Bowling for a Bag O' Tatties. (Abridged from " The Lintie " by James Meikle.) [Concluded.]

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 146, 18 April 1903, Page 17

Bowling for a Bag O' Tatties. (Abridged from " The Lintie " by James Meikle.) [Concluded.]

Taylor again played with gieat care, mid with equal success, the bowl lying dow 11 quietly beside his first one. ' Weil played, Alec, well played," his skip said quietly, as the lad walked up to the jacic end. 'Gie us a few manlike that pair an' \* ell sune put a new face on the game." As has often been observed in the piactice of this beautiful game, when the leader plays well so do the other members of the team, and at the end of the "head" Largs scored no fewer than five points, bringing their score to 7. Taylor continued, to play in. excellent form, and Martin and Steel did some beautiful drawing and riding till, amidst a good deal of laughing and chaffing, the game was called 17 all. Both parties knew that the crucial part of it had now been reached, and in the fast waning light played with great caution The Glasgow- man had the jack, and Miller, at a sign from his slap, threw it less far along the erreen. than either team had been doing formerly, for an obvious reason. The change of length had the desired effect, for Taylor put his first bow 1 a good couple of yards past the mark, while Miller's lay about a yard in front of the jack. Steel, seeing his man shake his head and look annoyed at himself, cried to him cheerfully "Don't put yoursel' about Sannock, it's a faur better shot than tha.t o' Miller's. It's no coontin' the noo, it's true, but it will be afore a's dune." Murdoch after speaking a w ord of advice to his own man, said quietly to his opponent, "Huoc, there was a quid lot ol e-eve auld horse an' you'll get corn' about that consolation you gied the young: ane jist noo — Hallo, Johnnie Miller, my most worthy and approved good leader, whaur are you gaun?" he interjected, as he looked at his leader's bowl roll behind the jack and that of Taylo*-'9 and never stop till it fell into the "dreep." as the Hurlford collier's wife called the ditch "Man, Miller if you sen' siller to the bank as often, aye, or hauf as often, as you've sent bools the rucht, I would like fine to be your auldest son," old Mr Lennox said with a dry little laugh that spread rapidly through amongst players and spectators too. Taylor joined m the merriment, and only stopped laughing on hearing Martin crying to him, "Play awa, man, Sannock, an' we'll do the lauching doon in the Anchor." ''Let the callan' alane, Jimmy you canna expect him to be as great an' w ise a man as you for a while yet We're eraun to win, an' we may as weel hae a little fun as no — I believe there has been too much o' the prayer meeting style aboot the orame I think, Murdoch, we'll let the tatties he in bond till the Nair-dav time. If you hae three ov four shillings the piece to pay for them — as you will if we don't purchase till then — you'll no be ready burning your finders playing the Lairgs folk aeain." "It's a' richt." Martin returned, with a laueh "But surely a man may say that 'the kirk stans in the kirk-vaird' withoot getting his nose ta'en aff for saying «o ' Steady, Alec, steady' you'ie fleein' again " "Surely no, Jimmy " Taylor said eagerly, as he ran up the green after his bowl, which too surely went even further beyond the desired mark than did the one before. "Oh, deed, ls't. Had it no ta'en up wi that stippit ane o' Miller's in the bye-gaun, it -would hae gaen to the Main-street," Steel said, continuing. "Come, noo, Mr Lennox you're leading Gi'e us ane o' your auld-fashioned km', an' we'll maybe hae a say in the disposal o' the tatties vet " "I'll sune do that, Hughie," the old gentleman cried cheeifullv, 'an' theie it's'" "Aye is that what you ca' a g;uid ane?" Martin said, with laughin- sarcasm. "The fac' o' the maitter is I've seen the day when I could hae played a better shot wi my fit." On the came sped at this time and although Martin and Steel drew good shots Murdoch, with unerring precisian chipped them out aerain, and that head left the game — Glasgow , 20 Largs 17 Nearer the edge of the banks the onlookers crowded All the plaveis in the other games had stopped thenown sport to see that in the one for "the tatties," and, amidst the most silent attention, Miller threw the lack He made a bold attempt to place it about the same spot as he had done before, but failed, as it rolled nearly the whole length of the green, and it was allowed to remain where he threw it Aimoyed at his want of succors m placin" the mark, he made matters worse in playing his first bowl a long way shoit It reached iiist exactly the spot he intended the iack to reach With aroat care Taylor «pnt away his bowl alona; the back hand and with oncer foot and straining eves lie followed it to the you jack down beside

