Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-04
THE QUEENS FRIEND.

ItiE W. ? L iklE-SD.
-
In the old churchyard Of Crathie, sweet
with the scent Of the birks and the flrs,
are many Of the queens memorials to
those who, having served their day and
generation by their soverelgn's side, have
passed through the valley of the shadow
to their rest. Is there, in the history OF
monarchies, a parallel to the dedication
Of her majesty's second book, More
Leaves?" ITO My Loyal H~ighlanders,'
it runs, 'and especially to the memory
Of my devoted personal attendant and
faithful friend. John Brown, these rec
ords Of my widowed life in Scotland are
gratefully dedicated"
Prince Albert, when visiting the Bal
moral stables. saw a rough country
youth whose father occupied the Bush.
a farm in the immediate vicinity of Bal
moral, on the north side of the Bee.
Prince Albert found that in his stable
boy he had no sycophantic courtler, but q
lad who spoke unaffectedly to him, with
the ease that sits well upon the High
lander. But let the queen tell the story
Of the promotion Of John Brown. who lin
1858 became my regular attendant out or
doors everywhere in the Highlands, who
commenced as gillie in 1S49 and was Sc
lected BY Albert and me to go with my
carriage. In 1851 lie entered our service
permanently. n advanced step by step
by his good conduct and Intelligence. His
attention, care and faithfulness cannot
be exceeded. u St y He has since, most
deservedly, been promoted to be an upper
servant and my personal attendant"
What more Queen Victoria has to say or
John Brown, is it not written in Leaves
and More Leaves?" Was the hill pony
to led when the queen scaled the bens
with no courtlers by her side-none save
the Highlanders who ate the bread they
earned at Balmoral-John Brown was
there. Was the royal carriage upset,
John Brown was ''indefatigable in his at
@tention and care" Was breakfast to be
served to the queen in her sitting room.
John Brown-"Brown, who is always
ready to do anything required'-waited
upon his mistress. Had the news of
friends death to be broken-such friends
| as Mr.. Norman Macleod and the Prince
Imperial-it was John Brown who was
called upon to do the delicate work. 1t
. was Brown who had the keen eye for
white heather. and it was Brown, too,
with the superstition of the Highlander,
: would not pass a clump without picking
some.
John Brown dared to do what almost
: every man in these stands would have
:, shrunk from. and to bear out this state
, ment there are stories still told among
the hills that have not yet found their
way into print. When driving between
: Balmoral and Braemar one day, the royal
e party was overtaken by a sharp shower
], of rain. The carriage was stopped, John
: Brown got down and suggested to hel
majesty that she should put a plaid round
her shoulders. The queen declined the
offer and asked him to mount and let the
n drive be continued. 5EH
"Hoots. lassie,' said Brown. taking the
plaid and placing it in position. TAX The
plaid rOun' yer shooters (shoulders) Of
yen get a wat skim
The story of the table at Glassalt SHE
has already been told. One day hel
If majesty, not in the best of humor, wa!
sketching at the Glassalt Shiel. Sht
q wished for a table on which she nigh
sketch, and the servants had exhausted
the stock, but still the sovereign was dis
satisfied. In their plight they went t.
Brown, who seized one of the rejected ia
bles and set it dow with a bang. TIL,
y queen looked up surprised, whereupol
Brown exclaimed:
'They Gamma max tables to you u
I'd here, your majeesty!'
40 His mistress took in the situation an,
worked it off with a laugh.
70 When, in 1872, the young madman
20 O'COnnOr, rushed I'm to the queens car
riage in buckingham palace garden witt
a petition in one hand and an old pisto
in the other, it was appropriate that tn
20 faithful retainer, Brown, should seize an,
disarm him. For this act Brown wa
of presented by her majesty with a media.
IN which is shown on a ~life-size bronz
statue by Boehm which stands in tn
l. Balmoral grounds.
no John Brown died at Windsor in 1888:
- aged 81 years. grieved for as a friend b
IN the queen, who afterward wrote:
;s His loss to me = - = is irreparab bic
" for he deservedly possessed my entir
confidence; and to say that he is dali,
nay, hourly, missed by me = = $
but a feeble expression of the truth. .
'n truer, nobler, trustier heart, more loya
ne and more loving, never beat within a hu
man breast"
e. Over his grave in Crathie churchyar
This mistress and queen erected a block e
native granite, on the pedestal Of whic
is a Scotch thistle. The inscription run
ne to the effect that John Brown. '.persons
attendant and beloved friend of Quee
Victoria" was 'born at Craithenairt
Oy December 8, 1926: died at Windsor Castl
)" March n. 1883. That friend on who's
.. fidelity you count. that friend given I
Lis von, hv NfrOlln m ofa ncoo ovyor x,h;oh ro