Stray Leaves from a Border Garden 
Esther’s death. The prime mover in the restoration of a 
king to the gipsies was the parish minister, Rev. W. 
Garrick Miller, by whose exertions the function was got 
up. The proceedings were curious and amusing, in spite 
of the feeling of mockery about them. A small low plat- 
form, upholstered in red and yellow, and draped with 
flags, was erected up against the gable end of the Old 
Border Inn, and on it were placed about half a dozen 
chairs and a small round table, with a red velvet cushion 
for the crown. There was a small enclosure of reserved 
seats round the dais, consisting of planks, and they were 
soon crowded, and also the neighbouring cottages, from 
which a good view could be obtained, were covered with 
men sitting astride of the roofs. The first dignitary who 
appeared was the ‘ Lord Mayor ’ in the regulation scarlet 
and fur and big (brass) chain of office. Then came the 
Court (otherwise the Committee) in ‘ character,’ and they 
were received with a great deal of laughter. Their clothes 
looked as if they had been supplied by a circus, and were 
of the most motley description. There was a man-at-arms 
in tin armour, a Robin Hood in Lincoln green, or more 
probably, a Scottish archer; Harry VIII., a cowboy; 
heralds and halberdiers in tinsel and velvet, and many others 
whose costumes were less easy to identify. At last the 
minister appeared in silk gown and trencher-hat, and after 
the assembly, at his invitation, had sung two verses of the 
Hundredth Psalm, to the accompaniment of the brass band 
from Coldstream, he opened the proceedings with a prayer, 
and then made a short speech welcoming the gathering to 
Yetholm. A brief address followed from Bailie Gibson on 
the history of the gipsies in Scotland (the more sympathetic 
that he, like the minister, is supposed to be akin to the 
Romany ‘ chals ’), then the band played ‘ Rule Britannia,’ 
and two heralds, in marvellous costumes, read aloud the 
Proclamation sentence by sentence, the one repeating it 
after the other. It began, as befitting a Royal Proclama- 
tion, with ‘ Oyez ! oyez ! oyez ! ’ and it set forth that it 
having been found that the ancient people of Little Egypt 
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