CRAIGIELINN.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 310, 6 October 1899, Page 2

CRAIGIELINN.

_, — ■■■ . ■ « ... , . BY F. E. BEN WICK.

[Vincent Pykb.] " Aye be Zeal." PAIRT SIXTH. There was an auld creature that used to dander aboot the farm, at orra times when ib pleased his fancy ; • man sac ancient that r.aebody riohtly kent his age, an' he had forgotten't himsel'. The aanoy weans, that petted an* angered him by tarns, cad him Jook-o'-Soah ; for they said he had been in the Ark at the time o' the Flood, an' whiles they would spear at him—' 4 What for didna the corbie cam hame ?" He was a wee bit gane in the held, an 1 he just made the maist o't. It was equal till an annuity for him. 00 the strength o l beiu' acoonnted a haveril, be was fed an 1 olad a' the year round, his only oooupation bein' to wander frae toun till toan, daeia' jast as much, or as little as he had a mind for. But they that set him up for bein' either daft or donnart made a fule's bargain o't. He was donee eneuoh to ken that hia best polioy waa to play the pairt o' a natural. Travellers Bay that monkeys winna apeak for fear they should be made to work ; an' Jook Howießon was muokle o' the same mind. Of course Jook was sure to pit in an appearance, as the lawyers say, when ony merry makin' was on, sac we were na astonished to see him sohauchlin up the glen at hair'efc time, wi' hia lang white hair fieein' ahint like the tail o' a oomet. Jook never wore a bonnet on Wb heid. Summer or winter, rain or shine, he aye went bareheaded. He didna come till the leadin'-ln had commenced, an' then he was thoroughly happy, wi' a whip in his hand, seem' the horses wark while he drave. When be first set een on Mr Ren wick 1 thooht he had gane clean dementit. He peered intil the face o' oor guest wi great pertinacity, reatin' his hands on his knees, an' sorewin' his mou intil a sma' "0." Mr Renwiok only lauohed at this impudent behavior ; but what gart me jump was hie •ayin 1 — ■• Weel, Jook ; what ails ye noo !" Ye mind he hadna bean tauld Jock* name, but it's sio a common ane that maybe he guessed it. That waa my thooht at the time. But Jook turned on his heel wi' a tnaiat uncanny whistle, an 1 burst intil a violent fit o' laucbiaV Then he took anither inspection o* Mr Renwiok. " Mph ! mph !" —quo he—" lßhmael'B no kent o' Isaac ; but the fule kens him fine. Gie'a yom loof, man." Mr Renwlck held oot hiß hand without speakin', an 1 this strange conduot o' Jock was set doun to his foolishness. But I wasna o' that mind , for I observed a glint o' mutual understandin' flash atween thae twa, whioh Beemed to betoken auld acquaintance. I was confirmed in my thocht when, Bune after, I chanced on them holdin 1 olost confab at the byre-door. Noo 1 w*b aye of an inqairing turn, which craikin' folk miaca'd curiosity. But * they that dinna i pier, lose the chance o' gainin' lear,' as the proverb pits it. Sac when I got Jook alane, 1 inquired at him—" Did he ken onyfching aboot tbe Btranger body !" 11 Whist !"— oried Jock, pittin' his finger till his lip, an' lookin' a' round as if he waa charged wl' some tremendous secret — " Wad ye no lat on till onybody if I tell't ye ?" I promieed I wadna.— " Aye," quo' he, "ye say sac noo ye dinna ken. Bat will ye tak yer aith on't ?"— I Baid " No." I wadn» swear ony oatb, but I would gid him my honest word. ••Pech!" — says Jook. "The bit word o' a tawpie lassie ! That's fine surety. Weel, aay ' bum's death !' an' I'll jist try ye for auce. 1 ' An' then wi' much solemnity in hio wizened auld countenance, after I had said r.he words, he bent owre me an' whispered— "The corbie's come hame at last. Eh ! but he's been lang fleeia' to and fro, seekin' ree» for the sole o' his fit. But he's back noo an' mair he'B fetched the olive branch in his mou'." An' wi' that he hirpled awa aa fast as his Bchauchlin 1 legs wad take him. Weel this waena muckle much information ; eae I tauld Maggie what I had observed, an' she her hand wi' him But she fared no better than myeel'. To a' ber iGquiriea he only answered back wi' hie fule's havers. " Aiblins its bonnie Prinoe Oharhe," quo, he, " Eh, sirs ! wadna that be gran' ?" "Noo, Jook," said Mistreßß Meg, in her maist graciouß manner, " there's braw sheep's heid an' haggla for the hair'st cupper, an' if ye just gie me a hint o' what ye ken aboot Maiater Renwick, I'll see ye hae a twa-fauld helpin'-" But Jook brak out in aae o' hia sangs : — " Come ben the noose, guldman," she oried, " An' Bit ye doun aiang wi' me ;" He wadna frae tbe irgle neufe, But enowkit aye the puddin' bree. Maggie was sair vexed at bein' pit aff in sio a daft-like way- An' as temptation had nae effect on him, she tried the operation o' anither course — " Gin ye dinna dae as I bid ye, yell get neither heid nor haggis." The f ule-body went on wi' his sang :— Up spak' the guidwife tae the oarle— " Sin' ye will no conform wi' me, I'll tak the puddins till myael 1 , An' ye shall hae the pnddin' bree.'' " I'll gie ye puddin' bree, ye donnart auld deevil," quo' Maggie, dashing a tinnie o' no owre clean water intil his face. Jock loupit awa, till he pit a safe distance atween bimsel' and ony mair o' the same commodity. When he turned round again his face was riohtdoun awaome wi' rage. "Sore's death, ye/l be the waur o' that, Mistress Maggie," he skirled oot, in a voice shakiu' wi' wrath. •• Dae ye ken o' tbe aald wife's mischance ?" " Nae, Dae, gnidwife, ye shall na sac ;" " GuidmaD, ye'ie but a sumpb," quo ahe ; He raxed the puddins oot the pat, An' bade ber sup the puddin' bree,

