Then suddenly, and rather unaccountably, everything was
dropped. It seems likely that Clarke took cold in his money —
at any rate the "Penn" died a-borning. Poe had gone far
enough to incur a good-sized debt to Clarke — he left in the
latter's hands a manuscript as security, which, we may sup-
pose, did not raise the temperature of that gentleman's
finances.
12 PALMS OF PAPYRUS

Then the planning and the letter-writing and the making
of prospectuses, with other architectural projects of the
Spanish variety, went on and continued to the end of the
chapter — good God ! how pathetic and yet grimly humorous
it all is to one who has carried the same cross, and knows
every inch of that Calvary ! Poe was at least spared the strug-
gle which comes after possession ; but I am aware that this is
no consolation to the man who is dying to make his fight.
Yet once again the chance fluttered into his hands, when
he bought the "Broadway Journal" from a man named Bisco
with a note of fifty dollars endorsed by Horace Greeley. Not
long afterward Horace had the pleasure of paying the note
and remained to the end a strong believer in Poe's imagina-
tive gifts. About the same time that the philosopher parted
with his money, Poe gave up his brief possession of the
"Journal." But still he went on in the old hopeless, hopeful
way, dreaming of that blessed magazine, which he had now
decided to call the "Stylus" instead of the "Penn." And a
name only it remained to the last.
