The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1892-06-11

Laurie, father OF Annie, was a canny
gentleman who believed in standing by
the stronger side. Douglas frs: met
Annie at ball in Edinburgh and was
greatly struck by her beauty. A love
affair sprang up, to check which Sir.
Robert Laurie carried his daughter
back to Nthsdale. Thither, however,
Douglas followed and for months the
lovers met clandestinely in the woods
and braes around Maxwelltown. Fin
ally the rumor Of an impending Stuart
Invasion lured Douglas back to the
capital, but tradition has it that on the
night before his departure he wrote
the ballad OF "Annie Laurie" As well
as | can recollect, the old version OF
the song differed little either in words
or air from that now in use. Douglas
trip to Edinburgh proved fatal to his
love affair. His Jocoblte intrigues
were suspected, and he was forced to
fly to the low countries. Whether he
corresponded with Annie Laurie from
the Continent, or left her without news
OF his whereabouts. l know not. At
any rate, Annie was inconsolable for
his loss. She amused herself with
several love affairs, and fnally married
Alexander Ferguson, laird of Craigdar-
roch. Ferguson was not poet. but
his estates were large and his family
old as the hills. With him Annie Lau-
rie lived long and happily. Douglas
obtained pardon from the govern
ment and returned to Scotland, but
there is no tradition of his ever again
meeting Annie Laurie.
She survived her husband and be-
came the lady bountitul of Nithsdale.
Under her directions the present man.
sion of Craigdarroch was built, and a
relic of her taste is still preserved in
the formal Georgian gardens in the
rear of the house. In her old age she
became notable maker, pro-
baby using her own experience in
the selection of her husbands for the
young ladies of her acquaintance.
She was very fond of letter writing,
but in all her correspondence which l
have seen, there is only one reference
to VIM. Douglas. Her cousin, Mrs.
Riddel, of Glenriddel, had mentioned
seeing Douglas at ball in Edinburgh.
Mrs. Ferguson wrote in reply: 81
trust he has forsaken his reasonable
opinions, and that he is content"
Verv unromantically she dismlsses her
old lover with that sentence and pro-
ceeds to dwell upon the coming nup.
-sials of her nieces. She died in the
year 1861 atths aged of 79, and was
buried in the = :dveyard at Craig
darroch. Portraits are preserzeed at
Maxwelltown and at Nzansfeld,
seat of Sir Stuart Menteith. In ap-
pearance she was slender and graceful,
with large blue eyes and brown hair,
which she never powdered, In spite of
the fashion OF the times. Her face
seems rather long, and her features
followed the Grecian type. Tradition
has it that her feet and hands were
very small, SO that Dougles' beautiful
smile of "dew on the gowan lying" had
some foundation in fact.
Some years ago the writer journeyed
up the banks of NTH from the "euid
toun O. Dumfries,' by "Maxwelltown
braes." to Craigdarroch. The ever
changing scenery had all the wild
beauty of the north, and glen, scaur
and woodland teemed with poetic
recollecuons. Altogether I felt won
drously romantic and could not help
singing softly to myself the tender
melody which has given deathless fame
to the name of Annie Laurie, But
when l entered Craigdarroch House
and found myself confronted with a
thousand relics of the real Annie. this
veil of romance was rudely rent aside.
1t was hard to find that she, who should
have waited long years for her Jacobite
troubadour, had actually thrown him
over to wed a Demfriesshire laird,
with a paucity of ideas and plenti
tude of "siller." 1t was still harder
to fad her transformed into "Mrs.
FERGUSON" the gossiDing, match
making mistress of Craigdarroch. But.
romance was completely routed when
snuff box was shown from which
Annie's white fingers had taken many
tttillating pinch. 1t was explained
that Mrs. Fcrgussoa did not become
partial to snuff until late in life, but
the bare idea of her practicing the
habit at all seemed too terrible to con-
template.
The writer sadly left the ancient
manson IN which he had expected to
find so many tender memories OF Annie
Laurie's gracious life. He did not
liuger in "Annie's walk" by the wind
ing Nth, or under the walls of Max
wclltown, where Douglas had wcoed
and lost. On the contrary, he fastened
to Dumfriess convinced that Annie
Laurie, like most cherished heroines OF
romance, is most charming when ad.
mired from a distance.
I