Show RILEY HAD TO WRITE JINGLES former teacher recalls days day when the loved poet was her pupil jingles and not regular studies occupied the school hours of james whitcomb riley the noted hoosier poet according to mrs tibby ulrey seventy three years old ol of athens athena tenn who Is visiting with mrs S A rice of covington ky the cincinnati commercial tribune states in the year 1860 61 when I 1 taught in the subscription school at greenfield ind riley was one of m pupils and although he was a good student he never carried off the honors of his class his chief delight was to hide behind hand some other pupil and compose jingles as he called them and when caught in the act always explained that he had to write as the verses were always going through his mind composition caffie came natural to him him and he be would stop in the midst of a tash to jot down some little verse when ho he was about eighteen years old he ran away with a traveling medicine show and later painted signs oh on fences but would stop work suddenly to sprawl out on the grass by the roadside and jingle mrs afra ulrey attended the celebration in honor of the poet which was recently held in indianapolis and she and her former pupil spent several hours together recalling the old school sch schooldays oolda days ye |