Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-14

Langsyne, "My wife's winsome we,
thing "The Soldiers Return,
"Willie wastle, - .'Contsnted WI lit.
tie, and cantie VII mair, - "Thou has
left me ever, JAMIE eye banks anC
brsss o. bonnie Doom" "My love ii
like red, red rose, - "My hesrt II
the cauld blsst,'' "Duncan Gray
"FIew costly sweet Aftsa, and that
grand martial DDS, "Brucs's Addrsss. -
The old, though still spruce, KinR'i
Arms Inn could never have SO long stood
the assaults OF time and tourists had not
Burns, in q forgivabiy irreverent aud
| delicious mood, scratched upon its win
| dow pane,
| Ye, men of wit and wealth, why ali this sneer-
'Gainst poor excisemen? Give the cause a
| What are your landlords rent rolls: Taxing
What premiers, whstG even mOnarchs' mighty
Nay, what are priests, those seeming goodly
wise men?
What are they. pray. but spiritual ezcisemenf
Set squsreiy in the middle of High
| street is one of the oldest old structures
to be found in all Scotland. 1t is
now called the Mid-steeple. When built,
200 years ago, it was known Us the Iron
steepie. At that time, on the sale at
auction OF the customs and excise of
Scotland, the Dumfries town council
took large share in the plumber; IN
turn sold 1t to a fellow-burgher, one
Sharpe, so by name and fine i'll dealing.
Tbs citizens revolted; and, on COM
promise, Burgher Sharpe was per-
United to retain his '.tack' on pay
ment of 20, goo merks, Scots, with
which the outlnndish structure was
erected. In its upper uncouthness it
contains the town clock and n peal of
bells. and o complaining weataer-cock
surmounts the spire. Middle spire,
clock and bells and oil, is an unreliable
old
'ToSGUE OF THE TOWN.
to this day. Butt the ridiculous relic of
an ancient canny deal would have been
RACED to the ground 100 years ago, were
it not the treasure house of stacks of
rusty war-pikes ready for valiant SER
vice, when the e1ciseman-poet reused
every body in Great Britain with,
Does naughty Gaul invasion threat?
Then let the looms beware. sir;
There's wooden walls upon our seas.
And volunteers on shore sir.
The Min shall run 10 Corsincon,
The Criffel sink in solway,
Ere permit foreign foe
On British ground to railyH'
The "auld brig built by the devout
Devorgilla over 700 years ago, when Lon
don 8 population did not exceed So, 900
souls, and which still spans the NTH be-
low the New Bridge, the latter COM
pleted before Burns death, does not
possess a 1.-THE the interest because OF Its
having sustained knightly cavalcades
\
legiors, that it does for having innu-
merable times been the haunt of this one
man, and because, "in his suit OF plain
dark clio hes with his sword-cane in
hand" and his children by his side, he
loved to loiter upon it, or wander about
near it, upon the white sands, or near
Its western approach along Maxwelton IS
sunny braes. Not a stones throw from
its last red old arch is the spot where
Burns, on his first appearance in
Dumfries, clad in the familiar blue
coat aud yellow vest which Nssmyth
bas made us unconsciously associate
with his sturdy figure, just after the
publication of the second edition of his
poems, was made an honorary burgess;
the burgess-ticket TO the already Illus
trious ploughmsn reading: "The SAID
day. 4th June, 1897, Mr.. Robert Burns,
Ayrshire. was admitted burgess of this
burgh, with liberty to exercise and enjoy
the whole immunities and privileges
thereof as freelv as another does, may,
or can enjoy; who, being present, ac-
cepted the same, and gave his oath of
to his majesty and burgh in
common FORM But for Burns Dunn
fries would lot to thls day be SO well
known as Kalamazoo. Still the mar
velous condecenson of these pompous
old nobodies made Burns q f eeman.
He had been but a hind until this mem
orable "4th June, 17S7.' At the foot of |
George Inn Close, Irish street, Is a little |
academy. II was here at O county ball |
the gentry were gathered on an autumn |
evening of 1894, when the now poverty |
stricken poet passed aud was given the |
Universal rejection or cut direct by |
all save the noble David McColloch OF
Ardwell, which made those concerned, /
rs well as their descendants, infamous to
this day. Near this was the hail of St.
Andrew s Masons Lodge TO which Burns
belonged and which he made famous.
Its record for April 18th, 1876, "Burns
present, F" Is the last minute containing
the poets name. At the corner of
street and Queens Place
still stand
THE LITTLE OLD THEATRE ROYAL,
which was opened in 1870, Burns being
present, and of whose FIRST week 3 ca
reer he wrote so enthusiastically to his
friend NIchol: ether (the perform
srs y merit and character are indeed
Tery great, both on the stage and in
private life, not q worthless creature
among them. There
laye been repeated instances
II sending away ak and
eight and ten pounds night for want Of
'oom.'
Then aside from countless lesser facts
Ind places of association there is the old
'Globe Tavern, ~ in which, unhappy as
s the fact for contemplation, one seems
low to almost hear his thrilling voice.
mingled with the laughter of Syme,
Maxwell, Landlord Hyslop and his wife,
Neg, and their siren barmaid, "AnDs of
he gowden locks" as the poet recites
ONE new rhyme that the good fellow
hip of the place has prompted, or sings
hose songs of old Scotland he had res
ued from ill-ftting sentiment and we'd
led to his own deathless verse; there liz
he staunch little cottage and its mem
ries of the hours be passed in It with his
amily, or at the "folding-d desk,