which he had tho pleasuie of seeing it he. Play the next as like that ane as you can, Alec," Steel said quietly to his young- leader, as he turned to go back to the playing end. Miller played \ery well, but failed to beat Taylors shot w Inch lay about nine inches in front of the jack "Noo, young ane, try an' put this ane as faur ahmt the jack as your first's afore't, an' we'll gie them a fricht \et " the Largs skip said as Taylor piepared to deliver his bowl. Slowly but suiely the lignum vitse toy travelled cle-ar of all obstacles and finished about tw o feet behind the jack. "Well played, very well played I w ush it had been a dizin inches nearer, but it's no bad aya — it's a coonter the noo. That's twa. to your am haun," Steel said, approvingly Mr. Lennox and his opponent also played their bowls well, and one of those of the former counted a shot. This good luck seemed to please the old gentleman immensely, and lie saad to a bystander as. he took a snuff from his freely-offered box — ''Oh we'll do them yet, aye will we. Ne'er a. skin o' thir tatties '11 gang toGlesca." Martin drew his first bow 1 a little to the side of the jack, and so near that it counted, making, if the position was mot broken up, game for La,rgs. "Noo, Geordie, this state o' things '11 ne'er do. The auld ane's making arrangements for bilmg the spuds already. I'm tellniig you, too, if wei're bate we'll hae to lea' the Lairgs if w e want to leeve in peace. Come up straoht an' string an' redd the road a wee." The Glasgow man took deliberate aim and sent his bowl on its errand of destruction w ith all his might. "Played, Geordie, played — played, I say, like a printed book. That's in your num'er ane style," the city skip cried in uncontrolled exultation. Oh' that short bool o' yours, Johnnie Miller " "Wheesht, wheesht, parliamentary language, Murdoch , naethmg; stronger heie." Mr. Lennox said, with a dry chuckle "Ah, weel, somethings would make a parson sw ear, an' short bools are ane o' them " the skip rejoined m changed tones as he saw his lieutenant's bowl just touch one of Miller's, and go off with redoubled speed in another than the wished-for direction. "Nevermind, auld man, you'll no miss the next time , but you're no to be quite so strong, unless you tak' faur less green." "Jimmy, gie me ane here," Steel said, placing his foot w ithm a few inches of the ditch "if they're gaun to indulge in big gun practice Lairgs '11 be nane the waur o' ane in the back sates " Martin, always a cautious player, took even more than ordinary caie with the despatching of his bowl, after wiping it carefully with his apron- — the green had become a little damp w ith the gloaming dew — and it started promisingly on its journey. So like wa.s it to that w hioh was w anted even before it reached its destination that Steel said, as he almost sat dow n on the green the better to w atch its progress, "That's the vera thing, Jimmy " and old Mr. Lennox w ent to shake hands w ith Martin. As he moved towards him. he said with his dry smile "Let them say what thay like aboot you turning ould a,nd feckless , you're the great Maitin the mcht yet onvw ay , the great Jimmy Martin, an' so you are are are you '" The player, m his anxiety to see his bowl to its Tourney's end, did not observe the offered hand but he heard the laudatory remarks, and returned -vehemently, "It's no weel played." "But it is weel played," Steel said firmly "But it's no — it's as nanow as mv breek leg. I could hae played it as weel w i mv fit " "Weol, win did aou no di't," Steel said with a laugh Then again, ''Do you see that 9 " as 1 the bowl stopped within a dozen inches of the desned spot — "it's the best shot you hae olaved the mcht." "Weel, it should hae been nerrow ownip to the wav it was greened." "I don't care wha 1 - it should hae been. I ken what it is, an' I'm mute w eel pleas't w l't " "Murdoch, set awa to be inside o' that short bool," the Glasgow thud man said, addressing his skip, whose turn it now was to play, 'an' you'll maybe man' to clear oot some o' them. A' your pith noo — ane o' Jock McLeans mining draw s Never mind although you knock doun the bank — they're gaun to get a new srreen sune onyway." The skip, in his anxiety, took a very gioat deal too httlo green, and amidst cries of "Hie, kye hie, kve ' stan back stan back, or you'll be kilt" to the cattle in the adjoining field by the delighted Lars;? veteran and laughms and joking all round, the bowl sped haimlesslv past everything

