The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-22

| I of the bus were dimmed with mois- ture. Rubbing a clear place on the l glass and peering out to see where he was, Dr. Mathews was astonished to discover Poe standing under street light at Bleecker street, apparently writing on the margin of his theatre programme. Poe had no umbrella, l but apparently was oblivious of the falling rain. Dr. Mathews sprang from the bus and hurried to the curb. called Poe by name and held his um- brella over the poets head.
 Poe, courteous and gentle, yet showed lis chagrin at being inter- rupted. He admitted he had antici-. pated the invitation to supper and had slipped away to avoid it. T thank you very much" he said, "but could not have eaten or drunk or slept or gone a step further than this. or waited moment -pger than now"
 Poe had been on his way home Che 1 lived in what was then Amity street, a few blocks distant, in Greenwich village, district that had not then acquired its Bohemian reputation) when the impulse to set down line of the poem then possessing his mind became so strong that he dared not ,, wait even the short time before he could gain shelter. Ut Is the Raven" said Poe. Let me read you a stanza or two. here and now, will you?'
 Swayed by the poets mood and for getting the hour, the storm and the cold, pr. Mathews bade him read. Poe began in low monotone the now famous lines:
 "Once upon a midnight dreary, while
 pondered weak and weary Over many 8 quaint and curious
 volume of forgotten lore While I nodded, nearly mapping. sud-
 denly there came a tapping As of some one, gentl rapping,
 rapping at my chamber door
 Only this, and nothing more. "Ah, distinctly, I remm eber, it was
 in the bleak December"
 At this point. Poe paused and stood gazing into the black night above them. Dr. Mathews implored him to go on, and Poe resumed:
 "Ah. distinctly remember. 1t was
 in the bleak December,
 And each separate, dying ember
 wrought it's ghost upon the
 floor.
 Eagerly l wished the morrow; vainly
 had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow--
 sorrow for the lost Lenore- For the rare and radiant maiden
 whom the angels name Le-
 Nameless here for evermore."
 'I have heard said pr. Mathews, telling the story. 'I have heard Poe himself recite that poem later on at Miss Lynch's; I have heard distin- guished actors read it. but never have I heard such an effect pro- duced by the human voice as when the author stood there in the sweep of the storm and uttered it--I pre- sume for the first time in mortal hearing"
 Poe read on till tremor of cold. more pronounced than the others that had shaken his frail and lightly clad body. caused pr. Mathews to in- terrupt and insist that Poe go homo, offering to give him the shelter of his umbrella the rest of the way.
 we reached the steps of his rest dence.. related pr. Mathews snd then he turned and thanked ish the peculiar grace snd rh of manner which ! nsy acoaaig sHae with him always aisttn apish fle gar Aiiaa Foe, fayinE
 .wis es ccme lag
 No. rspltcd 'sarefv nos Som other dnss meantime. if I can sssrvA sen iu any w4y let me know, ars fe surs to nnish this Raven poem
 " tn . melancholy sigh Poe re- piled:
 "I shall have to-it will not let me rest: it will not let me sleep nn- til it is completed. Perhaps 1T have once put it on paper tho ilis omened fowl will leave inc in pease. "A light shone above. and against the film of the curtain I saw the slender. girlish figure 1 knew to ha his wifes
 Not many weeks after I bought the very copy of The Raven I stu
 
 have. and room 1t was the most ae- mired. wondered over and wfittsu about of the productions of ias dsy.s