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Show A LONGFELLOW INCIDENT. Reading Mr. Howell's "The White Longfellow" suggested an incident which I think has never been in print It was toldt to the writer by the late O. W. Durell. on the day that Longfellow told it to him. Durell was a classmate of the poet s, and as they were chatting together in the poet's summer horns at Nahant they naturally fell into reminiscences of college col-lege days, and thus opened the way to the narration of the following incident: It will be remembered that not long-after long-after the publication, of "Hiawatha-Longfellow "Hiawatha-Longfellow had bestowed upon him a degree by an English university, which event occurred) while the poet wss In England, and he described it as follows: "The exercises were held in a theater, which was well filled with undergraduates. undergrad-uates. Those of us who were to receive degrees wore the customary red gowns and occupied the stage. As I entered I was immediately recognUed. Too can hardly imagine my surprise to bear shouted from the gallery: Three cheers for the "Red Man of the Weetr ' The cheers were given; with resonant unanimity, unan-imity, and I stood transfixed by the tumultuous enthuslawn. The delicate allusion to my 'Hiawatha conveyed in the title 'Red Man of the West pleased me more Ulan I can tell you. for you and I know that college boys' enthusiasm is genuine." Durell said that the poet showed unmistakably un-mistakably that he appreciated ths compliment, and though modesty forbade- his making- much mention of it, it naturally came out when speaking with a classmate whose adm!rat!6n for the poet was temporarily overshadowed by memories of the days when tarn was till bidden In the future. |