New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-04-08
MONDAY MORNING, APRIL 8. 1861.
WIDOW SIMPSONS SPOONS.

W1DOW SlMPSON'S SPOGGS.
The parish Of Bathgate, in I4inithgowshire,
ofGght to be reckOned among the classic spots of
Scotland, lDasmuch as it formed part OF the dowry
which Robert the Bruce bestowed on his elder
daughter Margery, when she married Walter, the
High Steward of Scotland, and thus became the
progsntrix of the royal and unlucky house of
Stuart. Glasgow, those rival queens of the east
and west but out of the common track Of traffic
and travel it has been for ages a pastoral parish,
of small but rather backward farms. Among its
peaceful and industrious population there was one
dame who, though neither the wealthiest nor the
pest born, stood, in her own esteem, above all but
the lard and the minister, AID her style and title
was Widow Simpson. This lady valued herself
not on the farm left her by the good man who had
departed this life some seven years before the com.
mencement Of our story, for its acres were few,
and they consisted Of half reclaimed moor
land-not on her grown up son Robin, though
he was counted likely and sensible lad-not
on her own thrifty housekeeping, though it was
known to be on the tght-screw principie-but on
the possession of dozen silver teaspoons. Her
account of them was that they had belonged to
the Young CheFaiier, and had been bestowed upon
her grandfather in return for entertaining the
claimant to the Brtish Crown on his march from
Culloden-n proof of which she was accustomed to
point ont haf.obterated crest, and the initials
9. ~ with which they were marked. The Widows
neighbors, however, had different tale regarding
their coming into the family. 1t to the effect
that her grandfather, who kept small inn some
where in Fife had bought them from an ill-doing
lard for three gallons Of Highland whisky, and be-
| slowed them on his grand daughter, as the one
of his family most likely to hold fast to such i'm
portant acquisition
In the family resided, in the capacity of help,
one Nancy Campbell, girl about 10, who was
| suspected of having taken a fancy to Robin, who
| reciprocated the sentiment. Nothing, however,
would soften the heart of the widow as regards
the match, until at last the following event occur
| red, and caused her to give way About the hay
making time distant and comparatively rich re-
aton was expected to call and take tea that eve
n1ng on his way from Linlithgow 1t was not often
that this superior relative honured her house with
visit, and Mrs. Simpson, determined that nothing
| should be wanting to his entertainment brought
| ont the treasured spoons early in the forenoon,
with many injunctions to Nancy touching the care
| she should take in Frightening them up. While
this operation was being conducted in the Kitchen
in the midst of those uncertain days which vary the
| northern June, sudden darkness of the sky an
| nounced the approach of heavy rain The hay
was dry and ready for housing. Robin and two
| farm men were busy gathering it in; but the great
| drops began to fall while considerable portion
yet remained in the field, and. with the instinct OF
| crop preservation, forth rushed the widow, fol
lowed by Nancy, leaving the spoons half secured
| on the kitchen table. In her rapid exit the girl
| had forgotten to latch the door. The weasel and
| the kite were the only depredatoTs known about
| the moorand farm; but while they were all occgl-
pied in the bayfield,, who should come that way but
| Geordy Wilson.
| Well the kitchen door was open, and Geordy
| stepped in. He banged the settle with his staff,
| he coughed, he hemmed, he saluted the cat which
sat purring on the window seat, and at length dis
| covered there was nobody within. Neither meal
| nor penny was to be expected that day; the rain
| was growing heavier, some of the hay must be
| wet and Mrs. Simpson would return in bad hnmor.
