Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1833-10-23
THE VAC ANT CHAIR.
By JOHN MACKAY WILSON, ESQ.

mountains. If you haveznot, they are {
rough, ragged, majestic chain of hills
which poet might term the Roman wal
OF, nature; crowned with snow, belted
with storms, surrounded by pastures and
fruitful fields, and still dividing the north
crn portion Of Great Britainfrom the south
ern; withtheir proud submits piercing the
clouds, and their dark rocky decliyities
frewuing upon the plains below, they APP
pear symbolical Of the wild and untame-
able spirits of the borderers who once in.
habited their sides. We say you have
all heard Of Cheveits, & know them to be
very high hills, like a huge clasp riveting
England and Scotland together; but we
are not aware that you may have heard OF
Marchlaw, an old gray looking farmhouse,
substantial as ii modern fortress, recently,
and for aught we know to the contrary,
still inhabited by Peter Elliot, the propri-
etor of some four or five hundred sur
rounding acres. The boundaries of Pc,
ter's farm indeed were defined neither by
fields, hedges nor stone walls. A wooden
stake here and stone there, at consider
able distances from each. other, were the
gene raj land marks but neither Peter nor
his neighbors considered few acres worth
quarrelling about; and their sheep FIRE.
<quently visited each others pastures in a
1raendly way, harmoniously sharing fam
lily dinner in the same spirit as their mas
tiers made themselves free at each others
stables. F
Peter was placed in very unpleasant
circumstances, owing to the situati N of
Marchiaw house, which, unfortunately,
was built Immediately across the "ideal
siinc,' dividing the two Kingdoms; and his
smisfortune was, that being born within il
he knew not whether be was an Enuljsh.
man or sscotchman. He could trace his
ancestral line no farther back than his
great grand father, who, it appeared from
the family bibis, lad, together with bis
grandfather and father claimed March.
law as his birth place. They, however,
were not involved in the same perplexty
as their descendant. The parlor was dis
tiuctly acknowledged 10 be in Scotland,
and two thirds Of The kitchen were as GER
tainIy allowed to be in England his three
ancestors were born in the room over the
parlor, ana therefore were Scotchmen
beyond question; but Peter, unluckily
being brought into the world before the
death Of his grand father, his parents oc-
cupied a room Immediately over the de-
bateable boundary line, which crossed the
kitchen. The room, though scarcely
eight feet square, was evidently situated
between the two countries; but no one
being able to ascertain what portion be.
longed to each, Peter, after many argu.
mests and alterations upon the subject,
was driven to the disagreeable alternative
of confessing he knew not what country
man he was. What rendered the confes
sion more painful, was, it was Peters
highest ambitious to be thought Scotch
man; all his arabic land lay on the Scotch
side his mother was collateraly related
to the Stuarts; and few families were
more ancient or respectable than the Ell,
lots. Peters speech, indeed, betrayed
him TO be a walking partition between
the two Kingdoms, a living representation
of the Union; for in one word he pronoun.
ced the letter r with the broad masculine
sound Of the North Briton, and in the
next with the liquid burr of the Northum
brians.' d .-,..,. a. .-,.......7 ...s .,.....,.-
Peter, or if you prefer it, Peter Elliot
esq. of Marchlaw, in the counties Of North.
cumberland and Coxburgh, was for many
years the best runner, leaper and wrestler
between Wooler and J edburgh. Whirled
from his hand, the pondrous bullet whiz
zed through the air like a pigeon on the
wing; and the best putter on the borders
auaiied from competition. As feather
in his grasp, he seized thennwieldly ham
mer, swept it round and round his head
accompanying with agile limbs its evoIu
tons, swiftly as swallows play around /;
circle, and hurled it from hts hands like
shot from rifle, till antagonists shranl
back, Il the spectators burst into a shout
swell done, squire! the squire forever!'
once exclaimed seryile observer of titles
esquire, wha are ye squirting att" return
ed Peter. "Confound ye! where was y,
when was cbristened squire? My nam
is Peter Elliot-your man, or any body
man, al whatever they ike!"
81 Peters soul was free, bounding an,
abuoyant as the wind that enrolled in
zephyr, or shouted in hurricane on hi
native hills, and his body was thirtee
stone Of healthy substantial flesh, steepe,
in the spirits Of life. He had been lon
married, but marriage had wrought n
change upon him. They who suppos
that Wedlock transforms the lark into a
owl, offer an insult to the lovely being
who, frightening the darkest hours wit
the emiles of affection, teach US that ths
:sslFss unbsComing IN the husband vhlc