The Portland daily press., 1883-04-06
John Brown.
Some OF the Stories About Queen victo
ria's Favorite Gillie.


Balmoral from a visit to Glassault, when
suddenly two horses started aside from
new road they were unaecustomed to. 1t
was an awkward spot for an accident, but
John Brown, realizing the danger at a
glance, vociferated, "Pull upr' so vigorous
ly to the coachman that serious consequent
ces were averted As IL was, The carriage
was overturned and the royal party we're
thrown out. At a little distance the coach
man lay insensible. The outrider was on
before, and only John Brown remained TO
do duty for all. With great GOODNESS he
whipped out his clasp knife and quietly cut
the traces to free the struggling animals,
| and bore the occupants Of the carriage to a
place Of safety. 1t is alleged that only for
moment he was perplexed, when his lamp
went out, and an emphatic exclamation es-
| capped his lips, which the royal ears that
heard IL construed into an eiaculatory
| prayer. The outrider chanced to look
around as he galloped along, and seeing no
| lamps, he rode back TO ascertain what was
wrong; but the danger was past. He has
served the Queen IN greater strait. When
young mad O'Connell darted out on her
from the shrubbery at Buckingham Palace,
pistol In hand, be positively plucked the
puny wretch up from the ground as if he
had been an offending kitten. and held him
out so, clawing the air with his paws, till
the Queen had passed out Of harms way.
So. too, be was death on all intrnders on
the Queens privacy. Once when he met
some reporters whom be suspected Of dog
,.s.. L. 4.
them off the public highway as though he
held all the highlands In fee. 1t was gross
ly illegal, but they went. 1t is well known,
too, that his ready tact has smoothed the
Queens way into the humble highland
homes she has honored with her presence.
lyon see, he is one of ourselves, and his
familiar face beside Her Majesty puts heart
into u.s." Without native pioneer IL can
be easily imagined how difficult it would
have been for the Queen to make her way
amongst people whose language and man
ners and customs were strange TO her. And
upon the other hand, how little sympathy
there could have been between the exalted
lady and the simple costersi Her Majesty
sometimes made her calls upon unfortunate
days; when cleaning" was going on, and
there was thorough turn up in the house
hold. On such occasions an ordinary her
aid would have been nonplused, probably,
but not he. Cooly seeking out the guild
wife, be Informed her officially that the
Queen was at the door, and in the same
breath rated her soundly for not being pre-
pared to receive her Majesty. lie did not
leave her in the lurch, however, but Tgor-
ously set to work to whisk pals and brooms
out Of sight, and make things straight before
the royal visitor appeared on the scene.
In return for his faithful and discriminat-
ing service. the Queen was at times inclined
to be oVergenerous in substantial aekpoWl-
edgments. On one notable occasion, the
| Queens son-in-law, Prince Christian, who
was the Ranger of Windsor Forest, proposed
before the close of the pheasant season to
have a small shooting party of his own
friends. AS is the custom in such cases, he
submitted the names to her Majesty, and
they were approved, with the hope that Mr..
Brown should be included in the number.
The Prince politely bowed to this request,
but instead Of sending out the Invitations as
be had intended, he withheld them, and he
and "Mr Brown had the sport 10 them
selves. The Queen, however, was by no
means satisfied with this arrangement, and
as this slight came from the one member of
the royal circle for whom her Majesty has
/ profound regard, and whom she consults
1 more than any other member of her family,
this little annoyance was felt with all the
more acuteness. On another occasion when
| the court was established in RaYena, in
Italy, Brown was indisposed. As be had no
faith in the skill Of any one raised south of
the Tweed, he declined the services Of Sir
| William Jenner, who was deemed eleYer
enough for her Majesty, and clamored Tor
DR.. Marshall, the ordinary attendant Of the
royal household, who was absent on
holiday, the first for several years. So, in
order TO appease Brown, DIR. Marshall trav-
eled across Europe to attend to his very ordi-
nary ailment, al an expense to her Majesty
OF some hundred guineas. A more substan-
tial reward than such attentions as these,
however, was given to Brown a year or two
ago, when her Majesty had built for bis use,
within the grounds at Balmoral, a plain, but
spacious square mansion, occupying pleas
ant situation in the centre of lawn-like ex-
panse of the royal denesne, with a carriage
drive leading to it from one OF the avenues.
This abode was doubtless intended for his
use in his declining years, after his royal
mistress had passed away, but il was des-
tined never to be permanently occupied.
Brown remained in personal attendance on
the Queen up to the time of his death, and
he sat in bis accustomed place behind her
carriage when the last attempt was made
upon her life, at Windsor, little over a
year ago.