forwarded two pieces, explaining that he wrote them

with the greatest of ease and avidity, as "young Pierson" would say. Of late I am startlingly prolific in composing, and, as you hinted, "Who knows, &c, &c."

At the same time he cautioned his brother to copy the verses and not to show the original to the editor, who might throw it aside, "thinking it a manuscript speech of Horace Greeley's, telling how little he knew about penmanship." It may be said in passing that Riley's early handwriting was not the artistic print-like script which he later developed, partly for the benefit of careless compositors. The letter closes with a couplet in which Riley adopted a new pen-name:

And say, dear brother, you will sign Jay Whit, Providing the papers will publish it?

The acceptance

by the Indiana

with the scratch of a pen when I have scratched so much! Then

Come, come, come,

The summer now is here,

and is rapidly filling my coffers-I mean my creditors', tho' alas! I will soon be out of debt, then-ah then, I con wag of dot head unt say I don't care for der expenses!

polis Mirror of a few of his rhymes, prompted him to write to his brother.

I would like to publish my "Ballad with a serious conclusion," but it's rather lengthy to risk unless they admire my style right well, and I don't want that refused-I'll publish it in Harper's Weekly first! I wish I could, and Nast would illustrate it.

The favorite poem did not appear. Then Riley wrote:

"This suspense is terrible!"-I daily may be seen with solemn expression following the mail-bag from the depot, as tho' it were some dear-little-fat-corpse-of-a-relative who had perhaps remembered me in his will-but alas! I turn away from the tomb (P.O.) with regrettings vain that I am not even favored

When the ballad finally appeared the poet was heartsick:

[May 14, 1872.] John, all the little articles, pronouns, etc., that have become changed, were chief characteristics of ballad style: I refer you to any ballad of Longfellow's, or any good poet's it makes it simple, plain and natural, and I wouldn't have had it changed for anything, in that particular, excepting those "ands"-you were right there-I do not know whether you or the printer changed the other -I regret that more than anything else. It hurts me more that the poem was my favorite, and I had built an airy castle for it! Well! enough!

In another letter to his brother, Riley said, "I have avoided everything overdrawn, and tried to make my characters all natural-in language and everything." This feeling prompted two attempts at dialect, though nothing successful came of them.

All this time young Riley was trying to earn a livelihood. At his father's suggestion he abandoned his attempts at portrait-painting and found himself, as he described it, "with a five-ought paintbrush in his hand one day under the eaves of an old frame house that drank paint by the bucketful, learning to be a painter." In a few weeks Riley had nothing more to learn from the old Dutch

"Patience, and shuffle the cards," and I'll soon be out of debt.

John I have an offer from a young advertiser, who was attracted by my card in the post-office, to travel and do Medicine advertising and such, and I believe I will go. I can be at home as often as you, I guess; so we won't be broken badly. I think it will be the best thing I could do: I'll be in the open air all the time, and I do like advertising especially where I have a chance of making 5$ and 6$ a day. I send you a photograph of my card-How do you like?I received a complimentary squib in both our worthy papers. The young man I am going with is a good business agent and sharp as the proverbial tack. He is not much.

RILEY

is! like the card I send you for instance -I can design them, and we can have them engraved and furnish cards novel, new, and unique for so much a thous- look out! Your's &c

JIM.

With McClanahan Riley set out

He

for Anderson. wrote that he had secured

some sign-work which will last me till the weather breaks, and allow us to perfect our arrangements for a scathing summer tour -things are looking propitious, and I can't but feel that my wildest dreams will be realized.

Soon he sent this word:

ANDERSON [IND.] July 17, 1872. DEAR BROTHER: In about an

hour we start for a week's trip to neighboring towns, and we are busy preparing for

same.

I received a letter from May the other day-it was written on Fourth and therefore no news in it-I wish some one "would go to them tell them for me to write me a letter from home." I've a curiosity to know how they all are. I wrote some days since, but, as yet have heard nothing-well yes, I did! Some itinerant lover was over there and brought back the bewitching tidings that some one had married there recently but "on his life" he "couldn't say who it was,' and I am left to drag through a long silence of uncertainty as to the possibility, or probability rather of my having a stepmother and being unconscious of it-"A little stepmother now and then Is"-&c-I wouldn't care for then perhaps May could come out and sun herself. I get quite purple when I

think about it, and therefore try to "forget to think."

