Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-03-03


she's bsckei like peacock,
sn.'s breasted like a swan,
She's limp about the middle,
Her waist you weel may span,
Aud she has 10 ling eye.
Aud for bonnie annie Laurie
I'D lay dOwnmy head and de-
The failure of Mr. Douglas to produce the
intended effect by these beautiful verses
can only be attributed 10 the entertaining
views on the subject similar to Mr. Good
child, one of the Idle Apprentices of Mr..
Dickens: Nay quotb Thomas Id'e,'I have
not done with Annie Laurie yet And he
proceeded with that idle bII popular ballad
TO the effect that for the bonnie young per-
son of that name he would LAY him down
and equivalent in prose to lay him
down and de.
'Whst an ass that fellow was" cried
Goodchild, with the bitter emphasis of cou-
tempt.
(which felowp asked Thomas Idle.
The fellow in your song. Lay him doom
and dee. Finely he'd show off before the
gIrl by doing that. A sniveler! Why
couldn't he get up and punch somebody's
headl'
w nose! asked lnOmaS ld-e.
'Anybody's verybody's would be better
than noboda's! If fell into that state of
mind about girl, do you think I'D lay me
doom and dee! No, SIR proceeded Good
child. with disparaging assumption OF the
Scottish accent, pa get me uop and Peetch
into somebody
Annie Laurie adapted to modern tastes,
gives a rendering more lengthy, mJrs pol
ished and ornate, aud t. our m ind, less
earnest, arlless and honest. To this are the
million pianos OF contemporary damsels
struck, and many yet living liver h as cx-
pressed his willingness TO depart this life in
proof of his affection for the lovely, but up-
parently relentless, Annie of century and
half ago:
Maxwellton banks are bouny,
Where early falls the dew,
And twas there that Annie Laurie
Gave me her promise true;
Gave me her promise true,
And n5'eT inrget will l,
But tor bonnie Annie Laurie
I'D lay Ine doSh and die.
Her brow Is like the snowdrift,
Her throat is like the swan,
Her iace Is as the iairesI,
That e'er the snn shone on;
That e'er the sun shune on,
And dark blue l. her eye.
And or bonnie Annie Laurie
I'D lay lie down and die.
Like dew on the gowan living,
l. the la o her fairy tet,
And like winds summer sighing,
Her voice Is Tow and sweet;
Her voice Is low and sweet
And she's IA the world 10 me,
And for bunGIe Annie Laurie
Id lay me down and die.
This was the song the British soldier
sang amid the pabscs OF cannonadiEg. Til
story is well told III Bsyard Tay lor's Som
ot the Camp which will be fitting pear
TO this slightly strung necklace OF Anni
Laurie literature The whole may be
documentary history OF her wandering
through century and half of song:
.'Give us song!'' the soldier cries.
The outer Trenches guarding,
When the heated guns OF the camp allied,
Grew weary OF bJmbarding.
The dark Redan, in silent scoff,
Law grim aud threatening under;
And the tawny mound OF the MalakCh
No longer uelc!ied lis thunder
There was pause. A guardsman said,
I'VE storm the tort to- morrow;
Sing while we may, another day
viii bring enough OF sorrow"
They lay along the baitery's side,
Below The smoking cannon
Brave hearts from Severn and from Clyde,
And from the banks Uf shannon
They sang of love, anI not Of fame,
-. Forgot was BrilaiL's glory;
Eacl heart recalled a different name,
But all sang ''Anuic Laurie"
Voice after voice caught up the song
Until its tender passion
Rose ike an anthem clear and str0ng
/ heir battle eve confession
Dear girl, her name he dare not speak.
Yet as the song grow tuder,
Something upon the soldiers cheek,
Washed of the stains OF powder.
Beyond the darkening ocean burn
The bloody sunsets embers,
While the Crimean valleys learned
How English love Tencmbers-
And once again a FIRE of hell
RBined tie Russian quarters.
" iih str ream of shot, and burst of she'll.
And believing of tine mortars.
An Irish Norn's evcs are dim
For a singer dumb and z 'ry;
An English Mary mnu-ns for him
Who sang o! Annie Laulle.'
Ah, soldiers, to your hOncTed rest
Your ruth and valor bearing!
The bravest are the ienderrs;--
I he loving are the darling.
.ss@r.z-sa.EE.s.sz.@
An Ingenious but D;sloyal South
Carolinian.
Apropos to the recent grant of the appli
cation for a renewal of paten: of an easy