Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/414

 JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY 391 talent for painting or drawing and thought of being a portrait painter, his experiments in that line being on the back of wall paper, which he bought for the purpose. Then he descended in the artistic scale and learned ornamental sign painting from an old German. These travels which were in the company of young men like himself, of good habits and good family, continued for several years. They widened his acquaintance with all sorts and con- ditions of men, and his insight into character and his quick eye for originality in others must have caused to be etched upon his memory many of the portraits afterwards presented to the public and to fame. It was perhaps on those journeys that he met that native son of whom he says : An ' they haint no shine on them shoes o ' his. And his hair haint cut — but his eyeteeth is : Old John Henry.** Some time on his travels he met Jap Miller. Of Jap he writes: And prove the pore man pays *em all — and them's about the f acs 1 — Religion, law, er politics, prize fightin* er baseball — Jes tech Jap up a little and he'll post you 'bout 'em all." Somewhere along, too, he came to know the rural philoso- phers personified in ** Benjamin F. Johnson of Boone," be- hind whose name Mr. Riley stood when The Old Swimmin^ Hole and 'Leven More Poems were first given to the public — a kindly soul whom he salutes thus : '^Lol Steadfast and serene. In patient pause between The seen and the unseen. What gentle zephyrs fan Tour silken silver hair, — And what diviner air Breathes round you like a prayer. Old Man!"
 * He*s stove up some with the rheumatiz,
 * He'll talk you down on tariff; er he*ll talk you down on tax.