The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1916-07-29
INDIANA N
TRIBUTE To RILEY
Something About Life Of Man
Who Was Country's Premier
Poet--LittIe, interesting In
CidentS of His Career.

those Of many other notables. was fond
Of telling anecdotes OF the HOLSTERS
wit. One OF them related To Riley and
Bill Nye.
Riley and Nye were a peculiar pair.
They were everlastingly playing practi-
cal jokes. They were riding together
In the smoking compartment between
Columbus and Cincinnati. Nye was a
great smoker, and Riley did not dislike
tobacco. An old farmer came owe 10
Nye and said
Are you Mr.. Riley? | heard You
was on the train"
mo; | am not Mr.. Riley. He is over
there"
II knew his father, and l would like
to speak with him"
"Oh. speak with him, yes. But he is
deaf, and you want to speak loud"
So the farmer went ove to him and
said in a loud voice:
is this Nh. Rileyf"
"Er-whatg'
is this Mr.. Rileyr"
What did you say?"
rs this Mr.. RileyY"
Riley; yes"
II knew your father"
mo bother"
II knew your father"
"WhatY'
II knew your father"
"Oh, so did L."
In n few moments the farmer heard
him talking In an ordinary one of voice.
Riley's popular poems are SO numer-
GUS that a catalogue Of them would be
a volume in itself. Little Orphant
Annie" once called THE Elm Child"
has been acclaimed from every school
platform In the country and Is "a never
failing success today from almost any
elocutionist. Another, typical OF his be
loved Indiana, Is When the Frost Is
on the Punkin." embraced In his vol
ume or poems entitled The Old Swim
min Hole and 'Leven More Poems" IL
Is as follows:
When the frost is on the punkin and the
folders in the shock.
And you hear the kyouck and gobble OF
the struttin' turkey cock.
And the clackin' Of the guineys, and the
cluckin' Of the hens,
And the ROSTERS hallylooyer as he tip
toes on the fence
oh, it's then's the times a Teller IL a-feel-
in at his best,
With the risin' sun to greet him from a
night of peaceful rest.
AS he leaves the house bareheaded and
goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost IL on the punkin and the
folders I'm the shock!
They's something kind o. h'arty-like about
the atmosphere
When the heat Of summers over and the
coolin' fail Ia here.
Or course we miss the flowers and the
blossoms on the trees
And the humble OF the hummin' birds
and buzzin' Of the bees,
Blu the airs so appetixln'. and the land
scape through the haze
or a crisp and sunny mornin' OF the airly
autumn days
Is a plctur' that no painter has the col
orin' to mock,
When the frost Is on the punkin and the
folders In the shock.
The husky. rusty rustic OF the tossels of
the corn
And the raspin' OF the tangled leaves as
golden as the morn.
The stubble In the ~furries. kind o. lone
some-like. but still
A-preachin' sermons TO US OF the barns
they growed to fill;
The ~strawstack In the medder and the
reaper I'm the shed.
The bosses In their stalls below. the cio-
yer overhead
Oh, II sets my heart a-clickin' like the
tickin' OF a clock
When the frost ia on the punkin and the
folders I'm the shocki
To the public his dialect verse is bet
ter known. and "Goodby, Jim; Take
Keer of Yourself "The Raggedy Man
and "Griggsby's Station will be long
remembered. But Riley was also a
poet who could write serious, beautiful
things that brought tears to the eyes,
and OF such the one entitled "Bereaved'
is typical. 1t runs:
Let me come In where you sit weeping
aye,
Let me, who have not any child to die.
Weep with you for the little one whose
love
rave known nothing of.
The little arms that slowly. slowly loosed
lHtlf pressure Iouuu your HtCh, tnc di0
YOU used
TO kiss-such arms. such hands. l never
knew.
May | not weep with you?
Fain would l be OF service-Aay some
thing
Between the tears that would be comfort
ing
But. oh. so sadder than yourselves am
Who nave no child to die!
OF the sentimental variety perhap.
An Old Sweetheart OF Mine" attained
the greatest popularity, but there arr
others of merit, and THE Song Is on,
OF them Ii reads:
There is ever a song my dear