The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-01-31
The Junior Book Shelf

How would you like to live in a
house just full of old daggers and
swords and guns and shields and
al sorts of things which had been
used by people who lived several
hundred and sometimes many hum
red years ago; in house where
old suits of armor stand like big
guards by the doorways which you
can look inside of just to be sure
no one is hiding within those
mysterious looking metal suits?
How would you like to live in a
place that reminded you of the old
stone castles of which there were,
and still are, so many in Scotland,
England and many parts of Europe;
where hundreds of years ago lived
knights and ladies, where minstrels
played on great gilded harps, and
where gay dancing and great feasts
were enjoyed, and near which
radiant tournaments were held and
terrific battles we're fought by men
wearing these same metal suits?
Sir Walter Scott, who wrote Ivan
hoe and Marmion and many other
exciting stories and poems, thought
he would like to live in just such a
house. From the time when he
was very little boy he used, to
love to be told stories of the Scot
fish chieftains and the brave
clansmen who lived on the Scotch
border { where Scotlond joins
England.) So fired was his imagi-
nation by the castles and historic
woody glens where these people
fought, that he dreamed a dream.
And this was his dream.
He wanted to be Border Laird
(Scotch for Lord) and have an an
cestral home. His dream came
true and the castle house, as we
will call it, which he built, still
exists in Selkirk, "a land division
like our county, in Scotland,
near the ancient village of Melrose.
The name that Sir Walter gave
to his home is-Abbotsford, in mem
ory Of the monks and Abbots who
lived near there In Melrose Abby,
the ruins of which are some Of the
most beautiful abbey ruins left for
US to see, who live in this century.
Here he collected thousands of
interesting things which are in the
house which is today, much the
same as it was in SCOTS time
and is visited by hundreds OF
people who have read Scott's
stories and are interested both in
them and the warm-hearted Scotch
writer who created them.
The castle house itself is made
of dark grey stone, of which many
of Scotland's castles are made and
in the stone wall around it he has
built the great doorway which he
secured from the old Tolbooth of
Edinburgh "a prison of the middle
ages.) Inside, some of the floors
are laid with marble brought from
the Hebrides, the heavy paneling,
from dark oak brought from
and some Of the richly
carved ceilings, from cedar brought
from Jamaica.
A little writing desk of the wood
from the Spanish Armada, Is in his
study. The carved paneling in the
small tower room, which he called
the "Speak-a-bit," is made from
the bed which Mary, Queen of
Scotland (the beautiful lady whose
life was so romantic and yet so sad)
occupied in the castle of Jedburgh,
when she was sick there with fever
after her unhappy visit to Hermit
age Castle, where her lieutenant
Ind lover, the Earl of Boswell, lay
lick and wounded from sword
thrust by the famous freebooter.
Little Jack Elliott"
In the immense library are
SCOTS 10000 books and presents
md relics of many kings and gen.
rails and chieftains Of earlier
ears.
Most interesting of all, perhaps,
8 the Armory. 1t is never day
lght here, but always sort of
ich and red twilight from the col
red glass windows emblazoned
18th the pictures Of knightly
eeds, which casts a strange light
yer the innumerahle relics and