Man, man, Willie Murdoch," said Miller, the leader, good naturediy, "you would miss the pulpit, big an' a' as it is, doun in the laigh. kirk " 'Aye, d,n' the precentor's box tae, Johnnie," Muidoch cried up with, a laugh. "it has nane, man," Steel said quietly, as he to-ok the mat to play his bowl. "Jimmy, I'm gaun to try an' "file" (foul) the road a wee wi a short ane. He'll maybe no be in a humour to miss a pulpit the next time." "You oouldna do a better thing," Martin answered. The bowl was played in silence, and w hen it stopped it made a sort of guard and at the same time formed one of the sides. Miller's short bowl being the other of an angled-looking port! or passage to the counting shots. There was only one chance for Glasgow now, and no one knew the' fact better than the clever, experienced sikip himself. Taking his bowl under his arm, he walked up to where the bowls lay, looked well at the position of the head, said a few words in low tones to his lieutenant, and went back and played his bowl Therei is no more better or wholesome feature connected with our great summer and winter games, and one that is more likely to preserve them from blackguardism and wrong-doing, than the pleasant fact that mem will, ayei, and do, play them as eagerly and fondly for 3 meal of potatoes and herrings, snaps and ale', a new hat, or some such trifling faney — losers treat the winners) — as those who make a profession, of some other games do for fortune® in stakes and bets. Long may it be so! To return, however. Murdoch did not play this time with the same fierce energy but iust strongly enough to remove the good side counter which Martin had laid and cause his own bowl to lie in its place. Worse at least for Largs it roiled in a very little towards the iack till there was no possibility of Steel getting at it but by coming through the' awkward port he himself had made. "There," said Murdoch as his bowl e:ave the last roll, "that'll mak' anither heid necessary, an' gie us one more chance." Steel stood patiently bowl in hand, on the mat while Martin and Lennox carefully weiehed up all the pros and cons and ifs and ands of the case, and nearly fell out doinf so. "See " Steel said "I'll come up that r>ort swap bools wi Murdoch's, an' that'll aither mak' a spune or spile a hoirn." "It's a' that's fort I doot. Hughie. I've seen the day when taking a shot through a wee'r and eleed'r port than that wouldna hae fa,sh't you sair." "T think it'll no fash me muckle the nicht vet." "Lord, Steel if you di't I'll tell Gladstone to make you a bayonet the vera fir«t time he's in power " Mr. Lennox said "Aye do man an' don't foreet to tell him as weel to eie me a euid bie pension to keen no the dienity o' mv new sphere " Steel «aid with a slishtlv ironir>ql fan oh. "Nno stan oot frae shoot the iarl- an' grie's a chance. There yon are." As pp< thrpw the howl from him. he leapt from thf> rnait in a style many a wan nnlv half his fwe might well envy TJn thfi green the howl ran and, as if imhv^r] with some kind of simple sinuou* life it orer>t through the dreaded port n n to the Glasgow bowl, auietlv roller! i+ n=irle and settled down the eame-wmnincr shot.