The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-09-14
A REALLY TRULY MARY
AND REALLY TRULY LAMB
An kalhentlc Story About the Lambkin and the
DamSel Which Begins "Once
Upon Time"

ana II was not very nard 70 Work -
The lamb was SO weak that II could
not swallow at first. Even the cafutQ
tea / prepared did not tempt Il.
thought catnip tea was the best thM4
II wrapped my lamb up in shau1
and held 1t near the fire to keep II wnyn1,
I remained with 1t all that day And 4
in despair. but i would not give %.
Father and mother told mo that could
not save the lamb but made up M
mind / would not give up Is long q ~
would not go to bed, but sat up with Il
In my arms. Toward morning the lau1G
was able to drink q little milk that 5
had warmed and then 1t seemed to 81
better.
II went to sleep with the lamb IN my
arms before the fire. When / woke M
IL was much better. 1t drank the milk
and was able to stand. gained
Adopted By the Lamb.
''The lamb adopted me as Its mother.
I kept II In the house until 1t was old
ana strong enough to run about. Whau<
ever ! came out Of the house It aiwayA
followed me.
at us ID to tie up the wool In ribbons
and often / would dress the lamb up In
pantalettes and shawl. and 1t was tbs
much preferred having the ribbons on
my lamb to having them on my own
frocks. s
"The day the lamb went to school
had not seen my pet until ! was rexdY
to start for the schoolhouse. reilly
couldn't think of going anywhere with.
out having seen the lamb. Whenever
called II. IL Ii was within the sound oE
my voice, IL would bieat and answsf
and come to me as fast as II could run.
That day l and the lamb seemed par
ticularly glad to see each other and niy
brother, Nate who had more than his
share of boyish love for mischief. sug~
gested that we take the lamb to school
That seemed to me a very good idea.
The Lamb ,b trot:sd ak along by amy nay sss
1t over the stone wall into the road.
When we reached the school It was
early and the teacher had not arrived.
although some of the scholars were there's
"At first was in a quandary as e
what to do with the lamb. out solution
quickly came to me. In those days we
had the old-fashioned boarded-up seats
and I placed the lamb under my seat.
The creature had such confidence in ms
that 1t would offer not the slightest re-
sistance 10 anything I did with 1t.
arranged the blanket over my pet and IL
went comfortably 10 sleep.
Why the Children Laughed.
1.-THE lamb remained under nay seat
quite contentedly. giving not the slight
| est sign of its presence and / forget
| 1t was there until left my place to re-
cite. A clatter. chatter of little hoofs on
| the bare floor swiftly reminded me that
| the lamb was with me. It couldn't bear
to have me leave it.
, laughed and giggled, and the teachey.
Miss Polly Kimball, who afterward ue-.
came the mother of Mr.. Loring.s tife'
head of the Circulating Library in Bos-
ton, was greatly astonished. She told
me to take the lamb out OF the school.
reproved me for bringing 1t there. ard
told me never to do such q thing again.
tied the school that day. He had started
out on long walk and stopped at the
school to take rest. He was then pre-
pairing to enter Harvard and was study
Ing under the direction of his uncle. the
Rev. Lemuel Capin, of Sterling. with
whom he was living. He intended to
become minister.
cident and laughed over II immoderately.
The next day he rode over to our farm
and handed me three verses he had
scrubbed off very hastily. These were
a Little Lamb
Mary had a little lamb.
It's fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
1t followed her to school one day,
It was against the rule;
1t made the children laugh and play
| To see a lamb at school.
So the teacher turned MIN out,
| But still he fingered near.
And waited patiently about
Till Mary did appear.
ward. I kept the verses, but 1t was many
years before they appeared in print. I
| am not exactly sure how that came
about. John Roulstone entered Harvard
| the following autumn and he died OF
consumption In his freshman year.
| never heard that he had ever written any
| poetry or aDw verses other than those
about me and the lamb.
| MY pet came to violent end and
on Thanksgiving Day, of all times IN
| the year! was out in the barn watch-
ing the cows being fed as usual, and
nv lamb was at my heels, as was It's
custom. When 1 was about the lamb
was absolutely fearless. 1t seemed to
think that could protect it from every
danger.
"As the lamb passed by a coy the
larger animal turned furiously and gored
my pet. 1t was fatal injury. and
shall never forget the agony and appeal
mine. 1 gathered the little creature in
my arms and held it until It died. I
have had many troubles in my life, but
never have l experienced keener grisf
And that ends the story of the lamb.
not of Mary Sawyer. 1t seems that chg
was an excellent scholar and advanced
so rapidly In learning that when sha
was still a young woman she secured
a place as a school teacher at Fitchburg.
Afterward she married Columbus Tyler,
| who become the steward of the Mclean
Asylum for Insane, in Somerville Mass,
| where Mrs. Tyler was the matron.
After the lambs untimely end Mary
Sawyer would not wear the stockings
her mother knitted from the fleece OF
the lamb. and she carefully preserved
them. In later years she unravelled the
| stockings and fastened a bit OF the yarn
made from the lambs wool on a card.
| Some Of these cards were sold when a
popular fund was raised to preserve the
Old South Church in Boston in 1873.
Mrs Tyler wished to do all she could
for the church. and the sale of the yarn
from the lambs fleece Melted more than
500.
But Mrs. Tyler herself kept IN the
| background as much as possible. AT
| times She resented the fame that came
| to her from the verses. In fact. Sc
said on one occasion:
when that giggling fool came into
the schoolhouse at Sterling that day he
little knew the trouble he stirred up
| for me-"
And. In truth. people who heard that
she was the original Mary of the lamb
| incident did make things most uncou-
| Portable for her at one time. But that
| was a good many years ago. When Mrs.
| Tyler died the fact that she was the
| Mary that had little lamb was hardly
| devoted much space to the good work
she dit in the asylum. But for all that
her fame will always rest upon the
verses, and it is likely to live as long
| as Caesars.
AS nearly as it can be hxed, the nrsc
| publication of Mary Had a Little
| Lamb" was in the volume complied by
arr