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The Marble angel and Maise Dell. Copy-write P. Audcent 2014
I was passing by in my car and listening to the whine in my drive shaft, I looked to my right and slowed down. Ahead was an old green car parked badly by the verge with its backside hanging well into the road. I stopped behind it and got out ready to berate the owner. All I could see were a couple of heads, one white and the other brown bobbing up and down amongst some metal posts and standing stones.
'Hey you two', I called and they stopped abruptly and looked in my direction. 'Your car is poking out into the road!'
'Can you move it for us please' came the reply and their bobbing commenced again.
I looked inside and shook my head in disbelief, they had left the keys in the ignition for anyone to steal. So I got in, started it and moved it fully onto the grass.
I then tried to lock the car but the latch was broken so I left the keys on the seat and hopped over the fence to find the bobbing heads.
They were weeding alongside the graves and at first they did not notice me so I looked around and read some of the stones, at least those that were standing almost erect, until I came across a small grave with a lovely stone child mounted on a granite pedestal all by itself.
'Not from around here then.' They both came up to me, every so often dipping down and pulling a weed.
'No. You left your car keys in the car and the door wont lock' I said.
The elderly silver haired one smiled, 'Not worth pinching.'
I pointed to the stone child. 'alabaster?'
“Marble, the finest they told me.' said silver head.
'Maise Dell' said the little brown lady.
'But there's no name or date on the column.'
'Don't need to be, everyone knows wee Maise.' And both nodded.
'They thought the little angel was a fitting piece for little Maise. Well Council did and everyone subscribed, back in the eighteen hundreds it were.'
'Its a beautiful piece without a doubt and carved by a real professional, must be worth a bit of money now!'
'You from the city I guess, what with you worrying about my car and now this sculpture,with you wondering no doubt why it hasn't been stolen, its the country our country, we leave things as they are.'
'That might be up here but where I come from it would be gone in a trice. Still tell me what young Maise did to receive the bounty of a beautiful memorial?'
'Just go around the back of the column there is an inscription.'
I walked around and indeed there was a small panel hardly eligible now but by getting close I could make out the words. ' To dear Maise Dell my sincere apologies, John Webster, Mayor.' 'Well, it told me nothing, how old was Maise when she died?'
'Ninety three.'
“So why the apology?'
'It will take a little time, we have a flask of tea, so lets sit over there on John Webster's flat slab shall we.' The silver haired lady pulled a flask from her bag and both old ladies went over and sat on Webster's flat grave.
'Not to flash this slab, just a flat stone and his name carved roughly at the top,' said I.
'Well he spent most of all he had on that marble girl statue, had it shipped out by a sculptor in Italy, cost a fortune so people said. The Council and residents paid for the column. Now sit down and listen. ' So I did.
' Maise and seven children went over to the lagoon looking for tadpoles.' She pointed past the cemetery with her finger, 'about a mile down there in the dip. Young Ricky
Gallop slipped down the mud embankment and only Maise spotted him, so she dashed across the bank and grabbed him by the hand then dug her other hand into the oozing clay. Apparently she shouted and held on the Ricky until the others came across and helped drag both of them to safety. Of course the children were scared of what Ricky's parents would say him now covered in the red slime so John Webster made the story up that he had rescued Ricky, which they all agreed to.'
'Why not give the girl her due?'
'Well, she was brown, dark brown like me.' Said the other lady and drank her tea slowly.
'It was like it those days, Maise would have got a thrashing as a thank you.' said silver hair.
I looked across at the column with its beautiful statue perched on top and instantly felt a great sadness. ' How awful that Maise did not see this beautiful thing.'
'Oh rumour has it that the Mayor bought it several years before her death and had it placed in her little orchard just down the road, you can just see the tops of her plum trees over that brow.'
'We are saving up to have a new marble inscription to replace that old wooden one at the back of the column, plus rewrite some of the older stones.' Said the little brown lady.
They had finished their tea and handed me one of the cups with the last of the tea, and in return I gave them some notes to help pay for the refurbishing. Well the story was worth every penny. And no, I won't tell you where it is, I reckon the Yobs round our way would either smash it or steal it, so let it stand, a testament to a brave young lady.
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