PAIRT SEVENTH.

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

PAIRT SEVENTH.

The nioht o' the harvesting I alippit oot while the folk were a' blyth and busy, ano met Colin at the Birkburn. I'll no aune pit past the remembrance o' that nioht. The bonnie moon, at the vera tap o' her silver beauty, glinted through the birken-boughu, ohequering the grass aneatb wi' ahifting patcnea o' licht an' ahade, as the gentle breeze aaftly swayed the tree tops to and fro ; an' whiles makin' the burn glimmer *ilver-bricht atween. Colin said ho muou be awa next mornin', an' aa ye'U suppose, we were unoo aad an' dreary at the thooht. I kent weel that my faither woulda* approve o' a puir tenant farmer's con aakin' «t him for hia doohter ; an' I c'en grat an' >obbed in my trouble. But Colin did the beat possible thing to comfort me ; fer ht J cook me intil his honeßt faithfu' arms, an vowed he would either find or mak 5 a road out o' the difficulty. Syn« he tauld me he i had considered o' a way in whioh it could bt j aocomplißhed ; and be speared wad I meet j him at the byre next Monday in the j gloamin', an' then he would mak* me aoquent w' his proposals. I gladly promised to keep tryst as he wished. Jass then while I was speakln', I thooht I heard a rustlin' sound as o' somebody moving amang the birka, an' there was a sharp oraok, as o 1 branohea sorunohin' under foot. Ther* waana onything to be aeen, hawever ; an' Colin said I wsb jaut a wee soairt. " Dinna be feart, my pet lammte" he whispered, " Aye be leal, an' I'll mak a gnde name fo. ye yet." An' wi' a lang strang embrace we pairted— he awa to the bothie, an' Ito the noose. An' now I maun tell ye ft bit ploy o 1 Colins. I wanted him to set doun what happened till him at the nyating, for a atory ia aye beat at firot hand, afore it gets giaured wi' oure muokle handiin.' Colin had a way o' teilin' o't that aye gart me laugh, though it waa nae laughin' matter at the time. Bnt he was awfu' fearsome c' venturln'. Sac 1 said, wonld he ca' in young Colin wha had aye had the best o' aohulin' and was considered a very proaaisiog laddie, aye at the tap o' his claPB an' haadin' the highest o' oharaotera frae hia masters. Woel, he greed to this, an' * nioht was fixed when the important work ahould be dune. Young Colin waa very proud o' the compliment, I'se warrant ye, and he set himael' dona till the performane o' the task wl' a wiße-like air that sat weel on hia young sheutherc. " Noo," quo auld Colin, " yell be sure to pit doun what I Bay in the beat o' gude English, for this ia just ana o' yer mither'i whigmaleeries, and I wadna oare to spoil k«r bit buik." Sac auld Colin began to tell hia atery, and youog Colin began to olerk it, an' this is what cam o't : — oolin's account o' thb ibysting. " Atween the gloamin' an' the m!rk I gaed till the byre to keep tryst wi' my lave, Jenny. I mm' it was a gran' nicht. The moon wasna shawin 1 , but the stare glimmered aboon wi' just llobt eneuoh, an' no owre muckle. My heart was just at the loupin'. Aiblins the bit laaaie wadna oare to leave faither an' Bister, an' a', to gang awa wi' me till thae far lands ayont the eea that Maister Renwiok oae aften spak' o'." " Noo, my mon/' Bald anld Colin to yeung Colin, "shaw me what ye hae pitten doun afore I gae ony further." '" Surely, faither," quo the braw lad, wi' a (Ml o' bis bonnie bronn held, that spake

