The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-02-01
One VOu,el
No. A, |, O or u in This
| Little Story.

pf the five vowels in the English
language "e' is the most commonly
used. It is difficult to find an arrange
inert Of words where this letter does
not occur frequently. Perhaps 1t was
that fact that suggested to Lord Hol-
land the possibility OF writing q story
in which only this vowel should be
used emitting the other four. He ac-
Icompashed this in 1894 and called his
story Ewes Legend" 1T is quaint
example of freakish literary effort and
runs as follows:
| Men were never perfect; yet the
three brethren, Veres. were ever es-
teemed. respected, revered, even when
the rest-whether the select few,
whether the mere herd--were left neg
Elected.
! Peter welded Hester Green-the
slender, stern, severe, erect Hester
Green. The next. clever Ned, welded
sweet Ellen Heber.
], Stephen, ere he met the gentle Eve,
never felt tenderness; he kept KEN
| nels, bred steeds. rested where the
deer fed, went where green trees,
where fresh breezes, greeted sleep.
There he met the meek, the gentle
Eve; she tended her sheep. she ever
neglected self; she never needed pelf.
yet she needed the shepherds even
less.
Nevertheless, her cheeks Redeemed
when she met Stephen; yet decent re-
serve, meek respect, tempered her
speech even when she showed tender
ness.
Stephen felt the sweet effect: he felt
he erred when he fled the sex, yet felt
defenseless when Eve seemed tender.
She, he reflected, never deserved neg
lectshe never vented spleen, he es-
teemed her gentleness her endless de-
serts; he reverenced her steps: he
greeted her:
Tell me whence these meek, these
gentle sheep--whence the yet meeker.
the gentler shepherdess?"
well bred, we were exc better fed,
ere we went where reckless men seek
fleeces. There we were fleeced. Need
then rendered me shepherdess, need
renders me sempstress.
"See me tend the sheep; see me sew
the wretched shreds. Ewes need pre-
serves the steers, preserves the sheep:
Ewes needle mends her dresses, hens
|
preserves the cheese"
Her speech melted Stephen. He bent
the knee where her feet pressed the
green; he blessed, he begged, he pressed
her.
Sweet, sweet, Eve, let me wed thee:
be led where Hester Green, where
| Ellen Heber, where the brethren We're
Ildwell. Free cheer greets thee there.
Ire led there sweet E,yei"
"Never. We well remember the Seer
We went where he dwells-we entered
1.-THE cell-we begged the decree:
"Where, whenever, when 'twere well
Il Eve be welded? ED Seer tell"
"He rendered the decree; see here
1.-THE sentence decreed!" Then she pre-
. scented Stephen the Seer's decree:
{ "Er the green reed be red.
= Sweet Eve, be never wed;
= Ere be green the red cheek.
Never wed thee, Eve meek"
The terms perplexed Stephen. yet
The jeered, he resented the senseless
!, crdence, knelt. wheedled, wept. Eve
:, sees Stephen kneel: she relents. yet
y frets when she remembers the Seer's
y decree Her dress redeems her. These
70 were the events:
$. Her well-kempt tresses fell; sedges
e reeds, bedecked them. The reeds fell
r the edges met her cheeks: her cheeks
l bled. She pressed the green sedge
l. where her cheeks bled. Red then be-
h dewed the green reed, the green reed
10 then speckled her red cheek. The red
i cheek seems green, the green reed
seems red.
le These were cen the terms the ED
n Seer decreed. Then they were wed.
Y