Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-06-10
NUMBER %.

and besides there are more fools than
Passanantc in the world. Brown exact
ly supplies the want; he would lay down
his life for her, not without requiring two
or three in return, and, en- attendant, he
thinks nothing Of carrying her in his
arms and perhaps a princess or two TO
follow her, across fordable stream.
When she rides he takes his place at the
head of the pony, and if the pony were
too troublesome he would not make much
difficulty about carrying him.
Brown is not lacquey-he wears no
livery; on the other hand, he Is not
gentleman by birth. He has a sort Of
indeterminate office as Strong Man. He
is death on all intruders on the Queens
privacy Once when he met some re-
porters whom he suspected of dogging her
footsteps for copy he ordered them Oft
the public highway as though he held all
the Highlands in fee. 1t was grossly il
legal, but they went.
He has saved the Queen in a greater
strait. When young mad o Connor dart
ed out on her from the shrIbbcry at
Buckingham Palace, pistol in hand, he
positively pluckcd the puny wretch
from the ground as if he were an
offending kitten, and held him out so,
clawing the air with his paws, till the
Queen had passed out Of harms way.
He is a true clansman in the character
of his service; he worships the Queen as
dcvoutly though not 50 dcmonstratlyclyas
thc"Dougal creature worshipcd Rob Roy.
He thinks there never was such Queen
and there never was such a woman IN
the wide world The Queen treats him
with the condescending confidence which
very often subsists between the very great
and the very little in our older society. She
knows there can be no mistake about
their positions; it is those who are near
er to her who are kept the farthest oft.
He is the "old servant who is also the
old friend of the family. He has seen
most of the children grow up. He
probably knows a good deal more about
family affairs than many minister OF
state. To do him justice he lets nothing
out to his more distinguished colleagues
of the Cabinet. A true Scotchman, he
is as close as the grave. It Is rather
through the Queens own frank ayowals
that we may judge Of the extent OF her
condolences TO him. There IS nothing IN
the world to show, however, that these
condolences ever pass the line Of domes-
tic life. Brown is no successor to Stock
man, as some people who have the hap
py knack Of fancying anything once fan
cied that he was Browns own Sohcltude
for her welfare may have had something
to do with this misconcePtion. II he
has the devotion of the Dougal creature
it is doubled with a little Of the ottclous-
ness of Andrew Fairseryice. He Is for
standing between the Queen and all pos
sible intruders, and when he goes South
he finds a greater complcxi;y Of seli-im-
posed duty to which he IS not always
equal.
The Highland shepherd dog loses some
thing Of his nice discrimination OF char
acter when he has to keep watch and
ward at the door OF London palace. lie
once gave great offence to an artist sum
moncd to paint a portrait Of the Princess
Louise by examining him as to his
purpose. as il he had come to peddle the
paints. This and the natural envy ot
"Jcames with whom he never associates,
and of both Jeamcs and Johns supcu-
ors in the hierarchy OF court service, make
him about the bcst-hated man OF the
household There is a sort OF standing
plot against him in the servant hall,
which has sometimes spread from the sub
terraneans of journalism and society and
things have been said which are only not
criminal because they are so intensely
foolish. The lower classes in England
hate him with a will and on the most I'M
partial grounds, without in the least
knowing why. If there were success
ful revolution in London his head would
probably be the first luxury enjoyed by
the mob.