The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-08-16

that imp-DffQ, puTSu6S Iilc IhChtaiiyf
lperpetually;- L@cannot rid myself OF its
presence; as | sit here | seem to hear
the melancholy of its croak as | used
to hear it in my boyhood days at school
at Stoke-Newington; l seem to hear
the sordid flap Of its wings in my ears,
Il turned and looked at him; could
see very plainly that both | and my
drama had been left far behind, that
his brain was busy with some strange
fantasy, and | kept silent. Presently
he drew himself up and folded his
arms across his chest.
81 wonder he said, If Dickens has
ever been haunted by the raven as
am; wonder if the raven in 'Barnaby
Rudge' is his expression OF the monot-
onous power OF the bird over his mind
what do you think?
Il answered that from long cor
irespondence with Dickens | took him
to be man so little inclined to the in
Prospective that his presentation OF
Barnaby's raven was likely to have
been more for its effect than as the
result of a deep cause.
AZ see, responded Poe; that is pre-
cisely it. Some men sway tribes, toi-
bles or events to their own shaping;
others are swayed and swung hither
and thither by whispers heard only by
themselves
Leaving the theatre together DR..
Mathews sought him everywhere in
the crowd. Poe was not to be found
Unmindful of Falling Rain.
So DR.. Mathews went alone to sup
per- and it was after midnight when
he boarded a jostling bus for the ride
UP Broadway to his home, that being
before the days of street cars. 1t was
growing colder, the rain was freezing
as it fell, and the windows of the bus
were dimmed with moisture. Rubbing
clear place on the glass and peering
out OF see where he was, DR.. Mathews
was astonished to discover Poe stand
ing under a street light at Blocker
street, apparently writing on the mar
gin of his theatre program. Poe had
no umbrella, but apparently was OBJ
livious of the falling rain. DR.. Mathews
sprang from the bus and hurried to
the curb, called Poe by name and held
his umbrella over the poets head
Poe, courteous and gentle, yet show
ed his chagrin at being interrupted. He
admitted he had anticipated the invita-
ton to supper and had slipped away
to avoid it.
81 thank you very much" ne said,
"but | could not have eaten or drunk
or slept or gone a step farther than
this, or waited a moment longer than
now"
Poe had been on his way home Che
lived in what was then Amity street,
few blocks distant, in Greenwich vii
! lage, district that had not then &C
CURED its Bohemian reputation) when
the impulse to set down a line of the
poem then possessing his mind be-
came so strong that he dared not wait
even the short time before he could
gain shelter :
1T is the Raven" said Poe. LET me
read you a stanza or two, here and
now, will your"
Swayed by the poets mood and for
getting the hour, the storm and the
cold Dr. Mathews babe him read. Poe
| began in low monotone the now ia
nous lines:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while
pondered weak and weary
Over many quaint and curious volume
of forgotten lore
While I nodded, nearly mapping, sud
| denly there came d tapping
AS Of someone gently rapping, rapping
at my chamber door
Only this, and nothing more.
All, distinctly | remember, it was in
the bleak December
Under Deep Emotion.
At this point Poe paused and stood
gazing into the black night above
N. n L.
go on, and Poe resumed:
All, distinctly | remember, it was in
the bleak December,
And each separate, dying ember
wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly 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 Lenore-
Nameless here for evermore.
81 have heard" said DIR. Mathews,
telling the story, Il heard Poe himself
recite that poem later on at Miss
Lynch's; | have heard distinguished
actors read it, but never have | heard
such an effect produced byS the human
voice as when the author stood there
in the sweep OF the storm and uttered
it, | presume for the first time in NOR
tai hearing"
Poe read on till a tremor of cold,
more pronounced than the others that
had shaken his frail and lightly clad
body, caused DR.. Mathews to inter
rupt and insist that Poe go home, Of
fering to give him the shelter OF his
umbrella the rest of the way.
1--WE reached the steps of his resi-
dence," related Dr. Mathews, ''alnd
then he turned and thanked me with
the peculiar grace and charm of man
ner which in my acquaintance with
him always distinguished Edgar Allen
Poe, saying:
"Will you come in?'
No I replied surely not. Some
other time; meantime, if l can serve
you in any way let me know and be
sure to finish this Raven poem
With a melancholy sigh Poe replied:
Il shall have tot will not let me
rest; it will not let me sleep until It
is completed. Perhaps il l have once