Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-05-26
For the Sunday Appeal
MARY AND HER MUTTON.


Perhaps no person In this world ever gained
so much fame from one little thing as Mary,
who had a little lamb. There is nothing
funny or strange, or anything in having a
lamb to make much to-do about, for have
known farmers and cattle-raisers who had
hundreds of lambs, rams, Sleeps, muttons,
ewes, and everything of the butting persua-
sion; but no one ever took the trouble to
write song about them, or a second-reade-
poem on their frisky buffers. Still, it seems
that the very fact that Mary had little
lamb, at one time set the world In state of
pleasant excitement, and everybody, from the
dlminutive bootblack, up the portly president
of the Y. NJ. G. A. or the n. g. n. S. n. Y,
seemed to be in a state of ecstasy because
MARY had little lamb" They actually
sang and whistled the fact into the ground,
where, perhaps, at this writing, poor Mary
and the lamb both rest in peace-we mean
the original Mary. If there was more than
one Mary that had lamb we do not remem-
Der of having formed her acquaintance or
history fails to make note of the fact. We
did not know the original, in fact, but we
knew a man, ccnGdentially, that knew another
nan hat was acquainted with man that
knew Mary's pa, and he told this last-named
gentleman all about it, and ne told It to US as
a secret, that is, through the medium of the
other men, and If you promise you won't,
upon your honor, say or breathe a word of 1t
to anyone, we will tell you the true and orig
mai facts, which are known to but few of the
more lucky of mankind. So here goes-'sh!
Way down in the low lands OF Georgia,
Lived Simmons and Slocum. the farmers,
Both men were c0nteDted and happy,
And each had daughter-both charmers.
Each farmer was fond of his daughter
That made his home happy and merry
Miss Simmons's front name was Hannah;
Miss Slocum's front name was Mary.
What Simmons would give to his daughter.
Why. .Slocum would do so stxaIghtwayry,
And when simmons gave lamb 10 his Hannah,
why, SIocum gave one TO his Mary.
Now, as Simmons ana SiOcum were neghbors,
The girls went to school, both together,
And helped each along with their labOrs,
For the world, ike sister and brother.
That their pets should with them 60 to school;
And it set the whole school In cOmmotion-
Said the teacher twas square 'gainst the rule.
But they hid them away until recess,
And The boys got the first chance for fun;
Then they stole the two lambs from the woodshed
And away to the woods they did run.
And there they made all sorts Of wagers
As TOW to which l was the winning young mutton;
Ana they stood them OIL ten feet apart
And started the ba- ba's to butting.
The first Iunge they made at each other.
The truth IS well-you have no doubt,
That the one hit the other so terrible hard,
1t scattered their brains all about.
Now Hannah didn't care two cents for her lamb,
And her hard heart was quite far from pity;
But Mary, poor Mary. she Eat down and cried
Then sat down and sang lamb mentable ditty.
She went home and told the bloodcurdling tale,
And day after day she grew thinner;
No supper she'd eat, no breakfast she'd eat,
And often the same thing for dinner.
So day after day like shadow she grew,
And was going, in fact, TO decay;
And she strayed out alone and the first thing she
knew,
puff Of wind blew her away.
wouldn't get up In first-classcourt
And swear that this story is true;
But this Is the way 1t given to me,
And just so give it to you.