The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1908-01-31


porridge and what little meat they mad
was of their own butchering. They all
|labored children and all, from morning
till night. Robert at the age of thirteen,
assisted in the threshing of the corn,
crops, and at FIFTEEN he was the principal
la borer on the farm, for they could not
afford a hired hand. Robert was often
depressed in spirit at the Sght ana
was now turned fifty and in very poor
health But while Robert labored hard
on the farm, like our own immortal Lin
coin, he read much and digested it well.
He acquired much knowledge from his
father who instructed him in books bor-
rowed from the neighbors.
Robert Burns tells of an incident at
this period of his life that is interesting,
that of an old lady who lived in the
neighbOrhoOd and known as Betty David
son. She had the largest collection in
the country of fairy tales. of ghosts and
witches and to the recital of these Rob
ert gave an attentive ear, and uncon-
sciously laid up material for his future
Tam O'Shanter" and Addresses to the
Dell" When Burns had come to mature
life in recalling the impression Betty
DaVidson's ghost stories had made ON
him says, '"ro this hour in my nightly
rambles / sometimes keep sharp look
out in suspicious places and though no.
body can be more skeptical than l am
in such matters, yet it often takes an
effort of philosophy to shake off these
idle terrors' And where is the Scotch
man that does not SympathiZe with
Burns in this matter as many of us
recall our own personal experiences.
While Robert Burns was a lad on his
fathers farm and attending to his duties,
he was usually i'm deep study. 1t was at
this time he first began to make verse
and with this on his mind together with
the contents of the last book he had
read it sometimes made him absent
minded. On one occasion, when his
fat bar lla1 hal no car WI
manure in the barnyard and had sent
, Robert into the field with it, he was
much surprised to see the horse and
cart, the cart still loaded with the
manure, return to the barn with Robert
seated on the edge of the cart in deep
meditation. But while he may have been
absentminded at times, it cannot be said
of him that he ever appeared stupid.
He was not like the Minnesota boy of
whom they tell the story, who upset the
load of hay on his father and left him
there while he went home with a neigh
Dor to dinner. 1t was about this time
that Bobbie had his first love experience.
He was always from his youth till his
death great admirer of the fair sex.
In short Robert was great lover. His
first sweetheart was Nelly fitzpatrick, the
daughter Of the blacksmith. who had on
n former occasion loaned him the history
Of Sir William Wallace. 1t was the Gus
tom in that day to couple a man and a
woman together in the labors in the har
vest field and on this occasion he had
Nelly for his partner. Robert was then
seventeen and she year younger. and he
enjoyed lurking behind the rest of the
help when they returned from their la
bors in the evening and it always made
his heart beat faster as he fingered over
her little chubby hand to pick out the
cruel nettle stings and thistles. Nelly
sang sweetly and among her songs there
was one which was said to be composed
| by a small laird's son, about one of his
| fathers maids, with whom he was in love-
and Robert saw no reason why he should
| not RHINE as well as he, for the author
| had no more school craft than himself
! In writing of this song a few years later
| the poet spoke of it as being light and
silly, and his verdict from poetical
/ view was correct. but this is to be said
| in favor of this his first song, it was in
/ Spired from feeling, and not from read
ing. prompted by the warmth and purity
| of his love for Nelly Fitzpatrick. 1t was
| a poor effort in comparison with his
later songs but it was his own and
shows his strong admiration for his hero
| inc when he says,
And then there is something in her gait,
/ Cars ony dress look WELL
From the Mount Oiphant farm. the
| family moved to Lochlea, in the parish
ParboltOn, and here the family all con-
| tinued their work as usual on the farm
Robert was now a favorite in the neigh
/ bOrhood especially among the fair sex
/ He treated all alike whether they We're
daughters of the well-to-do farmers or
| servants to others. He being a born low
! err and born poet, he courted and wrote
| verse at the same time. He painted what
he saw. and sang what he felt We have
a glimpse of him i'm one of his winter
! courtships in my Nanny o. and still
I another in his summer courtship in ''The
| Riggs o Barley,' and another and livlier
glimpse of him in one of his hooking
moods in, 'Tibbie 1 Haze Seen the Day"
no f1n
which these songs reveal How as
man of sound understanding and fine
ana active Intelligence, gifted with ready
! humor ana Keen sense of wit If he
had been other than he was, he might
and probably would have been elated by
his poetic powers, of which by this time
| he must have been aware. but being
what he was, he was content to enjoy
! them ana to exercise them moderately.
and at such scanty intervals as his
| daily duties afforded. He composed his
songs as he went about his work plow-
ing, sowing. reaping, humming them over
as ne crossed and recrossed the field,
and correcting them as best he could i'm
his mind until he returned home at night.
and there by the light of his humble tai
low candle he would arrange them in
verse He did not have an exalted opin-
! ion of himself he was but the son of a
F., poor farmer. who do what he might. was
never prosperous and poverty was ever
/ his norton.
| Wnen Burns was nineteen years old
/ he was sent to the Kirk Oswald parish
school to study surveying. and what we
= would call in this dav, civil engineering
HIS teacher was noted as a great matha
matlcian and Robert made progress i'm his
studies But here another love affair
upset his plans for there dwelt in the
house adjoining the school, a beautiful
girl and she so completely upset his
ttrlsonomerty that he found it was use
| less to try to study, and after a week.,
| endeavor struggling with his signs and
co-signs. but with the image of this fair
i flower ever in his mind he finally gave
1t up and returned home. His study on
the whole. however, was of lasting bene-
mt 10 him. And now to show the power
OF influence. either for good or evil. of
one young man over another it was
Burns misfortune about this time to
meet young man who had exerted a
powerful influence over him. and unfortu-
natelv. not for Burns good This Young
man had travelled much and his stories
OF travel and adventure deeply interested
the young poet but his thoughts were
impure and Burns relates in after life
how his Young friend spoke of Illicit love
with the levity of a sailor. which hitherto
Burns he'd REGARDED with horror Prev
1ous TO this time the thoughts of Burns
! REGARDING the opposite sex were as pI1re
as a child's. but the mischief done at
rms time were never fully erased until
his death. He had also met at this time
men VINO were engaged in contraband
tranic. These men were full of adven
ture. and at the same time drank much