Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-05-02
A Pleasant Historical Sketch
Mary had a little lamb,
It's fleece WAS white as snow
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure 10 co.

lines was not mere myth as many
have supposed, but real tlesh-and-
blood little girl and her little lamb was
all wool. Her name was Mary +. Saw
Yer, and she Was born in the rural dis
trict adj AGENT to the town OF Worces-
ter, Mass. Here she grew IL young
womanhood and became in the course
OF human events, Mrs. Columbus Ty-
/ Ter.
/ According to the folklore records
of old people still living in the vicinity
OF Worcester, it was about the year
1902, when Mary was eight or ten
years old, that she found one morning,
a little newborn lamb in the sheep
pen, nearly dead from cold and expo
sure.
Mary carried the lamb into the house
and adopted it as her own property.
So frail was the young founding that
its young mistress sat up all night, on
one occasion, to nurse her beloved
charge. She daily combed its fleece
and decorated its head with bright.
colored ribbons. AS natural conse-
guence, the lamb became a great pet
and favorite in the family, following
it's young preserver all about the old
home. The little girls pleasure in
taking care OF the lamb and enjoying
its company, was shared by her broth
er Nat, who proposed taking lammy"
to school, one fine morning. Mary
agreed to this, and the docile animal
accompanied the children to the old
district school house, a few furlongs
from the farm house.
Mary placed lammy behind the old
fashioned desk she occupied and COW
cred him with her shawl to prevent
him from disturbing the school. The
little girl was presently called to join
her class in recitation, but no sooner
had she left her seat than young Mr..
Lammy followed, creating great rack.
ct as he tripped across the floor. Then
came the episode cited in the little
poem:
cit made the children laugh and play,
| To see lamb at school,"
And the good.natured teacher joined
with her pupils in hearty laugh at
the turn of events. Mary quietly led the
lamb out of doors and shut him up in
the woodshed, where he remained till
his mistress went home at noon.
The teacher, on this historical occa
sion. was Miss Polly Kimball, who af
forwards married a Mr.. Loring. Hel
son, q well-known citizen, still lives in
Boston.
A young man named John Raul.
ston, son of Mary's dancing teacher
was visitor at the school on the
morning OF the lammy affair, and was
so greatly amused that he wrote the
the first three stanzas OF the now cele.
brated little poem and handed them to
the young lady. Two more stanzaa
were added by q neighbor, Mrs. Town.
send.
Before her marriage, Mary Sawyer
taught q school at Fitchburg, Mass.
and became a general favorite among
the young people Of her acquaintance
During the latter part of her life, she
held the position of matron in the in
sane asylum of Somerville for number
Of years. While yet o little girl, she
knitted two pairs of stockings from
yarn spun from q fleece of her pei
lamb. and kept one pair till she wat
nearly eighty years old. The stock
ings she gave to . fund which was be.
ing raised at the time for repairing the
Old South Church, Boston. The yarn
OF these stockings was unraveled, Gu,
into strips and attached to cards bear
ing the venerable donors autograph
Having been placed on sale, the cards
brought the sum of 500, which wa,
turned over to the Old South Church
Reservation Fund.
The old lady, Little Mary" died 9
years ago and her memory is enshained
in the hearts of thousands of old &C
quaintances who still survive her.
Thus it was that q good little girl
became renowned for doing duty o.
Mercy.
OVER three thousand people have
signed the petition requesting HarolC
Preston to become an active candidate
for United States Senator.-1Vhite Rioe1
Journal.
Isn't that adopting a populistie
method of securing recognition! Car
the &. o. p. afford to accept the mi
tiative," in all its length and BREADTH
Now won't the whiskered brigade each
innate?
i HERKIMER. KS, town of 600 in
habitants on the St. Joseph and Crane
Island railroad, was almost entirely
destroyed by fire during a 5O-mile