Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1860-07-19
Selett Storp.
THE HEIR OF LINN.
BY WILLIAM j. SMELLING.

mere Is as beautiful a scotch ballad
by this title as ever saw in my life; it
made very strong impression upon me;
but as the ballad is not to be found, l will
endeavor to tell the story in plain prose-
The Laird of Linn in Galway, was one
of the riches landed propriotors in Scot
land. Besides the lands and dwelling.
he had hocks and herds. and good stock
ofgold Moreover, he was man Of fru.
gal parsimonious disposition, SO that the
men of Galway avoided his company,
and the whole town cried shame on him.
Nevertheless, his riches grew and increas.
ed to mighty sum, and there was no tel
ling what heaps of treasure he had snug
ly concealed.
The Laired of Linn did not marry till
late in life, and his wife died within a
year after his marriage. She left him one
child. son, who was the Joy aud plague
of his existence. Though naturally of a
noble and generous temper, he was wild,
reckless, and extravagant. Seeing and
hearing his father ridicued every day for
his miserly temper and habits, he resolved
at all events not to be like him, and spent
all he could lay his hands on among low
dissolute companions in riotous living
true is it that one extreme often produces
another. 1t was in vain that his father
demonstrated with him; he only grew
worse as he grew older.
AT last the Laird of Linn lay on his
death bed. He had out lived all his near
relations, and he had no friends so he was
obliged to leave all his substance to his
son, and besides next to his gold he loved
his prodigal heir. Previous to his death
he called the heir of Linn to his bedside,
and thus spoke:
"My son, when my lips are cold in
death and my tongue silent in the grave,
| know how it will be with you. You
will spend all the substance of your an
cestors, and all the gold | got together,
in dissipation and extravaganza. Never
theless, | do not wish my son to live beg
gar. Therefore, give heed to my only dy-
ing command, and if You disregard it,
may fathers dying curse cling to you
The upper chamber of my house in Kip
pletringan is now 10 cked mp, and l have
thrown the key into the sea. When you
have lost both gold and lands, when you
have not friend who will lend you bau-
bee, and when you are actually suffering
for crust to appease your hunger, break
the door open and you will find certain
relief, but ifyou open the door before that
time, say again may a fathers curse
cling to you"
With tI,oco Il, tbo al 4 -, ro1l lo al,
and expired.
The heir Of Linn did not grieve long
for his parent He soon after threw open
his house to all corners. His forests fell
beneath the AK. His chimneys were al
ways smoking. a hundred men sat daily
at his board, and he bought horses and
hounds, and lent money without counting
it to his dissolute companions; he jested
and drank and gambled, as if he could
not get rid of all his substance in all these
ways; he took no care of his affairs, but
gave up the guidance of them to a bailiff
or steward named John of Scales, who
was knave and notorious usurer.-
John cheated his master in variety OF
ways, and put more than half the rents in
to his own pocket.
At last what the heir of Linn's father
had foreseen came to pass. His money
was all gone and he had no means ofkeep'
ing up his excesses except by selling his
lands; but no one was rich enough to buy
them except John of Scales, and every
one knew how he came by his money
The young Laird was desl erately in want
of cash to pay his gaming debts, and was
moreover heated with wine when the un
Just steward offered to buy his estate. |
was hard case, but after much discus
sion, he agreed upon the bargain.
"Give me your gold, good John o
Scales, and my lands shall be yours for
ever" said the heir of Linn. .-
Then John counted down the goo,
clean gold, and hard targain his mas
ter had of it. For every pound that , OH
agreed, the land was worth three,
The last money was Ike the first, an,
the heir of Linn was beggar. Ps frs
went to the house that had once been hi
own, but now belonged to John of Scales
to seek some relief. He looked into tn
window of the great banqueting hall, bu
there was no feasting going on in it. Th
fire was out and the dinner table takel
away and all was desolate and dismal
"Here's sorry cheer" said the heir o
linn