Year: 1873

One hundred and fifteen years ago the
wife of a shepherd, who tended his mas
ter's hocks on the pastures of Dumfries-
shire, gave birth to a son. The father
died in the same year, and poor Janet.
the widow, was left to struggle as best she
might in the endeavor to bring up her
fatherless boy. She worked hard day and
night and trusted in God never grumb-
ling nor complaining, but putting her
shoulder to what had to be done with a
bright face and cheerful spirit. By-and-
by, as soon as the little fellow was old
enough she put him to the parish school,
some of her neighbors advised her to send
him out to beg, but, poor as she had long
been, it was never in the staunch Scotch
heart of her to beg for herself, much less
to set her darling at it.


At school, little Tam seemed different
from the other boys. He was not re-
markably bright or quick, but was always
wanting to know how to do a thing, and
then how to make it useful. Tam could
only attend school during four months Of
Winter, for, being old enough for school,
was old enough for work, and therefore
in the Summer, after his mothers prayer
and hymn, he had every morning TO be
off to the hill-sides looking after the focks
of sheep, as his father had done before
him. But boys do not learn all they know
in the school-house at least Tam did not
Every book he could borrow he took into
the pastures and studied it there. AnC
then there were the misty crag garmentec
in the thunder when the tempest came
and the warbling of the lark high up il
the blue depths, and the torrent dashins
down the ravine, and the CLASSY surface o
the silver tarn lulled in the bosom of the
mountain. There were the four gospels
too, every word of which he could repeal
when he was seven years old. These were
dominion of Westerkirk.


The boy in time grew to a sturdy lad
stout of heart and brawny of limb, anc
finally got himself apprenticed to stone
mason. The work suited him exactly, ant
he wrought at it for years, toiliug in th'
open air by day, and greedily devouriDE
at night, by the light of his mothers fire
as many books as he could beg, buy, o.
borrow. Far and wide he was noted fo
his animal spirits. His nature bubblet
over with waggishness, frolic and laughter
Country side folk said that the bare sigh
; of him was cure for the blues, and call
ed him "The Laughing Laddie of Esk
dale" But Tam was not always laughing
J as we shall presently see.


In 17S0, the boy, now man, set ou
for Edinburgh in search of better EN-
ployment. He found it, and worked ther,
for two years as stone-mason, all th'
while studying. He then set out for Lon
don, got job at the quadrangle o
Somerset Place Buildings, studied when of
work all the public edifces in the grea
metropolis, and was SO intelligent in con-
versation and respectful in manner that ht
architects of the day.


His services now began to be in requi
sition. What he did was so well done
what he suggested was so clearly said
that he was sent to Portsmouth Dock yarc
to erect an official mansion and chapel
J While doing this, study, which was hi
law, was directed to the foundation ant
; construction of craving docks, wharve
and walls. Remaining for three years
he was invited into Shropshire, to super
intend alterations about to be made in tn
!. Castle of Shrewsbury. This he executes
SO we'll, that he was elected surveyor o
J lpublic works for the county.