The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-05-16

ent sections OF the country inquiring about
the locality OF this rock, made famous by
Emma Alice Browne in one of her most
beautiful poems We are fain to confess
our entire ignorance of the locality of this
famous bit of stone any information con-
corning it will be thankfully received at
this office"
Up to date no answer seems to have been
received upon the subject. Thinking that
maybe some of the older long time readers
OF the WING might have some knowledge
of it's location, we write this article hoping
that if such is the case he or she will let it
be known through your columns. We have
never met with the poem, but presume that
it made its first appearance in The New
York Ledger, which forty years ago was
immensely popular throughout the South
including this county. Your correspondent
would take it as most kind in the editors OF
the WING, if they cannot succeed in locat-
ing the "rock," if they would publish the
poem in the columns of their paper
How like some brilliant exotic amid a
garden of old-fashioned flowers, sprang to
life and love and fame Emma Alice Browne,
among the plain, plodding people, amid
whom and of whom she was born. For her
ancestors like the most of their descendants
were plain artisans and farmers. Honest,
industrious, pious, but plain; these were
the attributes of her kinsfolk, according to
tradition and observation.
The mother of the poetess has often been
described to the writer as a woman of rare
beauty and charm of manner which charm
ing gifts continued with her even into
middle life. Melissa, a younger sister of
Emma Alice, is said by those who knew
them well to have inherited the charming
personality of the mother in a marked de-
gree. She also contributed some fugitive
poetic fragments to the WIG along in the
later fftes, at least it was in the WING
that recollect seeing them but her modest
efforts in that line were entirely over
Swallowed by the brilliant success of her
gifted sister
The father of these girls William Browne.
although engaged the greater part of his
life in the humble occupation of a stone
mason, yet left his mark on the community
in which he lived as man Of integrity and
piety. His iluency and eloquence as an
exhorter in the Methodist Protestant per
suasion soon attracted attention, and he
was subsequently admitted to the confer
ence and ordained to preach. 1t was 4
lovely summer evening over thirty years
ago, when riding on horseback through a
lovely country road, that | saw picture
which remains until this day indelibly
stamped upon my memory. 1t is that of a
girl in her teens, slightly below medium
height with wealth of dark hair falling
in thick curls almost to her waist round
rosy face the distinguishing feature of
which was pair of large dreamy brown
eyes, accumulated by delicately penciled
brows: and long, slken lashes. | can even
recall the color of the gown she wore, a
uOSt DluC. rs louC SloNlS, very
slowly, by the old farmhouse gate over
which she was leaning we looked at each
other and smiled. But with the awk ward
shyness of a schoolgirl and to my eternal
regret RETAINED from speaking, although
knowing that she was in that locality at
the time. instinctively OWNED that the
figure at the gate was Cecl's then famous
poetess, Emma Alice Browne. Alice Cary
was at that time her only successful rival
inthe poetic field. Both contributed weekly
to the Ledger, and carried on an intimate
and regular correspondence. A short dis
tance down the road, on the occasion of
which have spoken, met tall, hand
some young man, who politely raising his
hat inquired of me il he was on the right
road to Mr.. -, naming the uncle of our
little poetess. Informed him that he was
not only on the right road but was rapidly
the information with most courteous bow
and passed on. | afterwards learned that
this youth was wealthy young Southerner
from New Orleans, who had journeyed
from that distant city to pay court to her
who was the then our radiant Young queen
of song. He had been fascinated by her
poems as they appeared in the LEDGER -
He had addressed her by letter and OBJ
tanned permission to visit her, she had con-
scented, knew of his coming, and was wait
ing his expected coming in the Summer
twilight at the old farmhouse gate.
But the war came on and her young
lover fell Oh the battlefield in defence of
his loved sunny Southland, and Emma
Alice married brave young officer on the
Union side.
All me how these old time romances all
came back to me as | read this little para
graph in the city paper asking for the loca-
tion of the Skidloe Rock. 1t was probably
located on or in the Susquehanna, for like
Read and others, she had worshipful love
for the grand old river, synonym of
beauty, Susquehanna. One of her longest
and best poems closes with an invocation
to her idol