Toinmea o' confidence. An' wi' the word, he started to read it out. YOON« OOMN'fl VXBSIOX . " Between twilight and duak 1 repaired to the cattle-yard- to keep my appointment with my beloved Janet. The «vaning, I remember, was exceeding fine. The moon hkd not yet rised above the horizon, bnt the mhur luminaries of Heaven beamed with auffidenfc radlanoe to give light to my path, without nnneoenaary effalgenoe. My heart waa throbbing violently. Perhaps the little girl might objeot to leave her parent and her iliter, and all that ahe oared for, to depart with me to those distant countries beyond the ooean, Mhioh Mr Renwiok ao frequently made the anbjeot of hla conversation." When he bad finished he pit douo the paper, an* lookit round for the applause owing till hia performance. Eh ! bnt he was aafr disappointed. " Wbatna trasherie'a that !" quo his falther. " What for dae ye mak' me aay that I repaired to a cattle-yard when I telt ye I gaed till the byre ? An' whafc'a a that clUhmaolaver aboot the moon ? | I dinna ken if ahe was aboea the horizon, a,6 ye oa'fc, or ayont. I tslt ye she wanna fthawin*. An* th« minor luminaries o' heaven tae ! Wha'a thae ? I hope ye baena gotten Infeoted wi' ony o' thae heresies thae the deil'a folk aro aae busy preaching c'en doo. Tbere'o nae minor luminaries in Heaven, lad ; they'ro a' ane. An' dinna ye ken better than to ca 1 a bit lassie a little girl? Eh, Oolln, Oolia ! gin that's the beat o' the English ye learn att ssohule, tho maister dlsna ken muokle o' things in ordinar'." I oomforted the pair laddie as weel as I could, seem' bin falther'a disappointment was as keen hia am. But 'deed he was weel able to take his am pairt. " For " said he — very prettily I thought— you wished me to write it in English faither. I would have done it better in my mither tongue, which," quo he, wi' a aly look to myael', " I hope I'll never forget." Weel the upshot oft was, that I had to take the pest o' Colin'a aeoretary, an' oor young etudents o' the beauties o' the iSngliah language had to be pacified wi' the promise o' a new fiahin' rod an' taokle for the next trout aeaaon. Weel, I got till the byre an' lookit aboot, bub Jenny waa no there, aae 1 aat doon ou ana o* the auld atanea and waited. A' at anoe I heard the swiff o' a weman'a olaes, an' started to my feet jnsfc In time to meet her in the door. She had a maud owre her held an 9 ahouthers, and in the mirk I oouldoa see her faoe. "la it you, Colin!" ohe whispered, in a friohtened kind of way I fchooht. "Aye, Jenny," 1 answered, ar» withoot anlther word I took her intil my »inns an' gied her a gude ouddlin', aa' a maist hearty kiss, whion aha tried to jink at first ; but on second thoohta ahe receired i very kindly, and rendered ife b*ok wi' interest. Then we s-t oorsel'a dou> on tne big atanes under the aroh, an' she inquired *% me what way was I expeotin' to win &t the iaird'a oeasent to our wooia' Weel, 1 explained to the best o' my ability the advantages offered by the Ocago Association that waa aboot Btartin' a gran' new settlement In New Zealand. I'm ante I didnn Ken whar' aboet New Zealand was, nor Might regardin' it, but it waa aye aoooanted a fine oouotry, whar' gude land oould be had oheap, an' on easy terms. An' also there was a fine show o' lairds an' gentles, bankers, merchants, m' sio like at the heid o' affairs To mak a' snre I had gane to Glasoo' an gotten a 1 particulars o' the Association frae iaiater Blaokie, and Dunlop o' Craigton, •he ohairman o' the Glasco' Committee, whs happened to be there at the time.— "But Janet," quo I, "its gey oauld the nicht. Can ye no spare a corner o' yonr plaidle ?'' She pud it round and happed me intil'le. and I pit my alrm aboot her jimp waist, an' co gie mair point till my remarks, I pree'd her mou at orra times — a method o' explalnin' which I found to answer weel. Sac ahe led me on to reveal a' my plane. — the paukle witcb. I tauld her I had by me a matter o' thirty pounds in siller, for bye twa <hrea beaetiea o' my am, an' maybe my faither wad find a few ponnds mair on sio *a eocasion. An' then I tell't her o' a, big Hhtp was to sail frac Greenook neiat November, an bow the cost o' oor passage wad be nns mair thaa the thirty pounds, <iae that a' the lave wad be till the gade " And what will we dae," ahe apaarod, " in yon place ye speak o' if ye're no drooned or «rreoked on the way ?" I showed her that by the terma o' the Association we wad get a pieoe o' land o' oo? aiu, an' mak' a hamo for ourae!'s, 1 was muckle pleased wi' the deep interest she seemed to take in a* I said ; an' the fond manner in which her lips souoht my am, fair delighted me. Only there was just ac thing I couldna quite understand. Jenny's mon had aye been 'sweet as sugar-oandy. [That's just dlng't in by Oolln to pleasure mysel. — Janet,] But that nioht there was a flavor aboot them as though ahe had ta'eu ttybows (young onione) for kail. At lang an' last! I pit the qaa«tion than had been danglin' at day tongue's end a' the time. " Will ye no gang wi' me, Jenny ?" quo I. The moon was jast blinkin owre the glen aae that ane oould take a fair siohb o' things. She wrastled awa' frae me, an' caatin' afl her plaid—" Colin Davidsen," she oried ; | •• dae ye riohtly ken wha ye're talkio' tae ?" | I never was aae rleht down dnmbfonndered |ma' my life. The lassie I had baen hau<iin' airma was no Jenny — but just her sister Maggie ! Ye might bae knookit me douo wi 1 the whuff o' a feather. "Noo, Colin," she began, " I ken a' your t desigbin'a, an' ye'U never get oot Janet, for < a wife. Never in the warld, Colin. Are ye I no aah&med to think o' evenin' yersal till a doohter o' Craigielinn ? A flne thing wad it i no be if laird's bairn's buckled wi' puir folk like yersel', and gaed awa frae hame till ane o' tbaa deevll'a places ye and Maistcr Renwlck are sac taken wi', where folk atan' on their heids. I'll aw* noo to my faither and tali him »' f* hai bjn uyio' ; aa' it's «

