AULDTOON BEYLEY'S COORT.

Bush Advocate, Volume V, Issue 354, 16 August 1890, Page 5

AULDTOON BEYLEY'S COORT.

By John WahdeOp.

l f> "There's a Coort the day, B»>yley," said Doogal the policeman, as he put his head in at the door of Wulyum Tamsen's c : ; drapery shop. The Buyloy; eitt'ingatthefire 3t in the back shop, tilted his chair so that he ie could see the tip of the policeman s iielmei, and 10 j replied — f "Aw light, Doogal." 3 ' The Beyley knew as well as Doogal— as, in (1 fact, did everyone in the village— that there was , c to be a Court that morning. Taraas Wulsen, c the flesher, had been " summonsed" for having *' been drunk and disorderly, creating a dis't turbance, breaking Jims Smith's window, and „ assaulting the said Jims Smith, etc., etc." ; and ° j the fact that 'Pumas was to appear before him n that morning had* caused the Beyley considery able uneasiness and the loss of several hours' , sleep. s The Court was held at 10 o'clock, and when the " toon nock" struck thas hour the Beylay c called to his wife to mind the shop, and went r along to the " Toon'e-hooBe" at the Cross, y The Court was crowded, and the Beyley mounted the bench with a full consciousness s of the importance of his position. Having 1 carefully wiped and adjusted his spectacles, he . held a whispered conversation with the cterk, Mr. Law. " It's an awfu' business this, Mr. Law !" c " Deed, Beyley, it's no verranioe; but ye'l c hi ti dae yer dufcy, 'n jist dale wi' him aa if ye c had never seen him afore." t • • Silence in the Coort ! ' ' cried Doogal. " Ca' the first case," said the Beyley. " Taraas Wulsen," called the clerk. r There was a pause, thea Doogal said— •" Ha's ' no here yet." { Everyone looked as if he knew wh^re Tamaß 3 was, and a voice was heard from a back seat — 3 "A saw him and Jims Smith gaun inti the r ' Cross Keys' no ten mecnits sin." ' " Whit, wi' the principal wutness ?" said the 3 Beyley. " Doogal, gang 'n get them." " 'E there ony ither cases, Mr. Law ?" "Ay, there's twa— a ' beggin" an* a I ' cursin' an' sweerin' ' — but Doogal'fl the 1 wutness," replied the clerk. 7 Just then the policeman intimated that he I " caw them comin,' " and in a minute Tamas Wulsen and .Jims Smith entered and took up a t position against the wall near the door. V Tamas Wulsen !" again called the clerk. '* The case his been settled oot o" Cooit," said • that gentleman, without moving,. ; An evident air of disappointment spread ov.er the faces of the audience. The Beyley and the , clerk held a whispered consultation, the result L of which was that the Beyley intimated — "Ye canna settle the case oot o f the Coort. It's a criminal chairge." " A-y-e — ? A canna settle't oot o' the Coort, ,can a no ? bat 'am tellin' ye a hae settled it wi' Jims Smith." " A weel, ye'l hi ti settle't wi' the Coort noo, Mr. Wuloen. Step inti the dock." " The dock be ) 'Am tellin' ye " " Doogal, place the prisoner in the dock," interrupted the Bayley* Amid intense excitement among the audience. Doogal, more from force of habit than anything else, did as he was ordered, and the accused, overcome with his efforts to express his indignation, stood in thbdock before .he seemed to realise it " Bead the chairge, Mr, Law." The charge was read* " Prisoner at the bawr, di ye plead guilty or not guilty ?" " Don't ' prisoner' me. Ye hi nae business ti ca' me a prisoner. 'Am tellin' ye the case is settled. A want nano o' yer nonsense. *Ay' been "' •' Haud yer tongue! Did ano tell ye it's a criminal chairge ? an ye canna settle't. Ye're jist wastin' the time o the Coort, Di ye plead guilty or no guilty ?" "Guilty.be ! 'Amtel— * " Haud yer tongue, a tell ye, dr '1 tak' ye up fur contempt o' Cooi-t. Am Iti uu'erston' ye plead no guilty ?" "Of coorse ; it's settle't." " Ca' the first wutnesa, Mr. Law.'^ " Doogal M'Pbereou !" The policeman stepped into the box. " Noo, luk ye here, Beyley,, there's nae yis gaun inti the thing in this wey. 