but don't jest recollect
'Cept the l%ingerin nice effect.
Job and Moses.
She jest moves in flounces. lace and roses,
Like they was air and she Il spirit
l can't describe 1t. mr. come near 1t.
Though homely in phrase. where can you
find a more eloquent description of femi-
nine charm and beauty? Wrapped up in
his subject Bill continues in the praise of
his lady love and tells how she rescued
him from a watery grave after he had
helped her out of a broken place in the
Ice and then was himself sinking from cold
and exhaustion: but how he despaired of
ever winning her love because he was 80
rough and ungainly'' and she so Learned
and refined" declaring emphatically. how
ever, that he Will win her yet. II he has to
give up farming and ''go through Yale"
There Is a sequel to the poem in a foot
note which explains that the young lady.
who was In the hammock Just outside the
open window, overheard every word Of
Bills eulogy. and afterward Joined heart
lily in the young mans plans for his future
education. advising him to build upon the
fundamental knowledge gained in his very
successful farm work by studying agri-
culture In it's scientific form. After Eli
had been dressed up by the schools ard
became a noted farm scientist, known In
his old home neighborhood as Professor
Bill" the little school ma'am became the
queen of Professor BITS home.
The Last of tho Sahoahs'' H. the most
finished and sentimental. and The Ban
ished Sachem' the greatest OF Mr..
Branch's Indian legends. but Prairie
Flower of the Poncas'' is the prettiest and
will be read the most. This poem is writ:
ten in ,iiawathan style, and is descriptive
of prairie scenes on the Little Sioux river
In early June time. long before the rale
face ~trcSpassed o n the virgin western
prairies.' Prairie Flower, the pretty
Ponca girl. is thus described:
Eyes that twinkled like the starbeams.
Tresses black and silken, flowing
Like the dropping wings of angels,
Fingers like the touch of morning
AS II lifts the waking eyelids,
Feet who's tread upon the grasses
Were as breathings OF n spirit.
Voice as sweet and softly charming
! AS the birdnotes of the daybreak,
Thus was blessed the good Beak's daugh-
ter,
And her features and her figure
Were so comedy that the Poncas
Named her Vivee. Prairie Flower.
Whether In stately blank verse or In
ho:nely phrase of country lover, in ballad
or short lyric. the author bounds In pret.
t. compliments to women. This poem
ends rcmantically in the espousal and
marriage CT Prairie Flower to Big An,iers.
the awkward but brave son Of Chief GRAY
Wolfe. after the boy had won distinction
In an engagement with an attacking lard
of Oanatas.
TIE poem which won SIR. Branch his
first fame and which has been reci,ed nv
TIE PRIZE rupi. in many q rural and village
schcol In Cowboy Jacks Story" treat.
rig of an adventure In western Nebraska
in the carly '1Os. Jack was the black sheer
III Al eastern home. He went west
roughcd II. and firally established a cat.ic
ranch Bordering on the ranges Of The Sioux
ard Cheyennes. One night he 90; lost oil
the plsins III a storm. While being wor.
ried ~ wolves he heard the shouts OF
white raon and the whoops CT Indian.