"Min'yer am gauoy h*gg<B disna fle awa' up the lum." That back-spang gave puir Maggie a aair frioht. She was sac feart the half-witted body would play some deil'a wark wl' the haggis, that I dinna think ihe had ony peace o' mind, night or day, till she had it fairly placed afore the laird at the halr'at aupper. Jock girned as he eat at the far end o' the table, next the door, watohing her anxious face. The haggle was a' rioht, but I misdooted Jook had ta'en some Ither way o' payin' her baqk for the dirty water she had washed hla face wi 1 . An* aae he had. Maggie had thooht to ahow off her hoosewifely qualities before Robin Grant, who waa there as behoved him, by makin' some fruit plea an 1 puddlna for the aupper. One o' the plea waa made wi' groaeta (gooseberries), whioh ahe had baen at great trouble to preserve, mi', by her special direction, It was act afore her to aerve. When the plea oame in, Jook got up frae ale aeat, an' aidlei awa towards the door. Sure eneuoh, when Meg opened her famous pie, the birds didna begin to sing, bat twa »ig puddooka happit out, £ an' at the aame time Jook happit oot o* the door, an* awa wi' a mookin' laugh that proclaimed him the faither o the misohievous pliskle. In aomo way o' his am he had gotton at the pie, an' lif tin' the pasty, bad aooopit oot the groaets an' pit the pnddooka in thsir place. Jock didna mak' hia appearance fer a long while aifter this exploit' but the atory o' 'vleg's puddook pie apread far an' wide. I ahould aay here that we lasaiea madt experiment o' oor faither to ken wha was Mr Benwiok. Oaything in the shape o' mystery waa a thing unkent in oor quiet name-life; and we were unco pit *boot at having auoh a strange gueat in the hooas. But the laird turned en na wi' 'a text. '"There's a time for a' things under the sun, 1 " quo he ; •' * a time for ailenoe, an' a cime to apeak.' An' thia ia no time to faeb yeraela about thinge ye oanna underatand. Maybe ye'U ken ewre sune." He apak' in snob a solemn way that we ken rioht weel it wadna be prudent to provoke his anger by apeering ony mair aboot the maitter. " For a' that,"— que Maggie,—" I wiah ne waa awa. The place haa na been the same sin' he first set foot intil't." This was nae mair than the honest truth ; tor fcnoogh none oould aay a wrong word c' vlr Renriok, there had baen a dourness perceptible in my falther'a manner o' late whioh was quite out o' the common.