1864, by which time our poetess had become widely and
favorably known to the public, she was requested to
write a hymn to be sung on the occasion. It is repub-
lished here in the " Miscellaneous " division. As she felt
a deep interest in the event, the request was readily com
plied with ; and the citizens were more than satisfied with the production. When I took the poem, after looking it
over, I gave her two dollars as compensation, but with a
sense of mortification that I was not able to give a larger
sum. But she was surprised at the liberality of the offer,
and, with difficulty, was induced to accept the money.
She blushed like a child at the thought that her trifle
was so highly appreciated. The occurrence, which I
have often recalled with amused interest, was recently
confirmed by her mother, after eighteen years have inter
vened, by informing me how surprised Nancy was at
receiving such compensation for what she had scribbled
off at a sitting.
A writer in "The Springfield Republican," soon after the decease of Mrs. Wakefield, recalled a scene in the girl hood of one whom so many had learned to love, through her writtings, who had never seen her face. He says,
" I was more than sorry to hear that the gifted author of 'Over the River ' had passed
' From sight with the boatman pale
To the better shore of the spirit land.'
