TO MY LADY'S SPRING HAT By A. M. Speranza.
The following forenoon he posted that poem to the editor of The Cape Cod Item. And three weeks later it appeared in the pages of that journal. Of course there was no pecuniary recompense for its author, and the fact was indisputable that the Item was generally only too glad to publish contributions which helped to fill its columns. But, nevertheless, Albert Speranza had written a poem and that poem had been published.
It was Rachel who first discovered “To My Lady's Spring Hat” in the Item three weeks later. She came rushing into the sitting room brandishing the paper.
Olive, sitting sewing by the window, was, naturally, somewhat startled. “Mercy on us, Rachel!” she exclaimed. “What IS it?”
“Look!” cried the housekeeper, pointing to the contribution in the “Poets' Corner” as Queen Isabella may have pointed at the evidence of her proteges discovery of a new world. “LOOK!”
Mrs. Snow looked, read the verses to herself, and then aloud.
“Why, I declare, they're real sort of pretty, ain't they?” she exclaimed, in astonished admiration.
“Pretty! They're perfectly elegant! And right here in the paper for all hands to see. Ain't you PROUD of him, Mrs. Snow?”
Olive had been growing more and more proud of her handsome grandson ever since his arrival. She was prouder still now and said so. Rachel nodded, triumphantly.
“He'll be a Robert Penfold afore he dies, or I miss MY guess!” she declared.
She showed it to feminine acquaintances all over town, and Olive, when callers came, took pains to see that a copy of the Item, folded with the “Poets' Corner” uppermost, lay on the center table. Customers, dropping in at the office, occasionally mentioned the poem to its author.
“See you had a piece in the Item, Al,” was their usual way of referring to it. “Pretty cute piece 'twas, too, seemed to me. Say, that girl of yours must have SOME spring bunnit. Ho, ho!”
Issachar deigned to express approval, approval qualified with discerning criticism of course, but approval nevertheless.
“Pretty good piece, Al,” he observed. “Pretty good. Glad to see you done so well. Course you made one little mistake, but 'twan't a very big one. That part where you said--What was it, now? Where'd I put that piece of poetry? Oh, yes, here 'tis! Where you said--er--er--