Mr. Billings of Louisville by Eugene Field

THERE are times in one's life which one cannot forget; / And the time I remember's the evening I met / A haughty young scion of bluegrass renown / Who made my acquaintance while painting the town: / A handshake, a cocktail, a smoker, and then / Mr. Billings of Louisville touched me for ten.

There flowed in his veins the blue blood of the South, / And a cynical smile curled his sensuous mouth; / He quoted from Lanier and Poe by the yard, / But his purse had been hit by the war, and hit hard: / I felt that he honored and flattered me when / Mr. Billings of Louisville touched me for ten.