Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1912 — Strickland Gillilan Writes Poetry In Praise of I. S. of C. [ARTICLE]

Strickland Gillilan Writes Poetry In Praise of I. S. of C.

Strickland Gillilan, the Hoosier who became famous several years ago when he wrote the little railroad poem, “Off Again, On Again, Finnegan,” and who was one of the speakers at the Indiana Society of Chicago in December, composed the following lines and'sent them to William B. Austin, under date of Dec. 20th. He entitled them “On the Train, Recently,” presumably having written them while riding on the train. The verses run: Surely you can never think That I am the saturnine sort of a gink Who can take all the kindness the I. S. of C. So recently showered on travel-tired ' me - And simply regard it a matter of course. No more than my due? Nay, with all of its force The honor soaked in UH my heartcockles felt As if, wdre the fire fanned further, they'd melt. The thing has swelled only the lump in my throat, * It hasn't gone higher, I beg you to note, And finest of all. was to find that the girl Who mothers my babies when I am awhirl ?. Had drawn a full set of those souvenir de feed And felt she was greatly remembered indeed. 80, ask what you will, you've a vassal in me. For my heart sings “God Bless the Old I B. of C.”

STRICKLAND GILLILAN.