The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1850-11-09
THE SCOTTISH SHEPHERD hoy.
nY roLnNhl InmNaoN.

IL is said that some are born with silver
spoons in their months, aud, that Dame For
tune !, 80 dcklc aud capricious in the bc.
.towal ~ her m,dr that the uudcscrying
- - ,-'' 80 10 draw prizes in
Withor conirn,cruug this, or scrmouzng
on the text ''rhr wa, of fr-e i- t.,t a.- AiH1-
self it IS not in man that walkcth to direct
hi, Steps shall assert and prove that Prov
idcurc, ia his own mysterious way, frequent
ly iutcrpo.cs, in the affairs of men, putting
down one and setting NJ auo,hcr" contrary
to all probabilities and human calculations.
About the year ! $50, John Grcg was born
in one of the hunblc-r cottages of Scotland,
in that strict district OF the country whore the
heather excludes the green grass, and the
shepherds guard their sheep upon Ilic bro,c-
ME hills, ahording but scanty heritage to the
h"atiag aaaLs.-- -lIalwaA. the son Of poor
shepherd, himself trained to the same tm-
ploymcnt from childhood, aud hc might be-
seen watching the sheep the livclong day,
with faded bonnet, barpiootod aud his iath-
cr's cast-olI plaid hanging in attcrs upon his
ihlNhlNN vi lfAilN anu lNN'hN
John knew nothing. The distant parish
school-househc had never opproachcd and
the Gaelic bible and psalm-hook, ON which
his father strapped his razor, were concealed
treasures to his understanding. With all
these drawbacks, John was a genius in his
way; for though he could not pipe his, pasto-
raj lays on oatcn reeds, like Don Nergil's
swain of yorc, for hack of oatcn n,utn-m ON
! the heathy hills, vet hc contriycd with the
stalks of hollow weeds gathered in the miry
/ tcns, to make ftrs or rude flutes of various
sizes and construction, with which he could
initiate the notes Of birds tuning their lays
even in those almost barren regions.
There was one strange listncr TO his music
Old Nanny McGregor was a lone weird cronc
inhahidng small cottage in the widest and
most unircqucutcd gorges Of the hills and of
whose character and strange habits the peas
antry thcrcabouts were wont TO conjecture
! many things. Some thought her datl; others
that She had dealings with the Evil One
"spcering o him about ungodly mysteric'
for sake o iortin-tellin'-that by the lines
o'the hand, ,tlr"wce bit o spetks ON tc0-oups
or the warsc ,bedivelmcnt ofoards, she bciul-
ed the sat ninnoS, thereby gathering togeth
er the warlds gccr, and burying il under
ground in her kail-yard."
The fact is that Nanny MGregnr was I
rare character, and perhaps withest a paral
lei in the present history of Scotland. Sh'
was born some seventy years previous to th'
commencement of this narrative, in family
of ancient name, and educated as we'll a
i were thr-brst oi females iR the enuntry part
! of Scotland century ago, which, by the bye
e was none too well She had "a broken hear
come DER her" as her, early acquaintance
used to say, ron ,geihg her io'eCt and lost on
s washed ashore cold corpse fra his vesse
c wrecked upon the rocks" Nanny for man
t rrrrrrtirv and Wandering among tn
/ highlands, fleeing like frighted doe iror
70 the approach OF man, and feeding. 10 all AT
a pearance. ike the chameleon, ON air. Sh
- was, however, naturally oftoo strong a min
{! TO let her grief destroy her quiet; SO, gradua
g ly recovering, she resolved I'd rclmain unmai
IS ricd. and, h, active cmployment 10 drow