The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-07-25

worn OF dtlN OCner price he mlRnt have
named. II is possible that the "twen-
ty years" can be taken in a figurative
sense. Perhaps the time seemed thus
long to Riley. He himself evolved a
theory. which has also been held by
a few others before and since, that it
was the absence Of well known
name attached to his verses which
made them a drug on the literary mar
ket To bear out bis contention he
the famous hoax of having
discovered lost poem Of Poe. This
was supposed to have been written in
the 6yleaf of book left with some
people near Richmond by a young man
who showed signs Of dissipated life
and signed the electrifying initials
"E. A. p" These people, knowing
nothing of the value Of their treasure.
had allowed the book to lie about the
house until by the migratlons of their
descendants 1t had come to Indiana.
The find" was as follows:
LEoNAINIE.
Leonainie-angels named her,
And they took the light
or the laughing stars and framed her
In smile of white,
And they made her hair Of gloomy
Midnight and her eyes of bloomy
Moonshine. and they brought her to me
In the solemn night
In solemn night OF summer,
When my heart Of gloom
Blossomed up to greet the conner
Like rose In bloom
All fOrebOdinQ that distressed
l forgot as JOY caressed me
dying Joy that caught and pressed me
IN the arms of DOOM.
Only spake the little lsper.
In TIN, angel tongue.
Yet l. listtning, heard her whisper:
Songs are only sung
Here below that they may grieve you,
Tales but told you to deceive you.
So must Leonainie leave you
While her love is young"
Then God smiled, and 1t was morning.
Matchless and supreme,
Heavens glory seemed adorning
Earth with its esteem.
Every heart but mine seemed gifted
With the voice of prayer and lifted
Where my Leonaine drifted
From me like dream.
e. A. p.
To make this seem more realistic
Riley had friend write it In the fly
leaf of an old book, using diluted ink
to give it a properly ancient appear
ance. Did the public "fall' for it?
Did 1t? "Leonainie" was the wonder
of twelvemonth. Like every new
literary discovery, schools of dispu-
tants appeared about it like chorus of
katydids, one proclaiming loudly that
she did, the other quite as positive
that she didn't. Men of eminence in
the world of letters were sure the
poem had all the unquestionable char
acteristics and genius of Poe. Years
after the joke was exposed somebody
of reputation who should have known
better paraded "Leonainie" as Poe
poem.
After he himself became famous
Riley was not proud of this feat, al
though 1t abundantly proved his theory
that all his stuff needed to give 1t
vogue was the attachment thereto of
some celebrated name. Whether the
same sort of thing would work in the
would-be's it Is bootless here to in
quire. 1t worked with Riley. but Riley
would have arrived anyway. Nor
would 1t be quite accurate to say that
the "I.eonainie" incident helped him
to arrive
The writer can remember when "the
Hoosier poet" as Riley was even then
called. began to gain national fame.
1t was by no means unanimous well
come that greeted him. The literary
sharps of the superior east were not
pleased with his dialect, his step
rhymes, his homely titles and many
other peculiarities that today consti-
tute his chief charms. Even where ac-
cepted he was too often patronized.
Like every new singer, he had to win
his public and for the most part
against the critics. Fortunately "the
common people heard him gladly" and
st was for these and Of these that he
sang At last one big magazine took
him up, and the fight was over. Criti-
cism turned to praise. and praise that
was before half hearted or patronizing
became unreserved and enthusiastic
Riley also wrote prose sketches. but
these were far from equal to his verse
and he later admitted regret that he
wrote them. After his first success
his books appeared at frequent inter
vals, among the best known being:
1.-THE Boss Girl and Other Sketches"
"Afterwhiles," "Old Fashioned Roses"
"Pipes O. Pan at Zekesbury," "Rhymes
of Childhood" Flying Islands Of the
Night" "Green Fields and Running
Brooks" "Armazindy," "A Child
World" "Neighborly POEMS" "Home
Folks" "Poems Here at Home" "Ru-