I would like to have my ideas a little more concentrated that I might dilate on divers topics-How I am getting along-(tolerably) how I am going to get along (finely) and how I expect to "bring up in the end," O.K.-ly! but I must desist leaving you to say for me when you write home that I am very well and doing well, and so busy I cannot write for a little time yet.

had as our reward the best team in the barn free of charge for the afternoon." Thus set up, two young sign-painters made a dashing entrance before the public. Then they proposed to put the names of the leading merchants on every barn, fence, and boulder on each of the roads leading into town, with the very eloquent prophecy "these signs will stand as long as the fence or barn or stone remains." Human nature could ill withstand such an attractive proposition even at the big price named by the members of the new advertising agency. To any close-fisted objector they exclaimed: "Why, you spend that much each year on newspaper advertising, and, what is more, your newspaper allows your competitor to advertise in the very next column in a more conspicuous

place. He can't do that on the road, because you'll have every fence and barn, and if you don't take the contract he will, you bet!" And yet, despite their cleverness, the young men on occasion met discouragements. From the town of Peru, Riley wrote, early in August, 1872:

DEAR BRO:

We have been here one week tomorrow night-We came from Kokomo here,-after doing a flourishing business there expecting to do equally as well here, but alas! We will fail to amass the handsome little fortune bequeathed us by Kokomo. I have even fallen so low, as an advertiser, as to contract for the lettering of a few Home Sewing Machines -gold letters at that! "Old Joey B[agstock] is wide awake!" I'm safe!

I've been in good health and enjoying myself-hope you have! I should feel better, however, if I could hear from home. I wrote May from Kokomo, but have received no answer. I hope she is at school, she and Hum and Mary. There is a little girl here at the hotel that looks quite like Mary and, "You bet❞ she gets lots o' candy and nickels from "at dood fe'wow dats dot a yittow girl like me."

This town is full of business, politicsand everything almost-but advertising. We understand that it has had a party or two here in that line that skinned them-cut on board and livery &c. &c. and they're afraid we'll do the same. We'll pay tonight a

little old $18.00 for board anyhow;-Oh! we ain't bu'sted yet! Riley and McClanahan are "billed to show" and "the performance will positively take place whatever the weather!"

I have made the acquaintance of a Bandteacher here who is engaged to take charge of a band that is to travel this winter with a theatrical troupe that is organizing. He says he can get me a good thing with the party and wants me to go. I want to go, and with his assistance may get a place he assures me that it is strictly first class in every pa'ticula'. I can get a big salary for I'm the kind of a man they want-low-comedyRecitationist-comic song-scene-ptr.—tenor, drummer, etc. etc.

Your affectionate bro JIM. Write to me and kiss the children.

This first venture soon came to an end. It was a merry journey, into which the young poet put much imagination and enthusiasm. Once, suspended by a rope, he painted a sign upon the bottom of a bridge, inverting the letters so that the country people approaching the scene by a turn in the road were startled to read insistent words of advice reflected on the surface of the water. The big barns took from the work much of the charm and inspiration. Painting there in the blaze of the sun through long afternoons, and stretching upward to reach the tops of the letters till his

I worked all forenoon to-day, on some cards for War Barnett and then "turned out- -en masse" to a Greeley meeting-ogled some terribly damp Goddesses of Liberty -waded in mud over my shoes; saw a fight and kept out of it, heard the Fortville band and Dan Vorhees, and would rather hear 'our old band" than either one of them. And have come home kindo' tired, and am trying

weeks ago at Anderson-since then I have been leading my accustomed itinerant life, rambling,

"North and South and West and East,
Winds liked best and winds liked least,
Here and there, and gone astray
Over the hills and far away."

"Hard up" for a time, but for two weeks and "better" Fortune has been smiling blandly on me and I prosper. In this place (we finished to-day) we've done $130 or morebeen here a week and worked four days, but you can't tell-maybe it'll be the last good weather so we don't bet high on much big money.

new

to "recruit up" by writing this. I was thinking some-if the opportunity is available of going to Columbus to assist that scene-painter I told you of with a opera-house he is "fitting." . . . It would be a cap' thing for me! About two weeks with him, I think, would enable me to put scene-painting in the list of my many accomplishments.

Wrapping-paper's out must close-children send kisses and wishes that you will come, and I, with mingled sighs and tears relinquish my pen-cil. Affectionately your bro. JIM.

Riley soon rejoined McClanahan, driven forth, perhaps, by the need of

We won't have much "prize money" from this last lift, for there's a trifling little bill at Anderson against us for some

35 or forty dol. (We had to even borrow money to get out of there, and a board bill left unliquidated.

"Facts are stubborn things" as I'm aware, but I do my best so "whatever is, is right!" don't it? I am in splendid health, and spirits hope you are in like fix, and I have a kindo' gnawin' hunger to see youfor it's been TIME since I've had that pleasure and I hope that the next time I do we shall both be happy of easier circumstances. Write to me and tell me how the "old folks at home" are. I have become quite used to doing without news-and I'm sometimes fearful I'm forgetting home almost, but when I do go there it seems like a strange town and I catch myself making mental calculations of the probable amount of work we'll do there and then another thing, several little bills there, as sharp as Poe's Raven's peck ravenously at my conscience (a bad one).

If I had a thousand dollars to-morrow I would drive into Greenfield headed by a brass band, and I would "bill the town" with the following placard:

Jim Riley is here today-
With plenty of money to pay
All that he owes, to an iota!!