The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-10-15
DOT LEETLE NIB.
THE "TRUE STORY" OF MARy's YOUNG
sHEEP-HOw HE FOLLOWED HER
TO SCHOOL AND HOW HE
WAS EXPELLED

ocean OF literature stray chips of song or
story, which from their wit or wisdom. or
! from some unaccountable reason, become
| popularized and cherished more carefully
| than whole navies of world renowned au-
thors. Their parentage unknown, thev
come as literary fouudlings TO our doors.
| and, once admitted, command their own
place in our affections. Among such is the
poem, ''Mary had a little lamb There
! is hardly child in the broad land who has
not become familiar with the verses not a
college student but has sung them to a
dozen different tunes. 1t has been paro
died, paraphrased and translated into the
dead languages. And yet scarce any one
knows who is the author, or whether it is
fictitious or founded on fact. 1t is, per-
haps, in the truth of the story that the
secret of its popularity lies. For it is the
true account of an ancient that happened
siXty-one years ago, not fifty miles from
the Cradle of Liberty. And 'sMary,'' a
delightful OLD lady of threescore and ten.
still lives and cherishes the memory of the
event. The writer, on a recent visit. craved
from her own lips the true story of the af
fair and will produce it as nearly as posi-
BILE.
MARY TELLS HER TALE UNADoRNED.
cit was when | was nine years old, - she
said, ''and we lived upon the farm used
to go out to the barn every morning with
father to see the cows and sheep. They all
knew me, and the cows-old Broad aud
Short horn and Brindle-would low a good
morning when l came to their stables
One cold day we found that during the
night twin lambs had been born. You
know that sheep will often diso.gn one of
twins, and this morning one poor little
lamb was pushed out of the pen into the
yard. 1t was almost starved and almost
frozen, and father told me might have it
if / could make it live. SO | took it into
the house, wrapped it in a blanket, and
fed it on peppermint and milk all day
When night came | could not bear to leave
it for fear it would die, so mother made
me up a little bed on the settee, and |
nursed the poor thing all night, feeding it
with spoon, and by morning it could
stand. After this we brought it up by
hand until it grew to love me very much,
and would stay with NE wherever | went
unless it was tied. ! used before going to
school in the morning to see that the lamb
was all right, and securely fastened for
the day. Well, one morning when my
brother Nat and | we're ali ready, the lamb
could not be found, and, supposing that It
had gone out to pasture with the COWS, we
started on. | used to be a great singer.
and the lamb would follow the sound of
my voice. This morning after we had gone
some distance, | began to sing. and the
lamb, hearing NE, followed on and over
took us before we got to the school house.
AS it happened, we were early, so | went
i'll 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 the rest of the scholars, :hey did not
notice anything amiss, and all was quiet
until my spelling class was called. / had
hardly taken my place before the patting
of little feet was heard coming down the
aisle, ard the lamb stood beside me ready
for its word. OF course the children all
laughed and the teacher laughed too, and
the poor creature had to be turned out of
doors. But it kept coming back, and at
last had to be tied in the woodashcd till
night Now, that day, there a young
man iii school. John Roulston by name.
who was on visit to one of the bows and
came as a spectator. He was Boston
boy and son of the riding school master.
and was fitting for Harvard College. He
was very much pleased over what he saw
in our school, and few days after gave us
the first three verses of the song. How or
when it got into print don't know
SOME RELICS OF THOSE HAPPY DAYS.
Thus she ran on telling of the care she
bestowed on her pet until i: grew to be a
sheep, and she would curl its long wool
over a stick and it bore lambs until there
was flock of five, all Eer own; and finally
how it was killed 10y an angry COW. Then
sho brought out pair of her little girls
stockings, knitted of yarn spun from the
lambs wool. the heels of which had been
ravelcd out and given away piecemeal as
nlementoes. No one can d0ubt that she,
whose youth was rendered famous by love
for an unfortunate animal, has lived life
of beneficence and charity. With a heart
overflowing with love toward all Gods
creatures, she has indeed lived to care for
the needy and destitute, and be mother
to the motherless. And now, in n green
old age, she is surrounded by those whom
her warm heart long since taught to cling
to her and follow as the lamb in her youth.
When at last she shall cross the river she
will find an eternal home in the green pas
lures aud beside the still waters, where
the Good Shepherd feeds his lambs john
Roulston died before entering college.
What the world lost in him who wove into
verse that immort allied them both the