The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-05-11
By DONALD Aid1EN.
Copyright 1871, by Associated
Literary Press

Literary trtSst
Miss Dora Harden Was cut of sorts
with tiie world When a girl feels
that way she sheds few tears, she
feels herself neglected, she thinks
OF drowning she snaps back at the
family cook size would poison the
family parret---if the family had one.
There is bat one thing to console
her ana that - to make for dell
In the wood and write some sad
poetry
Fortunately for Miss Dora. there
WAS a BIT Of woods hask of she man
or house There was dell. The
afternoon was iine end she took
PENCIL and paper along 10
write q dozen sad poems
Miss Dora was not In love, and
stern gather and a. ambitious
mother had not been filing objections.
None of her girl friends had been
growing over her. She hadn't discov-
cred freekle on her face or mole
on her elbow. She was sad because
she was sad There are times when
even men and women eighty wears
old get sad streaks on and turn to
poetry as the panscea. Poetry IN an
escape valve There are hundreds of
peraons IN prison who wouldn't have
baen there had they been provided
with dell and pcncil and paper.
Miss Dora sank down beside rock
In the dell with a sigh of relief she
could shed the silent tear now with
out the parlor maid respectfully ana
sympathetically asking her IL she
had got pepper in her eyes- There
are parlor maids and others who win
not understand when souls are
a-weary.
rabbit ran across the dell. but
was scarcely observed. squirrel
chartered and WAS voted a nuisance.
A ouafl sounded his "Boh White" and
a stick was thrown at him.
There is programme 10 go
through with TO write sad poem
Pencil and paper must " Uade reaag-
and then all tho sad things OF life
must be called to mind. One may
evan include the various erupnons oil
Nas,,y.us in the thought Then the
ner or pencil must be- chewed for IONS
minutes BY this time. one feels thai
if one OF the trees were TO iall shc
crush the lie out OF the BODY. every
podv would be- glad. II IL Wen &c
remember the puppies ana pafFous
and kittens that have been owned
and the sad fate msted out TO theh
sooner or later. In about man al
ncI,r n IN high time to begin 10 write
the poem.
Miss Dora began. Once she wac
ready abe struck boldly out with.
..oh the word. II IN drear, and tht
world. II Is sad.
sTgs world OF nothing but sorrow --
And there she stuck. That's mos
ALWAYS the way with a sad poem. II
IL begins On the jump. II comes Il
Il Sudden stop s@naesFaere, and tht
poor poet grits his teeth Ia VAN,
After half an hour spent in trying
TO finish verse number one OF ten
verse poem. the paper and penci
were laid aside. and Miss DORIS
strolIed about. She was feeling bet
ter. There we're wintergreeu berries
growing In the dell. She gathered
and ate some.
'f1asen she went down ~ tlfe eFeal
10 watch tho little fish, and finally
went back to the house, feeling d
great deal better. Not until evening
did she remember the two lines oi
poetry left on a flat stone IN the dell
she would recover them next dsN
Perhaps She would build on perhaps
not.
Something took place up in thai
dell within an hour after Miss Dora
left ii. and she was in Ignorance OF
1t OnGI the next akeF0bDN. @Ds
stroiled that way again. humming L
herself instead Of signing. and wher
she picked up her two lines OF poetry
behold In neat but masculine
hand some one had added the two
lines:
And il fills ms with grief and ma es
me so mad
That I'll HE me for home on the
morrow
Was 1t a masculine hand Had abe
finished the verse without realizing
III Had she written that she was
mad when she was only sad Here
was mystery. The girl looked al,
around, hut Sherlock Holmes was not
there. She sat down and thought
ana stood ap and cogftated bat +,
was q quarter Of an hour before the
bright thought came. Then she sat
down. and wrote two more lines
g lis a struggle TO live-'tis easy 10
die
A sigh and a gasp. and 'tis over"
sEN '~D" - ~~~rAT 4 w~S