The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-12-03
rHAF REyowsED LAMB.
References il made to Mary's The
Life and DEATH of the tsenuine
sheep Whist mary Knows
Abouf IL.
rsrrinrhela Republican.


tSpri1gfeid Republican
There are floating about in the great
ocean Of literature stray chips Of song
or story which, from their wit or wis
dom. or frnm Sl;ne nn1ccountahlr reason
hecome papalarized and cherished niare
carefully than whule navie< of world-re
nowned aHthors- Their psrenfsge un-
known, they come as literally fonndlings
TO our doors, and once admitted. CON-
inand their own place in our affections.
Among such is the paem MARY had
Little Lamb" IL hss been plrodi-d.
paraphra<ed and translated into the dead
languages. And vet scarce any one
knows who is the author. or whether il l.
fctitiou- or funded on fact.
But il is a true account OF an incident
that hsppened sixty-one years ago, not
fifty miles from the Cradle of Liberty.
And Mary" delightful old lady of
three-sc"re- and ten. still lives and cher
ishes the memory of the event, which
she relates as follows:
Il was when I was nine wears old, and
We lived on the farm. | u-ei To go out
"a The harm every morning with father t0
see the cows and sheep. One cold day
we found that during the night twin
lambs had been horn. You know that
sheep will often disown one of the twins,
and this morning one poor little lamb
was pushed out of the pen into the yard.
II was almost starved and almost frozen,
and father told me ] might have it if ]
cOnld make il live. So took il into the
house. wrapped it in blanket and fed it
on peppermint and milk all day. When
night came / could not bear 20 leave il
for fear it wonld die, so mother made
me little bed on the settee, and
nursed the poor thing all night, feeding
it with a spoon, and by morning il could
stand. After this we brought il up by
hand. until it grew TO love me very much
and wonld stray with me Wherever
went, unless ii was tied i used, before
going to school in the morning, see that
| the lamb was tied and securely fastened
for the day. Well, one morning when
my brother Nat and I were ready, the
lamb could not be .found, and snpposing
that it had gone out to the pasture with
the cows. we started on. used to be q.
great singer, and the lamb would follow
the sonnd of my voice This morning af-
ter we had gone some distance.I began to
sing, and the lamb. hearing me, followed
on and overlook us before we got TO the
school house.
As 1t happened, we were early, so
went in very quietly, took the lamb into
my seat, where it went to sleep, and
covered it up with my shawl. When
the teacher came, and rest ofthe scholars
they did not notice anything amiss, all
was quiet until my spelling class was
called had taken my place before the
patting of the little feet was heard com
ing down the aisle, and the lamb stood
beside me, ready for its word. OF course
the children all laughed, an6 the teach.
er laughed, and the poor creature had tc
turned out of doors. But il kept com
ing back. and had, at last, to be tied il
the woOdshed till night. Now. that day
there was a Young man in school, Johr
ROulston by name, who was on a visit tC
one of the boys, and came as a spectator
He was Boston boy. He was very mucf
pleased over what he saw in our school
and few days altar gave US the frs
verses "f the song. How. or when il go
into print | don't know.
Thus she ran on. telling Of the car
she bestowed on her pet until it grew 4
be sheep, and she would carl the lonJ
wool over a stick; and it bore lambs nm
Ill there was flock of five, all her own
and finally how it was killed by an an
grv COW. Then she brought out n pal
of her little girl stocking, knitted o
yarn spun from the lambs wool. Th
) heels had been raveled ont and givel
piecemeal as mementOes. John Roulstol
died before entering college. What tn
world lost in him who wove into vers
that which immortalized both Mary an,
the lamb, no one may say.