Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1912-09-26
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he once told an interviewer, land
when / did was failure In every
thing except reading. maybe liked
to read. We had McGuffeys readers.
But always ran away when we we're
to read Little Nell knew |
couldn't read It without crying and.
II 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.
emathlcs. and history was a dull and
juiceless thing to me, But was al
ways fond Of reading in random.
desultory way. and took naturally to
anything theatrical. | cannot remem-
Der when | was not declaimer. and
began to rhyme almost as soon as
could talk The first verse ever re-
member writing was four-line val
entine. | was so small that could
hardly reach the top OF the table, and
was painting comic sketch on
piece of paper. ! had natural facul-
ty for drawing as we'll as for rhyming.
and should probably have made fair
artist II | 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
both the picture he had drawn and the
lines he had written and decided then
and there that the lines we're SO much
better than the picture that he would
devote his efforts thereafter to writ
ing. In any event, he became a poet.
According to his own photographed
sketch he was born $50 long ago that
he persists In never referring to the
date. Citizens OF his native town OF
Greenfield. Ind. while warmly vel
coming his event we're no less demon
strative some years since to speed the
parting guest II seems, in fact that
as they came TO ksow him better the
more resigned were they to give him
up. He was ill-starred from the very
cradle, II appears. One day. while
but q 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
terHy, perchance, he lost his footing,
and, with a piercing shrek, fell to
the sidewalk below; and when, an In
slant later, the affrighted parents
picked him up. he was-he was
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-
ton for the young poet. So, after
being advised by the family physi,
clan to travel, Riley seized the first
opportunity that offered and, putting
aside his Blackstone, fed one after
noon between twilight and sunset to
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 trip, and, when 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. II was with this
man about a year." he said few
months ago His home was in Lima.
Ohio, and he was kindly old fel.
low. did a good many things while
in his appropriated signs, beat
the bass drum bit and, maybe.
recited. My experience put an idea
in my hess-a business idea for a
wonderland the next year I went