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5, A WINNETKA WEEKLY TALK, SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 1925 1% JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY In Character Sketches Editor's Note--Hoyt King of Wil: mette, one of the best known men in New Trier township by virtue of his many years' service as Township Col- lector, is the author of Character Sketches of James Whiacomb Riley which will appear frequently in issues of WINNETKA TALK. Mr. King comes by his enthusiasm for Riley quite naturally since he is a native of Indiana and the son of one of the poet's most intimate friends. Mr. King's father was associated with the Indian- apolis Journal--where Riley was a famil- iar figure for many years--and purchased the first volume of the first edition of Riley's poems, a work now in possession of Myr. King. "As a boy I often saw Mr. Riley," says Mr. King, "though I did not know him intimately. I have al- ways prized his works and have made quite an exhaustive study of his cracer. I hope these brief character sketches may be of interest to other Riley lovers on the north shore." When speaking, Riley would observe closely the effect of his readings on his auditors. Once a man and his wife made an_exit while he was giving the 'Happy Little Cripple." He was much concerned and asked a friend to find out why they left. He learned that they had a little crippled child of their own. It is said he never used the recitation after this. He may have abandoned it for a while, but I know he did give the lines later. The "Happy Little Cripple" views his af- flictions lightly, as this verse shows: "HAPPY LITTLE CRIPPLE" "I'm nine years old! An' you can't guess how much I weigh, I bet!-- "Last birthday I weighed thirty-three !-- . an' I weigh thirty yet. I'm awful little for my size--I'm purt' nigh littler an' "Some babies is!--an' neighbors all calls me 'their little man'! "oq: . An' Doc, one time he laughed an' said, 'I spec, first thing you know, "You'll have a little spike-tail coat an' travel with a show.' "An nen I laughed--till I looked 'round an' Aunty was a-cryin"-- fo The PEERLESS Six and Eight Immediate Orders Insure Immediate Delivery. NORTH SHORE AUTOMOBILE CO. 1735 Benson Avenue Evanston | Phone Univ. 1048 "Sometimes she acts like that, cause I got *surv'ture of the spine'." Riley's natural bent trained him to see poetry in incidents, poetry in the scenery about him, poetry in dreams of the dead and gone. Jerry Martin, Riley's next door neighbor in Green- field, tells this one: "Once," he says, "Old Bill Bussell, as he was called, a farmer who lived at Bussell"s Corner, came into the courthouse one morning. All of us boys were standing around and Riley was with us. Somebody greeted Bussell with, 'How's farmin', Bill and I remember the old farmer replied, 'I'm not raisin' anything this year. The corn's all wallered down, the potatoes are all wallered down, everything is all wallered down." And it wasn't very long after that, that Riley wrote some verses in which these lines appear : ""T'hese here cy-clones foolin' round, And back'ard crops and wind and rain, And yit the corn that's wallered down, May elbow up agin." On another occasion, Freeman Crawford, who used to own a drug store in Greenfield and later traveled to Kansas in a wagon, came back for a visit. In his Greenfield days the Adelphian band used to give street concerts at night. A bunch of boys, Riley among them, met Crawford on the street and he said he was going to leave, but he wanted to hear the old band play once more before he did. The remark escaped the rest, but there was in it such a tone of regret and longing that it was inspirational to Riley and we have his verses: "THE OLD BAND" "What's come of old Bill Lindsay and the saxhorn fellers--say? I want to hear the old band play. NORTH SHORE BOOTERY 529 Davis Street at Chicago Avenue In the North Shore Hotel Bldg. The Store of Good Shoes "What's come of Eastman and Nat Snow?. And where's War Barnett at? "And Nate and Bony Meek; Bill Hart, Tom Richa'son and that "Air brother of his played the drum a twict as big as Jim; "And old Hi Kerns, the carpenter--say, what's become of him? "I make no doubt yer new band now's a competenter band, "And plays their music more by mote than what they play by hand "And stylisher and grander tunes; but somehow--any-way. "I want to hear the old band play." 1926 LICENSE PLATES TO BE BLUE AND WHITE Blue license plates lettered in white have been selected for automobiles for the year 1926. Contract for the manufacture of the plates has been let by Secretary of State, Louis I.. Emmerson at 13.4 cents per pair and this is believed to be about the lowest price for plates in the United States. The contract for these plates, which will number 1,165,000, was awarded to the C. H. Hanson company of Chi- cago. The plates enclosed in patented en- velopes will be delivered to the State House in Springfield free of charge to the state and will be ready for dis- tribution on January 1, 1926. In addition to the plates, contracts have also been let to the Brady com- pany of Peoria for 100,000 badges for chauffeurs. Secretary Emmerson believes this estimate will be insufficient to care for {Rays of Light %,</$5¥ 0 1 BERSCH. OD. WOT FP | | HAPPY OR OTHERWISE Whether "those good, old golden | school days" are happy for your boy or girl depends upon their eyesight. | | | They cannot advance in their studies unless their vision is unimpaired. An ex- amination here will tell. 15 years of successful practice DR. O. H. BERSCH | Optometrist 1177 Wilmette Avenue Wilmette For Appointment Phone Wil. 2766 of the Automobile department show have been issued making a total regis- the demands in 1926, and the COT - | mm-- tracts specify that if more plates are needed they will be furnished at the same figure. Cu Statistics compiled from the records = that during the year 1925, to date 1,015,190 pleasure cars have been li- censed. 3s In addition 4,332 dealers, 5,449 mo- torcycles, and 146,114 truck licenses SKOKIE tration of 1,171,085. The total revenue from license fees MOTOR turned into the state treasury for this period has been $12,110,777.03. The only Authorized Ford Dealers Between Evanston and Highland Park. WINNETKA, ILL. 712-14-16 Elm Street PERCY, BIG FISHERMAN Percy Hilburn, who photographed for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the Vic- tor Seastrom production of "Confes- sions of a Queen," is ranked as one of the greatest fisherman on the Paci- fic coast. sun JJ YEARS THE STANLA uw Us unas. 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