The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-10-04
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he once told an interviewer, "and
when | did | was failure in every
thing except reading, maybe. liked
to read. We had McGufrey's readers.
But ] always ran away when We we're
| to read Little Nell / knew
couldn't read It without crying and,
If ! cried, the other boys would laugh
at me-
To another visitor Mr.. Riley said
that he never had much schooling,
and, continuing, he remarked; What
little had never did me much good,
| believe. never could master math-
emathics, and history was a dull and
juiceless thing TO me. But | was al
ways fond of reading in a random,
desultory way, and took naturally to
anything theatrical. l cannot remem-
Der when | was not a declaimer, and
/ began to rhyme almost as soon as !
could talk. The first verse l ever re-
member writing was a four-line val
entine. l was so small that | could
hardly reach the top of the table. and
was painting a comic sketch on
piece of paper ! had a natural facul-
ty for drawing as we'll as for rhyming.
and should probably have made a fair
artist If l had kept at it. Well, be-
low the sketch ! was making | wrote
four comic lines, and these were prob
ably my first poetic effort"
Perhaps the child Riley studied
6oN h. k,A JVo nd ha
lines he had written and decided then
and there that the lines were so much
better than the picture that he would
devote his efforts thereafter to writ
ing. In any event, he became poet.
According to his own photographed
sketch he was born so long ago that
he persists in never referring to the
date. Citizens Of his native town OF
Greenfield, Ind, while warmly well
coming his event were no less demon
strative some years since TO speed the
parting guest It seems, in fact, that
as they came to know him better the
more resigned we're they to give him
up He was ill-starred from the very
cradle. it appears One day, while
but a toddler, he climbed unseen to an
open window where some potted
plants were ranged, and while leaning
far out to catch some dainty gilded but
terfy. perchance, he lost his footing,
and, with a piercing shrek, fell to
the sidewalk below; and when, an In
stant later, the affrighted parents |
picked him up, he was--he was a
poet!"
At the age Of fifteen Riley ceased |
to attend school, and at the wish Of
his father began to study law. AS |
may readily be understood, in view |
of his career, the law had no attrac- |
tion for the young poet. So, after |
being advised by the family physi |
clan to travel, Riley seized the first |
that offered and, putting |
aside his Blackstone fed one after
noon between twilight and sunset 10
return to his native town no more
for year.
Riley. as he afterward said. had no
money with which to defray the ex
penses Of a trip, and, when a patent |
medicine doctor" made his advent
in Greenfield Riley allied himself
with the travelling caravan and de-
parted when the cavalcade pushed
on to the next town. 'T was with this
man about a year ne said a few
months ago. His home was in Lima,
Ohio, and he was kindly old fel.
low. did a good many things while |
in his employ-painted signs, beat
the bass drum a bit and, maybe, I
recited. My experience put an idea
in my head--a business idea for a
wonderland the next year | went