The Tomahawk., 1916-12-28

on lips of stone, and whose crudeSt
works in clay might well outlive the
marble monuments Of modern art" He
glanced from one to another with a
grace and ease that not only betokened
q true mastery Of the language, but an
inexhaustible fund Of information; nor
was it long ere my ''stock in hand"
had dwindled down to the insignificant
eyes and of course" verbosity that is
not worth the giving away. He dwelt
with particular fOndness upon litera-
ture; frequently asking me what works
I most admired, and pointing out the
beauties and excellence Of old authors
Shakespeare, Milton, Pope, Dryden,
and a host of others long dead and
gone, whose works live on eternally.
All these, as they were successfully re-
viewed, he quoted in manner that
evinced thorough knowledge of their
worth.
At last, after no little artifce and
strategy, I drew him to his own his
tory, which grew Enthusiastically inter-
esting as he proceeded. His father,
passing rich, had educated him for the
ministry; but the profession did not
suit him-or, rather, he did not suit
the profession; for to be frank he was
rather inclined in his young days to be
a "graceless dog" and so, when it be-
came evident that he must shift for
himself, more at the instigation Of lit
erary friends than from any ambition
or choice, he entered the field of jour-
nalsm, beginning at the bottom Of the
ladder-the bottom-and gradually ris-
ing from the compositor's case to the
very rung Of editorial success-when
there came crash,-a flaw in the
grain-and that flaw Well, no mat
ter! The noblest minds had toppled
from the height, and crumbled to the
merest debris of pauper intellect
Sand do you writc?" broke in alb
ruptly.
II used to write" he answered, as
though loath to make the acknowl-
edgment-"that is, I sometimes rode
Pegasus as groom might ride his
masters horse-but my flights were
never high-never hight"
was growing deeply interested in
the strange character before me, and
although the faces Of the group smiled
at me significantly, was not to be be-
guiled from my new acquaintance.
"There is question:" said !, II
would like to ask you, since from ac-
tual experience you are doubtless we'll
inform ed upon it II have often heard
it argued that the best production Of
authors-poets In particular-are writ
ten under the influence Of what they
are please to term inspiration Can
you enlighten me as to the truth Of
that assertion?'
II can say in reply" said the old
man, with his unwavering eyes fixed
upon mine-"I can say in reply that
the best productions Of authors-poets
in particular-are written under the
Influence of what they are pleased to
tern. inspiration I have seen 1t
proved"
FLOW proved?" asked.
'Listen. Take, for example, an in
stance l will cite: A man worn and
enfeebled by age, whose eyes are
.!immed almost to sightlessness; whose
nind, once clear and vivid as the light
of day, is now wavering and tickle as
the wind: and yet at times this in
fluence comes upon him like an ava
lanche, and as irresistible a voice cries,
Write! writel write!' nor does he
know, when he has obeyed that sum-
mons, what his trembling hand has
written. Further proof that this is
divine inspiration Is that his fragmen-
tary productions will oftentimes be in
the exact manner and diction of writ
ers long since passed away; and I am
satisfied they are produced at the d.
rect dictation of the departed. I
know this!"
"You astonish me-" said I. in I'M
feigned wonder; "you say you know
this-how do you know it?"
Because am the man."
Although the assertion, In my mind,
was simply preposterous, there was a
certain majesty in the utterance that
held me half in awe. I looked upon
him as one might look upon some Gu
rious being from an unknown world.
He was moving now-pacing grotesque-
ly up and down little space Of half
dozen steps, and wheeling. at the linn
it's of his walk, as nimbly as the harle-
quin in the pantomime, and repeating,
as though to himself, II am the man !;
I am the man."
"Well, sir" said !, forcing myself
into an air of Indifference did not feel
well, sir, not for moment ques-
tioning your own belief as to this
strange influence which may possess
you at times, you will pardon me for
expressing the vaguest skepticism,
since 1 have never been so fortunate
as to witness an actual demonstra-
ton" He was about to interrupt me,
but I continued coolly. "By what cir
cumstance is this influence introduced
Or how produced-is it"
He broke in on me with keen little