The Hickman courier., 1877-01-26
LORD BYRON AND MARY
CHAWORTH.

L
know if any one else had been so fortu
nate as to hear the loquacious old man.
} account of Byron and his early love
When one hears story like this from
the lips of a servant, it is surely worth
while to consider whether, after all
great reputation are not apt to suffer
from the ill-will of hirelings, and may
not be too readily branded, by the world
as prompt to condemn our failures as to
applaud our attainment Lord Byron
suffers nothing from J-'s confession,
but Mistress Chaworth was surely unfor-
tunate in her confident dependence on a
servants faithfulness.
That was a funny sum-total OF
J-'s when I asked his opinion of
Byron's character: ooh, his lordship
was fool. He didna knaw-grass from
grass. An he never gave me naught.
But many's the pun note Mr. Musters
gle me for chance to speak wi Mary
Chaworth."
Sol and who knew if but for the trick
the old man confessed Lord Byron
would not have married one whose af-
fectionate disposition and selfimmola-
tion for the object of her devotion might
have saved to the world a pure and
elavated poet unsullied by the mire of
wanton despair, and to Mary Chaworth
heart that loved her for het@f? John
MINISTER'S triumph was cheaply purchas-
ed. will record it all as old j
related it.
Ay, Z remember well when his lord
ship wud come riding like mad into
Amnesty Park, and his two great dogs
flying along wi him. MY wordp' old
Mrs. Clark would say, If there doesn't
come his lordshir, and those nasty
brutes are with him to spoil my nice
white eounterpanep You see the brutes
always sleepit outside o the covers on
his lordship's bed.
One fine day when l was laying the
cloth Tor dinner, Miss Mary was sitting
in the great hall wi her back to the
lawn, an she didn't see his lordship
coming"
how was she dressed ?''
ssOh, she were dressed in a white silk
gown, very low on the shoulders, an
Fhigh belt under her arms, ike. An it
bwere very long behind, an so you could
see her wee small feet in tiny slippers in
front.
Well, the great hall window opened on
the lawn, an his lordship were quick
enough to spy Miss Mary sitting there.
An he came soft-like through the room,
and before she knew it he lsaped over
her and kissed her beautiful white
shoulder.
"Oh dear, viii 1 ever forget how she
fared? She sprang to her feet, and wi
voice choki. with rage, she said, NY
lord what does this mean? You never
have so muchas touched the hem of nv
garment, and you never shall Then it
was awful to see the fire in her eyes; she
were the picture of her grandfather, who
were killed in a duel wi his lordship's
grandfather across that very table. But
she medina been 50 mad, for his Iordship
were nice man enough but for his nu6
foot. Poor fooli she didna know John
Musters were only after her money, an
his lordship loved her for herself. Mr..
Musters were a handsome man too, and
he always gied me pun note: one he
gied me fi'-pun note, but 1 never told
him | saw five on it when | got home.
l helped him to get rid O. his lordship,
an | fixed all the meetin's wi his man.
You see, 1 was head man at Amnesty
Hall, an when the young heiress rode
out, it was my place to ride after her,
an Mr.. Musters' man would ride after
him, an we'd a'ways go the same road
"But how did you manage about
! Lord Byronr'
"Oh, he were like his mother-afraid
O. the Jogles."
"Bogles and pray what are they?"
Oh, the people out o. the kirkyard, |
that couldna rest after duels an that"
Oh, yes; we'll, go on, please"
An 1T were for that hh lordship al
ways kept one O. the men waiting hall
the night next to his bedroom till he
read himself to sleep. Wsll, one night
1t were my t~rn to wait, an / waited
till 1t were near morning, an at last
couldna keep awake any longer, an l
just out an said, L think, your lordshiR,
its time for reasonable folk to have done
wi crack reading an go to Sleep Eel
Fowp he shouted, like one stark mad
fellow do you know to whom you are
speaking 'Ay, your lordship, that do
: but Pm afeared O. naught-neither
'Srd, duke, earl, nor king-for the mat
ter O. that
doubted I'd lose my place, but Mrs.
Clark begged his lordship's forgiveness
FOR me, and wasna dismissed. But 1
nade up my mind his lordship shouldna
sleep more nor one night again at An s
lesly Hail.
Mrs. Clark, said, you'd rather the q
'rutes would not spoil your white coun- q
erpaneT 'Ay, j. she said, but +
dare not ofsnd his lordshsp.'
Well, I didna say aught, but / lust
rsnt about it; and this is how / did it. C
he great bed In bis lordsAip's room had G
eayy curtains, an they were lung on G
rass rings that run on brass bars, an h
hey 41ade deal o. noise an rattlin' b
80 by were drawed found big n
packthread, an l run the end IL
<salI the rings on one side, and o.
<sler through all the rings on th'other 81
and when carried the two ends al
u ha posts and along the floor cut in
irsefe of the bottom'o' the bed W
door 50 the thread would be sure az