The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-13
GREEN BREEKS.

40

When Sir Walter Scott was g. school
boy in Edinburgh he used to take great
delight in a sort of warfare kept up
between parties of boys who lived in diff
ferent quarters of the town; they fought
a good deal as the different gangs on
the East-side of New York fight now-a-
days, only that they were much less dis
turbed by the police than the Bowery
boy today, a higher sense of honor, as
the story of Green Breeks shows.
Rough as the play was parents and ponce
We're induced to tolerate it because the
boys through it all behaved so well.
Little Walter Scott belonged TO one
faction, as they called themselves, and
rades were little swells, and Green
Breeks headed ragged crew; but
neither side cared anything about that;
they battled because they were two fac
tons, not because they had anything
against each other: as they lived in diff
ferent neighborhoods they knew nothing
about each other, not even each other
names; Green Breeks was called so be-
cause he wore a pair of ragged breeches
that had once been part of a servant
livery. He was a gallant leader, about
fair hair; the battle took the form of
one party driving the other out of in
vaded territory turn and turn about;
Green Breeks was always the first in
the charge; the last in retreat.
Walter Scott's party had flag that
the lady who was then the Duchess of
Sutherland had given them; at last in
one furious charge the bare-footed party
sent all flying before them and Green
Breeks we'll in front of all the rest get
his hand on the enemy's flag; then the
hag-bearer struck him on the head, and
poor Green Breeks fell down senseless;
this was not what had been intended at
all, and was such an alarming accident
that both sides fled in terror, leaving
the boy lying on the pavement with his
bright hair stained with blood. The boy
who had dealt the blow was wild with
terror and secrecy was sworn by all his
party; that would have done him little
good when Green Breeks came to, If
Green Breel1s had been minded to tel
on him, but Green Breeks wasn't that
kind. He was taken to the hospital for
a few days-the wound turned out
trifle after all-and argument and per-
suasion were tried on him to make nm
tell who struck him. but tell he would
not, nor give any sign that could identify
his enemy.
When he was around again Walter
Scott and some of his friends opened up
negotiations with him through baker
bread; they had scraped their pennies to-
gether and wanted to give him a sum of
money to pay for his hurt. But no,
Green Breeks said he would not sell
his blood" any more than he would be
a tell-tale. After a good deal of diplo-
macy, the baker keeping the proceedings,
they got him to accept pound or snun
for his grandmother. That matter being
settled the two factions went joyousiy TO
fighting again-they liked that much
better than being friends-and soon after
Green Breeks slipped out of Walter
SCOTS ken. and he never heard Of him
again. But to the end of his life, long
after he became the great Sir Walter,
he would tell this story, and amid fes-
tivi.ies with old friends he would often
propose a toast to his ancient and honor
able enemy, Green Breeks.
VIRGINIA FRENCH.