Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-05-24
WHICH the TINE RENDERED As DIFF.
THE MOTIVE WAS LAupABLE.


RESPECT THE GRAVE OF POVERTY
WHEN COMBINED WITH LOVE OF TRUTH
AND DEAR AFFECTION.
Erected October 1881.
While rumlnating on the strange CT
reer OF this lOwly and humble heroine oil
fact aud fiction. the old sexton who had
been raking up the dead leaves came
over to have word with the stranger,
for here rs elsewhere, the country people
had much specul lstion regarding the
"lorn female" who was travelling about
alone, and as this Il not spreciuct much
frequented by the ordinary tourist, they
looked askance at the solitary In iividuil
for you, dear reader, are invisible
though compsnion In spirit-but u
camera and a note book always In evi.
dehce, seemed to tell the story, so no
shadow of suspicion was ever directed
t,wards the lone traveller. After ex'
changing the pleasantries and compli-
nents Of the day with our unique NC
qunintsnc., his comp ,nion noticed that
he had very bad cough. and In her sollc-
rude mentioned the fsct 10 him.
"Ay," says he, "lt's NJ very guide
AM, but threr'sa u huntle folk l,in' roun
sbO,t ye, mem, that wad b. gey glad TO
hse tn, like o't."
Noticing the scarcity OF inhsbitsnt.
In this remote and silent hsbitstion, the
stranger ventured another rem lrk
This must be n very healthy place. Mr..
sexton. Do people die here very often 2
s'.Juss aimee n (once) was the satis-
factory r.joinder. Ii VAS with genuin.
regret that time forbade longer tete-a-
tete with this richly interesting Scotch
character, but the best Of friends must
ptr:. SO az the hand was offered In part
Ing, his ragged hat was dofied and the
words, MAY the guide Lord 60 WI We
we're waited on the breeze, In answer Z
the waving hand that b .de him snothe
good-bye from the bottom OF the brae.
10 the same NOVELETTE, Heart Of Mid
Lothian--is the character OF Msdge
wildfire portrayed, which was taker'
from y person called Feckless Fanni'
weak, or feeble Fannie.) She IL still
remembered by the grsndfathers an
grandmothers Of this generation ss 8
person who always travelled with flock
Of sheep following her. When she frat
appeared here In Ayrshire, she and her
sheep attracted much notice, for the
twelve or thirteen animals seemed TO
be endowed with faculties much superior
IN the ordinary race Of the same species.
Each one had q name, and would obev
any command she gave. When she lay
down at nieht-for she would never enter
q house-thev always seemed TO dispute
which should lie next TO her, nv which
means she was kept warm. We who
have ever possessed pet lamb In our
youth, will understand how this can be
true, for OF all domestic BARNARD AMI
malls. the much tabooed sheep IL the
most sff.ctiopate and faithful II reared
among children and domestic influences.
The writer OF this article remember
now with sadness the demise Of pet
lamb. which was instigated by the ap-
pesrance OF a butcher one fell day. and
the dsys and weeks and months that fol-
lowed this tragedy. were heart-breaking 2
indeed, when no more the cry Of "Lsm-
nile! Lammie. Lammie." would awaken
an answering "Bss-a-a" and the hurry
and skurry OF pattering feet. This par
tlculsr pet was black one, with white
points," regular sristOcrat, II he did
belong to the race called In vulgar par
lance "black sheep; and truly, "wher.
ever Mary went the lamb WAS sure Ia
CO." and at the end Of her journey would
jump up into her lap and lie down and
90 to sleep like dog or kitten. In
truth II was q piteOus dav that put an
end to the comradeship OF these two, and
the sadness has not departed yet-though
this was ages ago.
But to return to Feckless Fannie. One
OF her flock was huge creature whose
name was Charlie, and he always claim
ed the right of assisting her from her
resting place on the bosom Of Mother
World. Byholding his head to the ground
that she might Law hold on his horns,
she was lifted gently from her reclining
posture. Unlike most poor demented
creatures, hapless Fannie WAS not fond
Of fine dress, but on the contrary she
wore on her head an old slouch hst, over
her shoulders an old plaid, and carried
always 10 her hand q shepherds crook.
Once or twice abe had been persuaded
to tell her pitiful story. She was the
daughter of q wealthy squire in England
She fell 10 love with her fathers shep.
herd Her father fearing his family
would be disgraced by such an alliance,
In a fit Of passion slew her shepherd
boy. She arrived upon the scene onlv
10 time TO receive his last farewell. lie
bequesthed her his little all, but she &C.
cepted only these sheep, to be her com
psnions through life,-the hat. the plaid,
and the crook, "All OF which shall car.
ry till | descend into nv grave" said
poor Feckless Fannie. Once when she
was wandering over the mOors In this
neighborhood, old Charlie, her favorite
chanced TO break into kail-yard, when
the owner let loose savage dog that
hunted the poor sheep to death. TIL:
terrible misfortune seemed to renew al
the pangs Of agony she felt for the death
of her lover. She would not part from
the side Of her pet for many days, and
It was with much difficulty she was per
susded to allow him to be buried. She
covered his grave with moss and fenced
II around with OILERS, and every year re
turned and pulled the weeds and repaired
the fence.
The grave Is still held sacred by the
school boys Of the present day, for there
IL still credulity attached to the history
of this curious individual. 1t Is said
that the farmer who was the cause oi
Charles death soon after drowned him
self In peat bOg-and that the hand o.
man In Kilmarnock who once struct
one of her sheep, became paralyzed and
. ithered to the bone-and that younG
man In New Cumnock, VIM. Forsith BY
name, once ridiculed her, and she wish
ed that he might never see the morn
whereupon he went home and hanged
himself In his fathers barn.
We found an auld wife, Aunt Kirtsey
MscdOunell, who remembers sons
she has seen In print, with title pag,