Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-04-13
>Ln II ALTER SCOTT.
Interesting Account Of his Life By Jas. T.
Fia!G5.
- THE BEST HUNDRED MAN THAT
EVER LIVED"

that when Scott came stumping along
the road with his cane and his dogs.
and raised his CHEEKY voice of greet
ing, it seemed as if his merry laugh
cleared the whole air, and Nature
herself rejoiced to have him abroad
amid her glories. Mr.. Black declar-
ed him to be the best man
that ever lived, man whose sympa-
thy was always ready and whose
kindness was enduring.
One of his contemporaries said it
was impossible to decide whether he
had the clearest he'd or the
soundest heart IN az Scotland.
How they loved him on Twee I-side
we may gather from his son-in-l laws
beautiful anecdote OF the poor music
master who offered Scott all his saw
inSs when the great novelist fell into
pecunlary embarrassment.
Mr.. Rufus Choate told me he well
remembered seeing, when a youth, d
bookseller in Salem one morning
hang up showbill outside his shop
door, on which was printed in large
letters, This day published New
Novel, Hurerley, or IT'S Sixty Years
Since" And an old lady in Philadel-
phia once described the intense en-
thusiasm the coming out of those
novels produced in that city.
She said she remembered, when a
child. seeing woman rush into a
| shop where, in those days, they sold
everything, and hearing her cry out
in an excited tone, Give me Peveril
of the Peak and two candles as
| quick as possible.'
Sir Walter SCOTS boyhood has
been most pleasantly described by
himself and is full of interest. When
only a year and a half old fever de-
prlved him of the use of his right leg,
and he never wholly recovered from
the lameness. They carried the little
fellow into the country, and tried all
sorts of prescribed remedies, hoping
to cure the poor boys malady.
Among other things this one he re-
membered. and often laughed about
it in after life Whenever a sheep
was killed for the use of the family
at the farm, little Walter was stripped
and swathed up in the skin, warm
from the animals carcase. Then they
laid him down ON tho parlor floor
and tried to make him crawl about,
in order to get strength into his dam
aged limb. His grandmother and
grandfather were his playfellows in
those early days, and used to tell
their small grandson stories of Scot
tish heroes, grave and gay, and amuse
him as best they could with old books
and songs of the past. When the
day was fine they carried the chilli
out into the air and laid him down
beside an old shepherd among the
crags and rocks where the sheep were
feeding.
BY degrees the boys got strength
to stand, then to walk. and then to run.
but he never was wholly cured of his
lameness. At Bath he lived a year
for the benefit Of tho waters. and it
was there he first learned to read at a
| DANES school. | think his lameness
gave him many hours of leisure with
III doors which he might not have had
if his limb had been sound. At any
rate he devoured books at a rapid rate.
and early became on fire for deeds of
chivalry. He read with avidity
everything he could lay his hand
upon in the form of history and poe
try, and when some odd volumes of
Shakespeare first fell in his way he
read the plays with kind of rapture,
sitting up half dressed and rapidly
peruslng them by the light of mid
night fire when the family had retired
to bed.
After he left college and his father
had entered him a student at law, he
began to compose legendary ro-
mances. and stirring ballads which he
repeated with much applause to a
knot OF cronies who We're hever tired
of listening to Watty Scott, as they
called the young man.
Lame as he was, he was a great
walker in those days, and frequently
accomplished thirty miles a day in
visiting ruins and old battle fields.
Wandering over the field of Bannock-
burn gave him exquisite pleasure, and
he explored many an old castle with
James Ramsay, his fellow law ap-
prentice. Sir Walter lamented all
his life long that he had not studied
more thoroughly the essentials of q
good education, and often said he
had neglected his school advantages
in early youth. But during his pu-
pllage he certainly learned many
things worth knowing.
When Walter was boy of fifteen,
Robert Burns, the Bard of Scotland,
came up to Edinburgh for first visit
te the capital. Young Scott would
have given the world to speak with
Burns, he SO loved his poetry and so
honored the man, and at last his
great desire was gratified. Burns
came to Prof. Ferguson's one day
when Scott and some half dozen
other youngsters were present. An.
engraving of a dead soldier in the
snow, with his dog by his side, and
his widow and child watching near,
was handed about among the compa
ny. Cnder the picture We're some lines
descriptive of the sad scene.
Burns was SO affected by the picture
that he shed tears, and asked who
was the author of the lines. Nobody
remembered them but the boy, Wal
ter Scott, and he whispered the au-
thor's name to a friend standing near,
who Informed Burns. The poet
turned and looked kindly at the
knowing lad, and Scott remembered
that look all his life.
Lockhart's description of Sir Wal
ter's last hours, in the year 1882. once
read can never be forgotten. He
says, AS L was dressing on the
morning of Monday the 18th of
September, Nicolson came into my
room and told me that his master had
awoke in state of composure and
consciousness, and wished to see me
Immediately. l found him entirely
himself, though in the last stage of
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