But two objects powerfully arrested Geordy's at
| tention was the broth pot boiling the fire,
| and the other the silver spoons scattered the
| table. Bending over the former, Geordy took q
considerable sniff; gave the ingredients stir with
| a pot-stick, and muttered ''very thin" His pro-
| wifi ned e.
| but half an hour AFTER when he was safely en-
sconced in a farm house mile off, the family were
driven in doors by the increasing storm-they found
! everything as it had been left-the broth on the
fire, the cat on the window seat, the whiting and
| flannel on the table, but not spoon was there
| "Wheres the spoons ?'' cried Mrs. Simpson, to
| the entire family, who stood by the fire drying
| their wet garments. Nobody could tell. Nancy
| had left them the table when she ran to the
hay. No one had been in the house they were
certain, for nothing was disturbed. The drawer
was pulled out, and the empty stocking exhibited
Every shelf, every corner was searched, but to M
purpose the spoons had disappeared and thu
state of the farm house may be imagined. Th
widow ran through it like one distracted ques
tioning, scoldng and searching Robin. Name,
and the farm men were dispatched in variou
directions, as soon as the rain ahated, to adver
tise the neghbOrhood, under the supposition tina
some Struggling beggar or gipsy might have car
| ried off the treasure, and would attempt to dis
pose of them in the parish Nobody thought o
| Geor1y Wilson; he had not been spied from the
bayfield, his circuits were wide; his visits to any
house were not frequent, and if he eschewed
| widow Simpson's from the day of her loss, it was
| believed GeOrdy knew that neither her temper
| nor her liberality would be improved by that
circumstance. Lost the spoons were beyond a
doubt. and the widow babe fair to lose her senses
| The rich relation came at his appointed time,
and had such a tea that he vowed never again to
trust himself in the house of his entertainer. But
| the search went on rabbits holes were looked
into for the missing silver, and active hoys were
1hp1 n mt ms Wall and
barns in the neighborhoOd were explored The
criers of the three nearest parishes employed
to proclaim the loss it was regularly advertised
at kirkgate and market place, and Mrs. Simpson
began to talk of getting a searGh-warrant for the
| beggar's meal pouch. Bahgate was alarmed
through oil its borders concerning the spoons, but
| when almost month wore away, and nothing
| could be heard of them, the widows suspicious
turned from beggars, barns and magpies, to light
| on poor Nancy. She had been securing the
spoons, and left the house last; silver could not
leave the table without hands. 1t true that
| Nancy had always borne an unquestioned charac.
ter but such spoons were not TO be met with every
day, and Mrs. Simpson was determined to have
them back in her stocking. After sundry hints OF
increasing breadth to Robin, who could not help
thinking his mother was losing her Judgment, she
one day pumped the charge, to the utter aston.
ishment and dismay of the poor girl whose
anxiety in the search had been inferior only to her
own. Though poor and an orphan, Nancy had
| some honest pride; she Immediately turned out
the whole contents of her kist, (box) unstrung her
| pocket in Mrs. Simpsons presence, and ran with
tears in her eyes to tell the minister.
| As was then common to the country parishes o
Scotland, difficulties and disputes which might have
employed the writers and puzzled the ma gistrates
were referred to his arbitration, and thus lawsuits
| or scan5al prevented. The minister had heard, az
| who in Bathgate had not of Mrs. Simpsons loss
| Like the rest of the parish he thought it rather
strange; hut Nancy Campbell was of the mos
serious and exemplary girls in his cnngregaton-he
could not believe that the charge preferred agalns
her was true; yet the peculiarities Of the de
mnnded Investigation. With some difficulty the
minister persuaded Nancy to return to her mis-
tress, bearing message to the effect that he ant
two of his elders who happened to reside in tht
neighborhood, would come over the following
evening" hear what could be said both sides
and, if possible clear up the mystery. The widow
was we'll l-pleased at the minister and his elder
coming to inquire after her spoons. She put ol
her best n11ach--that is to say cap-prepared he
best speeches. and enlisted some of the most ser
Gus and reliable OF her neighbors to assist in th
| investigation.
Early in the evening Of the following day-whe
the summer sun was wearing low and the fiel
clear secured kitchen, the minister's elders ant
timOny touching her lost silver. Nancy, Rob
and the farm men sitting by till their turn came
when the door, which had been left half open tt
admit the breeze-fOr the evening was sultry-wa
quietly pushed aside, and in slid Genrdy Wilson
with his usual accompaniment OF stall and wallet
"There's nae room for ye here, Geordy,' SAT-
the widow, "were on weighy business.n
"Weel, men, said GeOrdy, turning TO depart
OTIS of nae consequence. | only came to speal