Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet No. 14

by Kelly Link Gavin J. Grant

  HE UUAndErEd thEn In A dElIrIUm Of mAlnUtrItIOn And slEEplEssnEss UntIl hE kAmE UpOn A mUrdEr Of krOUUs. ThEsE krOUUs, AkkOrdIng tO hIs klAIms, fEd hIm InsEkts And UUOrms fOr thrEE UUEEks UUhIlE tEAshIng hIm tO spEAk And UUrItE thE vOUUEls “A,” “E,” “I,” “O,” “U,” And “Y.” DhImItrAkOpOUlUs O'REIllY klAImEd thAt thE krOUUs, And sErtAIn OthEr bIrds UUhO AlIghtEd UpOn A bOUldEr tO lEktUrE tO hIm frOm tImE tO tImE, spOkE tO hIm AbOUt thE hIddEn UUOrkIngs Of thE hUmAn UUOrld, Of pAttErns UUhIsh bIrds AlOnE UUErE prIvY tO, As OUtsIdErs And AErIAl ObsErvErs. DhImItrAkOpOUlUs O'REIllY nEvEr EksplAInEd UUhY hE UUAs UnAblE tO kOnvErt thEsE sEkrEts IntO UUEAlth, EksEpt tO sAY thAt It UUAs ImpOssIblE tO rEpEAt thE lEssOns Of hIs AvIAn AdvIsOrs.

  OnE mOrnIng DhImItrAkOpOUlUs O'REIllY UUOkE tO fInd thE krOUUs And thE OthEr bIrds hAd dEsErtEd hIm, sO hE tOOk hIs jOUrnAls And hIs nEUUfOUnd vOUUEls And lEft thE mOUntAIns tO rE-EntEr sOsIEtY. HE trAvElEd tO SAn FrAnsIskO, UUhErE hE spEnt thE rEst Of hIs lIfE UUOrkIng In thE mEtAlUUOrkIng And shIpbUIldIng IndUstrIEs, nEvEr mAnAgIng mUsh mOrE thAn A sUbsIstEnsE UUAgE. UUhEn hE dId hAvE EkstrA mOnEY hE pUt It IntO pUblIshIng rElIgIOUs pAmphlEts And tOUUArds dEvElOpIng hIs tYpEfAsEs. HIs fIrst AttEmpt, HYDO 1, UUAs nEArlY IllEgIblE, thE lEttErs rEsEmblIng thE EnglIsh stAndArd bUt bEArIng vEstIgIAl tAbs And sErIfs. AddItIOnAllY, thE qUAlItY Of DhImItrAkOpOUlUs O'REIllY's EkspErIEnsEs In sEEkIng thE vOUUEls rEsUltEd In An InsIstEnsE On AlUUAYs kApItAlIzIng EvErY OnE Of thEsE mOst sAkrEd lEttErs, An InsIstEnsE hE mAIntAInEd fOr thE rEst Of hIs lIfE. HE rEfUsEd EvEn tO prOdUsE prOtOtYpE lOUUErkAsE vOUUEls fOr AnY Of hIs tYpEs. ThIs kOUplEd UUIth thE lAk Of sErtAIn kArAktErs mEAnt thAt mOst Of hIs EArlY pAmphlEts UUEnt UnrEAd. In rEspOnsE DhImItrAkOpOUlUs O'REIllY dEvElOpEd HYDO 2, UUhErEIn hE shEd mAnY Of thE sUpErflUOUs strOkEs Of hIs lEttErs And thUs gAInEd A smAll, EkstrEmElY tOlErAnt, AUdIEnsE.

  HYDO 3 mArkEd DhImItrAkOpOUlUs O'REIllY's fIrst AknOUUlEdgEmEnt Of thE kOnsEptUAl “UU,” UUhIsh hE IntErprEtEd lItErAllY. BY thIs tImE hE hAd gAInEd sOmE mInOr sElEbrItY, bOth fOr thE Odd mArrIAgE Of fOlk tAlE And fUndAmEntAlIst KrIstIAnItY UUhIsh kArAktErIzEd hIs pAmphlEts And fOr hIs ImprOmptU strEEt prEAshIng, UUhIsh OftEn strAYEd IntO tOngUEs fOrEIgn tO thE vAst mAjOrItY Of hUmAns. ThE EdItOrIAl pAgE Of thE SAn FrAnsIskO EksAmInEr rEfErrEd tO hIm As “A mAn UUhO UUOUld bE bEttEr Off prEAshIng In thE kOnfInEs Of thE zOOlOgIkAl gArdEns, UUhErE pErhAps thE fErAl krEAtUrEs mIght fInd mEAnIng In hIs gUttUrAl, trAnsElIkE UttErAnsEs."

  DhImItrAkOpOUlUs O'REIllY UUAs UUOrkIng On HYDO 4 UUhEn hE dIEd At thE AgE Of fOrtY-sEvEn. (In A kApsUlE ObItUArY thE EksAmInEr lAmEntEd thE “sUddEn dEArth Of mAd lIArs UUhO mIsqUOtE skrIptUrE tO thE pIgEOns.") NO drAfts Or EArlY EngrAvIngs sUrvIvE, bUt hIs jOUrnAls h—Int At A mAjOr dEvElOpmEnt In tYpOgrAphY. It Is tEmptIng tO dIsmIss thIs As thE grAnd dElUsIOns Of A mAdmAn. SOmE, hOUUEvEr, hAvE spEkUlAtEd thAt If DhImItrAkOpOUlUs O'REIllY mAnAgEd tO IndEpEndEntlY rEInvEnt UUrItIng In A mAttEr Of A fEUU YEArs, gIvEn A fEUU mOrE hE mIght hAvE fOUnd hIs UUAY tO A hIghEr fOrm Of kOmmUnIkAtIOn. In thE UUOrds Of OUr shAIrmAn, Mr. OtIs R. TEslEnkO III, “DhImItrAkOpOUlUs O'REIllY mIght hAvE lEd Us tO A lAngUAgE UUIthOUt spEEsh Or tYpE, tO A tElEpAthIk nEtUUOrk, Or tO pArlEY UUIth thE bEAsts Of thE EArth And thE bIrds Of thE AIr.” As It Is OftEn sAId, AnYthIng Is pOssIblE.

  HYDO 3 Is mAIntAInEd bY thE HIstOrIkAl SOsIEtY Of SAn FrAnsIskO, UUhIsh OrgAnIzAtIOn mAIntAIns thAt “UUhAt It lAks In lEgIbIlItY And AEsthEtIk AppEAl It mAkEs Up fOr In lOkAl hIstOrIkAl IntErEst."

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  Table of Contents

  fiction

  poetry

  nonfiction

  people* 65

  Music Lessons

  The Film Column

  Two poems by David Blair

  Diamond

  Sitting on a Bench in the Park

  Ragdog

  Two Stories by James Sallis

  The Museum of Last Week

  Pete and Earl

  A Conspiracy of Dentists

  Felix Soutre, Puppeteer:

  Projection

  The Half-Fey House

  Dear Aunt Gwenda Vol. 2

  Beer with a Hamster Chaser

  The Blue Period

  Sun

  Careless Liza:a fairy tale

  The Enchanted Trousseau

  People

  A NOtE AbOUt thE TYpE

  [Back to Table of Contents]