'Am no denying that a had a taste yestreen, but a hae ■" •' Oh ! ye admit ye were the waur o' drink, di ye r 1 " interrupted the Beyley, faking a note of the fact ; " and di ye admit creating a disturbance tae ?" " Noo, ye needna be si catchinS A admit naethingo the kin. A don't admit anything. "Am tellin' ye a hi settled wi' Jims Smith for the bit niisun'erstan'in'.. The Beyley contiuued his notes' "Di ye admit ye broke JJoss Smith's windi i"' 1 ' Tho windi his been peyt f ar^ an r it's aane o' 3'our business wha broke it* Guidnese alive !ye auld " " Be raair respectful in addi'esßui' the Cdort. Di ye admit aßsaultin' Jims Smith "?* "Noo, luk here, Wulyum Tamsen, that'l jist dae. I'l stan' here and be heckled bi you or nae ither man in this wey when a hae tel't ye ower and ower " " Haud yer tongue, an* answer ma question, wul ye? or as share's 'm sittin' neitj'l tak* ye up iur conterap'." By this time the accused was fairly boiling with rage, and to the great diversion of the audience he broke out — * ' Contemp' tae the deevit, a»* you tae, ye dauneriu' -heeded aul* wife, I'ar'e a fiae Beyloy. When were vow at the skil P* (CJry of " Order.") " Order I'l order hhn> He disna ken whit he's daeiu', A wis a Beyley massel', an' ken the wey a case should be eonducket. Hae a no tel't ye ower an'ower an' ower again, ye deef aul' nil, that a I'v.e- &H4led wi' Ji.ns iSmith an" natbii'Jy vise /m onuUt'uw tv dot ui'L" The latter part of this outburst was simply roared at the Beyley, who had been getting redder and redder, and it was evidently vriih great difficulty he managed to restrain himself. When it was finished ho leaned forward ami said, in a low, impressive t»ue — " Prisoner— ct —the — bawr,~ If— ye— -my — anithcr — nurd — VI — remit- -ye — tvc — tte — S/riritf. Noo!" Sensation in Court. The awusod was visibly Bubdued, and only ejaculated — " Did ye ever ?" The Beyloy, bayin g; successfully asserted his authority, and order beiug roetored, proceeded — "Tamas Wulsen, ye'r chairged wae, firstly boiti' drunk an' disorderly ; secondly, creatiji* a disturbance ; thirdly, breaking Jhna Smith's wiiuii ; and lustly, assaultiu' the said Jims Smith, a' between the boora o* seven oud eight o'clock last night, an' ye hipledgnilfcv " " It's a lee, a thunneriii* lee, a " Hand yer tongue ! Ye admitted* euch o* the cliairges, which is jist pleedin'gnflty." * " Did ye ever hoar the like o' that? A did naething o' the Wn', Ye aul' skoontral, if yo couvick me, i'l — i'l *' " Tamas Wulsen, '1 remit ye ti the Sheriff on the mortal Bpot, if yo dinna withdraw that word, and haud yer tonguo." "Ye daurua, Wulyum Tamsen ; ye daurna ! Jis* try it ! oh* as share's daith 't hae yer rent raised. There. 1 " There was another sensation in Court, and someone whispered — " He his' em there !" The Beyley rented his shop from the fieshcr's mother-in-law, and the threat undoubtedly took the Boy ley aback for a moment ; but as he saw the clerk lifting a certain blue schedule, he summoned courage, and said, very quietly — " Mr. Law, iul up a lemit tae the Sheriff." Tremendous sensation. " Noo, Bayley, dinna loss yer temper. " It's uo cousiatant wi' yer duty. If a hue been a wee strong in ma language, ye raun niak' allooance fur ma poseetion ; but a didua mean ti oifend ye." \ The Beyley was evidently glad to 6eLze on this as an apology. " Ye mun maid > Tamas, that I'm no Wulyum Tainsen the uoo. I'm the Beytey^ an', aa the Beyley, I mun uphaud tho authority o' tho Coort ; an' i'l dae't. Ahi pit up wi' niair ti you the day than fi onybudy eteo binco a hae been a Boyley. A man in your poseetion tae pang on as ye hae been gaun J An ex Beyloy, tae ! Man," "in wiunerin' et je! Ye Bhould hi mair sense. Noo, ye ken a hao nej personal animosity against ye. I'm hem as the Beyley, the representative o' the law 5 but, even aa the Beyley, a don't want ti bo ower severe vri? ye, an' seoin' that it's the first time ye hae bean here— that's tieay, in the dock — an' that ye hae made it up wi' Jims Smith an' poyodfurthe wiudi — (awful suspense) — ' the sentence o' the Coort is ten ehullins orseeven days.' ** Tamas waa Btruck .lumb with as-'orashment and indignation. But there was nothing for it. All he could do was to pay the fine and depart, vowing vengeance on the Beyley. — GZzsgvw Citizen