The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-05-29
MARY'S LITTLE LAMB.
The True Story More in Detail than
has Heretofore been Published.
Boston Advertiser.

Boston Advertiser.
Ihls is the last week Of the spin
ming bee at the Old South meeting
house, and the children will be inter
ested in the following story, which is
substantially correct, except that the
lamb fed upon more singular, bev-
erage than milk, namely, catnip tea.
Mary has at omeinconvenience prom
lsed to come each day this week, if
possible. 50 as not to disappoint the
children. Friday will be herseyenty-
second birthday.
Who would have believed that the
little pet lamb which followed Mary
everywhere would now be helping to
save the Old South church ? All
children know the old song:
Mary had little lamb,
It's fleece was white as snow:
And everywhere that Mary went
Ihe lamb was sure to go.
And many Of them know that there
is in Boston an old church on Wash
ington street, at the corner of Milk.
The land upon which it stands is
worth great sum of money, and, as
the property was offered for sale,
there was much danger that the house
would be torn down to make room
for block of stores. The old church
has been SO famous in the history of
Massachusetts that there was strong
feeling against tearing it down, and to
save it number of women of wealth
bought it, pledging over $500, O0O.-
For months they have been hard at
work in great many ways to secure
money enough to pay for it. For
several weeks past "Aunt Tabitha"
has held a spinning bee in the church.
Three or four old ladies, who were
famous spinners in their young days,
when it was the custom to wear home
spun garments, have had their hatch
els and reels and wheels, and have
spun for the people. A great many
have watched them at their work
each afternoon. To add to the at
fractions of the exhibition, the old
ladies have been dressed in the STYLES
which were common when they were
young, and have worked in an old
time kitchen, with its open fire place
and glowing logs.
Among the visitors one day was
the real Mary, who, when a little girl,
had the pet lamb for her own. She
was very willing to tell the story !;
suppose we listen with the rest.
Little Mary's name was Mary Saw
yer, and she lived in Sterling, Mass.
The is now Mrs. Tyler, Of Somerville,
vigorous lady over seventy years
old. One morning she went out to
the barn and found two little lambs
which had been born during the
night. One was so weak and small
that her father said it was of no use
to try and save it. He gave it to her
care, promising that if it lived it
should be her lamb. Mary took it
into the house, wrapped it up, laid it
in warm place, and fed it carefully
with milk. All day she watched it,
and all night too. In the morning
how glad she was to hear her father
say the lamb would live.
TWAS no wonder that the pet lamb
loved its small mistress, and wanted
to go everywhere with her. The day
that it went to school and was turned
out, it happened that young man
was there who saw the whole, and
wrote out the whole story in the
verses which the children know so
well. The lamb lived and thrived
and had lambs of its own; it ran in
the fields with the cattle, till one day
COW with sharp horns, while play
ing, tossed it into the air, and it fell
bleeding at the feet of Mary, who
happened to be in the field. With
deep grief she watched its life 90 out.
From the lambs wool quantity of
yarn had been spun, and Mrs. Tyler
brought some of it to Aunt Tabitha's
bee, and sold it at twenty-five cents
for each piece, SO that up to last week
Mary's little lamb had earned $50
toward paying for the Old South
church in Boston. This is the true
story of Mary's little lamb.
This paperis going to be success.