Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1891-06-16


and birds ever in your ears, all the distance
TO Ellisland. Once past the outlying
habitations Of MAxwelltOwn you will see
down there 70 the night the picturesque
ruins Of Lincluden abbey, bat few mo-
ments' walk from the highway. Beneath
the shadows of its majestic walls lies Mar
gAret, daughter Of Robert III, king Of Scot
land
II sou will wander but a little distance
on that road leading 70 the left you will
come 70 the ancient church Of Irongray.
Here is the grave Of Sir Walter Scott's
"Jeanie Deans" Helen Walker, and the
inscription co the table tombstone was
written by the author Of Waverly him
self This picturesque old bridge at which
you tarry-for there is a pretty scene Of
sheep washing going on beneath Nle giant
willows just above-crosses the river Clu-
den, a small stream, but a tuneful one. IL
bounds along merrily through copse and
between emerald hauRts below, sweeps
around the ancient abbey walls, and, en-
tering the NTH, broadens into a deep pool
or Linn Hence lnn-Clnden. ''the Cluden
pool" and the name Of the grand old mo-
nastic pile, Lincluden Abbey, which towers
az its edge above.
You finally come 70 a bit Of almost
champaign country. Comfortable stead
inRS with snug stone cottages lie on
either side Of the highway. To the
right is an ancient gate, opening 70
a long lane, hedge boriered, between
well kept fields, where the young grain is
already rich and green The waganwsy
is thick with the falling blossoms Of the
hawthorn The hedge banks are a mass Of
gladsome daisies A tiny burn, having lis
source in springs above, wfmples at one
side, half hidden in the grass and daisies.
And at the end Of this Lane, just over g
ridge Of warm and yeIowy loS1n, Ers sen
the low roofs Of q cottage and its humble
Outhuildings, here and there half hidden
In the foliage Of surrounding trees. This
Is EllislAnd. for four years the farm home
and home heaven Of Robert Burns, the
only spot on all this earth where comfort
and happiness were hiA-
From the highway llisland is dizAp-
pointing. The ridge Of the stealing fields
forms a monotonous horizon line. But
Burns knew where 70 build his Nithside
nest From any point in the vicinity Of
the onStedd or farm buildings there is q
glorious view Of the valley Of the NTH
The house faces TO the east and north a
gentle bend in the NTH, which mumurs
here over the shining shadows not hun
dted yards distant With the outbuildings
] .
nearly inclosed quadrangle is formed The
side next the distant highway 90 the west
has 20 the right, as you enter the inelosure,
a stable and cowhouse, and byre or feed
ing and straw yard behind To the left is
/ a mill shed. n modern structure, tiny
barn, and behind the latter (which, with
/ the stable and cowhOuse, stand precisely
as Burns built them) is the inclosed stack
| yard where bonnie Jean found her hus-
band in that great agony Of detection which
/ gave the world the matchless hymn to
/ Mary in heaven
! The house itself, into the construction Of
/ which the poet put mouths of his own la
Dor, working alongside the rustic stone
masons Of the time, remains 70 this day
exactly as he built it A small kitchen has
been added on the side next the river.
/ which now, as then, is the front of the
house. The portion built by Burns is Of
/ rubble, about 55 feet long and nearly % in
width II is one story in height, with an
ample attic. There is large room about
| Is feet square at each end The entrance
| from the Nithside was into a hallway,
from which these two large rooms were
reached. out Of this one could also pass
TO the attic above, and TO a small kitchen
which, with a little bedroom, stands be
tween the two larger rooms. OF the lat
ter, the one at the left or north end, which
communicates with the little bedroom,
was used by Burns for the ceremonious en-
tertainment Of distinguish guests.
The other, at the south end, was the real
! heart of the home-the spence" or living
room of the poet, his wife and BARNS.
The family provisions were kept here. In
one end stood the bed The meals were
eaten here. And here the companions that
Burns loved came into the ingle-nook
glow. Beside the fireplace is a broad, low
window. Against the side wall stood an
oaken table. and here the poet in this sunny
corner could feast his eyes upon the flowers
and vines Of his own little garden, let them
dwell fondly upon his cattle and pet sheep
in the billowy field beyond, or conjure glo-
rious fancies from the noble sweeps OF
| Nithsdale's broad southern expanse, crowd
ed at its eastern edge with noble forests
and the huge gables of Dalswinton hsl.
By this little window Burns either com
posed or put into completed manuscriP;
form the greatest amount Of the greatest
work Of his life How we prize the least
reminder Of these royal fellows when they
are gonei
There are those who would pay LOO
each for two of the tiny panes in that one
sunny window. On one Burns wrote with
a diamond and afterward partially erased
"Home he had not-home is the resort;
on the other he inscribed his favorits
maxim, "An honest mans the noblest
work of God" These inscriptions, the
house and outbuildings and few sturdy
trees the poet planted are the only visible
relics Of the bard's life at Ellisland, for the
spot is one of the few in Britain, NOR
grace g y, that is not a show place wher
the insistent reminder Of the endlessness OF
fees merges reverence and emotion intC
ridicule and contempt.
The almost exclusive haunt of Burns al
Ellisland was within call of his bonnie
Jean Just below the high bank or scaur
upon the edge Of which the cottage stands
Between this and the NTH for long dis
tance 70 the north and south runs lovely
river road Out Of the cottage inclosure I
shaded path and wagon way desoends q
Join the river road. Half way down thi'
almost sylvan way is acopious spring The
bank of the scaur side in the shade is 1
mass of ferns and violets, and in the sun
m aaaH. 81