xuracie if ye find ont y-~>nr mistake } the morn's mornin'. Eow dure ye, Sir, to make sic a dishonourable endoavor f By the time she had flytin', I had gripped at the 'stalk o' oarle-hesap in myseL I took her by the shcrathera, and lookin' her straight in the e'«o, I said lillhor— 'Ye daurna 1" ] •• Danraa what ?" quo she. *• Fe danrna spaak to the laird o' this nioht'tf work ; for if she did sac, I wad c'en awa to Gowanbraes and toll che lava o't. How wad Robin tak' Ife, that ye had bin lyin' in my alrms, aa' ye ken what a', for mair than an hour, ouk by OraigivHnn's byre ?" This pift a new face on the matter. "Ye wadna be eaa nnmaoly," cried she, •• V wadna daur dae sioafausa-haarted thing till a lassie." " Will Ino T" quo I. " But y« can dae a wrang thing till a laßßie, an' that ither your ftin slater. Listen till me Maggie ; rioht or «rrang's no the qaeetion uoo. It's pit far past that. Jenny an' I lo'e ane anither wi' affeotion sac trae an* string t>aat the powers o' Hell will no prevail against it. | An' aa ye hae bin sac sma-minded as to pry I intil oor secrets, the maist douce-like way for ye Is to gie aa yoar assistance. I'll no deny that Celin Davidson o' the Shaws is no go a gran' matoh for Oraigielino's doohter eae far as warldly gear is concerned. A.n' in regard o' merit there's no a prince in che land who wadna be honored wi' Jenny's love. But there iana a lassie in a' braid Scotland owre gude for an honest man." " An' dae ye ca' yersel an honest man to steal the aßeotiona o' a puir innocent wean wha diana riohtly ken what she,» doin' o' ?" cried Maggie — " Weel knowing to, that it's contra' to che will o' her faither ?" "It's nae gude are ha'etn ony argeyaboot it," quo I. " The thing is owre for gude or iil ; sac I aok ye to tak' a sensible view o' the matter Mis cress Maggie, an' no apeak o't till the laird ; for that wad only hae the effect o' makin' Jenny miserable, an' the end wad be ju«S the same, I promise ye. An' mind what I'm savin', ye aanna possibly teil oaytbing without tellia' how ye got the information ; an', if the haill business atvreen us twa was found out, there'll be mair clishm&olavera than ye wad oare so thole." Ye see, Maggie like some ither paw;; folk bad got caught in her am trap, an' h*d fa'en into the pit she had digged for anither. When she started oot on her errand she didna riohtly reckon on a' the circumstances belangin' till a iove talk, or maybe she wadna has filled her breath w; 1 *ybons. Aiblins Uobin waa no a very *?arm wooer, an* the puir 1-ißsie had tther expsrience o' sic' matters. But ance in for ie she waßna aaa half-hearced as to draw back for a kiaa or twa. The end o'c was that I won her owre to our Bitle. She waa very firm no to wink s»; oor Disetin' a&a lung's thehurd übjeoted, bui the gue'd me her p'omiae So sry au' talk him owre, and I kent I could depend on her. — " Bus ah ! Colin Davidson," qao she, 4i gio ye cculd but hae a or&ok wi' him yersoi', wu& kens but ye might psrsuado him wltb your *in flaeohin tongue? But he'o very oamstairy, is the laird." Wbou we pairted Maggies carried a message frae mo to Janet, — "Ana msir," quo I, ''just to handeel the bargftin." — Sybows or nane, I wanted to make friend*, wi' her. But Bhe fended me aff. — " Na, na, quo she, " Ye've had owre mony a'ready. But Colin, I think I s'e forgie yo the pliskies ye played under the plaidie." An' j awa she flitted. j It's just a faot that Jenny an' Maggie were Bae muckle alike, that when the hair o* either was covered owre, it was matsfc impossible to ken ane frae the ither in the gloamin', — And how could I be ezpeotit to to do bo in the mirk. I maun tell ye there waa a neer-do-weel doun in the olaohan that Chocht himael as grand a poet as Robbie Burns, and was aye dingin' his saDgß iutil oor lugs. He made ana aboot Craigielinn's twa doohtere, that I gat frae him at the time, and hae aye keopife by me :— Twa lovely rosebuds on ac stem, Twa flowers ac bush adornin' Twa dewdrops sparklin' as ac gem On heather bells in mornin'. And ilk' sac like the ither ane, That baifch than ither's sweeter ; And either o' th' twa is ta'en j For fairest when ye meet her. j To wale atween the twa I'm laitb, Sac even Nature plannen 'em ; If kirk allowed, I'd wed wi' baitb, And pree them ilk' at random. I wadna care to oount how mony mutchkins o' whisky I paid for thae verses to stap the graceless loon frae roarin' them oot at the public-house. But I gied him to underatan 1 that I wadna hae Jenny an' her Bister made sport o' in Bio a fasbin. It's muokle till his oredit that he only did sac ance, { when I was by, an' on that occasion I gied him sic a dab i' the ohaftn as maist effectually pit a stap till his aingia' for a haill week." «ND O? COLIN'S STORY, (To be Continued.)