Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1866-12-05
SlI Surts of @U00 gta0ing.
MARJORIE FLEMING,

MARJORIE FLEMING,
MARJORIE FLEMING was a little girl
who died at seven years of age in the
Winter of 1911, and who, in the last
year of her life, kept childish journals
and wrote letters that ought to be, for
their wonderful pictures Of a genuine
child's fun and fire, and forecasts Of ma
tured sweetness. as simmortal as the works
of, her great admirer, Sir Walter Scott -
In all genuine children, where the bud
gives any diseernible forecast of the
flower, and not merely reason to expect
it, there is a primitiyeness Of thought
and feeling which is, to the matured
qualities even of the fnest. mind, what
the wild rose is to the garden rose
something fur more exquisitely fascina-
ting by the -singleness of impression pro-
duced-by the very absence of those
richer forms and colors which culture
/ brings. But, usually, there is also u
want of fire, though not Of Vividness, in
such early anticipations of character, a
want which robs the picture of its in
terest to al except thorough going chill
dren worshipers. There was not this in
little Marjorie, who, besides having all
the fun, the delight in mischief, the ca
price. the love Of influence, which such
briiliantlittle women have often possessed,
had an indesc yibable fire of her own,
which, in combination with her humor
and her sweetness, was quite enough to
rivet the chains of Scoit's impressible
genius and tender heart Nosuch strik-
ing picture has ever been drawn Of the
great novelist as that of Scott carrying
off the little woman from her aunt's house
in Edinburg, wrapped, like little lamb,
in the corner of his shepherds plaid, to
his own house, and then saying his nom
sense-lesson dutifully to her as he stood
before her like a sheepish schoolboy,
with his hands behind him:
'Wonery, twoery, ticFery seven;
Alibi erackaby, ten, and eleven;
Pin pan, musky dan;
TWeedle-um, twOCCle-um,
Twenty-wan; eeric, orie, ourie
You, are, out
He pretended to great difficulty. and
she rebuked him with most comical graV-
ity, treating him as child. lie used to
say that hen he came to Alibi, Cracka
by, he broke down, aud Pin Pan, Mu,ky.
Dan. Tweedleum, Twoodleum made him
roar with laughter. He said "4lusky
Dan especially was beyond endurance
bringing up an Irishman and his hat
fresh from the Spice Islands and oduriier-
ous Ind; she getting quite bitter in her
displra.ure at his ll-hehavinr aud stupid
ness. Then he would read ballads to
her in his own giorious way, the two get
ting Wild with excitement over Gil Nor
rice or the Baron Of Smailhoim; and
he would take her on his knee and make
her repeat Coustance's speeches in King
John, till he swayed to aud fro, soJbiDg
his fill Scott used to say that hc was
anuzed at her power over him. saying to
Mrs Keith, She's the most eztraordina-
~ creature I ever met With, ard her re
peating Of Shakespeare oyerpowers me
as nothing else does.
What was the secret Of this great fas-
cination? Principally, we think-though !
in very much higher and richer region |
Of coufse-exactly that which also con-
stituted the secret of Scots passion for
the nob'e, among the lower animals
the charm Of that excessive naturaluess,
that naked simplicity with which the
highest feelings, and deepest intuitions
aud richest humoT Of intellectual life
dawn on US in the crystal surface Of
mind only just emerging from uncon
sciousness, utterly incapable therefore Of
any Of the complexities ofexperience, and
yet with fire enough to anticipate in
strength and intensity of apprehension
he feelings and perceptions Of maturity.
What an exquisite childish anticipation
If all womanly delights is there in that
bit of diary written at six years Of age
It Bramhead.
The day of my existence here has been
delightful and enchanting. On Satur-
lay l expected, no less than three well
made bucks, the names Of whom is here
.dvertised Mr. George (Craigie,) and
Em Keith and John Keith-the first is
he funniest of every one Of them. Mr.. I
yrakey and I walked to Crakery hall p
land in hand in innocence and matitation C
meditation) sweet thinking on the kind 0
owe which flows in our tender hearted u
mind which is overfoging with majestic j,
,leazure, no one was ever so polite to me Il
u the hole state of my existence. Mr.. u
'rackey you must know is great Buck z
nd pretty good looking. l am at Ravels- f,
on enjoying natures fresh air. The t,
irds are singing sweetly-the calf doth il
risk and nature shows her glorious face Il
+ walked to that delightful ?
lace, Crakey hall, with a delightful g
oung man, beloved by all his friends Al
specially by me, his loveress, but l b
Iust not talk any more about him for e.
sa said it is not proper for to speak of S
entalmen but l will never forget him.
OF course, part of the enjoyment
hich we take in this is derived from the .,
umorous contrast, Of which Marjorie al
as entirely unconscious, between the u
tile 'loveress's' frankly confessed de- IN
ght in her fancied conquest and the "a
,rm in which she would have confded u
herself the same sentiments at some Ut
hat ripper. But that is only a part OF
le charm. The piquancy of the passage bI
es chiefly in the clear dawn of that so
minnie love for the luxury of tranquil ar
notion and grati6ed dighity which T
,eaks in the confession of walking &c
land in hand in innocence and matita- sh
on, sweet thinking on the kind love la
hich flows in our tender r-hearted mind,
hich is overhowing with majestic pleas