Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-07-11
Copyrighted 1911 by Harper 4 Bros)

possible means for arranging them metrically, and
thereby reducing them to the level of her compre-
hension or remembrance.
IF the bell should ring" Bctty had said, "t will
undoubtedly be the postman, you'd better go down.
There is check due for John, and I like to
leave such mail in the box. Here the keys. II"
not need to take them with me, for you can let
in when return. will ring one long and Short
you'll know its me-
Miss Lola had mentally corrected "I' and wondered
Why all young mothers invariably said me Could
the connection between maternity and incorrect gram
mar have bearing poesy? Ought she to consider
this mysterious connection in future and
body it: Her delicate and chastened fancy shrank
from the inelegant Perhaps in the dialect
Betty had whirled out and peace had ensucd Bay
lis Rudolfo slept per contract, his apartment being
the farhest small of the fiat, opening off the
hail. and as remote the exgences of fiat construc-
ton would permit from possible disturbing noises
which the family might at any time perpetratc. The
quiet seemed almost omnous Miss Lola felt Il
freghted with vague responsibilities There-she had
forgotten to ask Betty
She jumped up to the window, flung it open and
threw her slender body at perlous angle the sill
Betty far up the street. headed for the nearest
line Miss Lola recovered her balance Of mind as
well body shuddced to think what noise she had
probably made in raising the window closed it softly,
and listened with apprehension Baylis Rudolfo made
sound. Miss Lola sat down.
Il suppose she reflected, that | really have intel
igencc Whatever may happen I shall probably know
Of something to do, if only to scream for the police
At any rate, nothing is happening at this moment.
The one thing to be feared was the awakening Of
Bayls Rudolfo. The intelligent action therefore.
seemed to contribute in no way toward this awaken
ing Miss Lola sank back softly into the cushioned
depts of her chair and took out her notebook The
opportunity Tor composition was ideal. Not always
could she have such Stiffness. Her home life was at
the mercy OF others Her mother was large gem
erous, pervasive woman with a physical tendency to
knock over small articles of furniture as she sweDt
majescally about the fat-after the manner described
by Dickens-and mental tendency to denlolish what
ever train Of thought any else might be entertain
ing. At her hands Miss Lolas most inspired verses
had often been shattered into fragments compared
with which the historic condition of Humpty-D umpty
was beautiful exhibition of cohesivencss
Miss Lola's fancy paused daintly on the brink of
inspiration. So many ideas suggested themselves
THE Sleeping Babe" was bit trite. Mr., Hotchki,s,
editor of The Modern Child, on which Miss Lola
had designs was su''' big and burly man that his
very thoughts would waken sleeping babe and Miss
Lola felt certain he could not mentally contenn,ate
one even in verse. How he could be editor of such
magazne-but this extraneous to Miss Iola's
present field of thought, and she put it aside
Wild Babies l Have Known" suggested itself II
was inevitable. Something wild suggests itself 70
every scribe especially since Seton made his wild hit
which boomeranged around the Englslspeaking world
and returned him laden with gold Miss Lola re-
jected the suggestion. however. The title was the
initiated extant. Besides it had favor
when applied TO babes, of humor, and Miss Lola was
not consciously humorous. She not even remotely
that the surprising of some of the
checks her for her poems was based on the ed-
tors conception that they the prizewinning COM
modify known to the fraternity Humorous verse
Miss Lola finally decided on "A Mothers Thoughts
When Absent From Her Babe" Miss Lola had never
read the early English poets Neither did she know
that 4 mothers thoughts would be more likely TO con-
centrate the dread possibility of the babys milk
souring In his tiny stomach than they would be to dwell
his 'rose-scened breath" 1t is we'll however NOT
10 know 90 mar facts when trying to write poetry
he wings of Pegasus beat the quiet air in gently
widening circles, and bore Miss Lola aloft into the
blue, Sounds of earth hushed and objects Of
retrcated to respectful distance "a Mothers
Thoughts soon embodied themselves into poem Of
almost questionable length, the editors having fro.
quently warned Miss Lola that three inches the hest
limit for securing acceptance.
The poem finished, Miss Lola felt that no time
should be lost in having it reach Mr. TIotchkss He
had manuscripts of her in hand, and il was full
time for him TO begin the cement OF his next
issue. To mail the poem would be to await acceptance
possible rejection. To Mr.. Hochkiss personally
not always possible, yet frequently it was ana
he could always tell at glance the fate Of manu-
scrp;-as far as his own Office co7cor~cr c,.