Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-08-22
Marriage of Mary Campbell
A rA1E'oF THE scnoTT1sH ISLES.

| y
manse about sixty years ago, and was an
honest and bonnie lassie. She had blue
eyes and faxen hair, with form as beauti-
ful as the fleet roe on the mountain, very
Malvina to charm the heroes of old Os-
sian. Her sweetheart, however, was not an
g Oscar of the Spear" Cochullin of the
car or a Fingal who q sounded his shield
in the halls of Selma butwas fine looking
shepherd lad, Donald Maclean-' who won
| dered slowly as cloud over the hills at
morning after his sheep and sang his songs,
and then lighted up Mary's face with his
! looks In the evening. For two years they
served together and, in all such cases,
these years seemed like single day. Yet
no vows were exchanged, no engagements
made between them. Smiles and looks, i'm
provised songs full of lovers chaffling, join
| ing together as partners IN the kitchen
| dance to Archy McIntyre's fiddle, showing
a tendency to work at the same hay rick,
| and to reap beside each other on the same
! harvest rigs, and to walk home together from
| the kirk-these were only significant signs
of what were understood by all, that bonnie
| Mary and Donald were sweethearts
1t happened to them as to all lovers since
| the world began the old history was re-
| peated In the want Of smoothness with
| which the river Of their lives flowed on its
course. 1t has the usual eddies and turns
which belong to all such streams and its
| little tiny bubbles that soon broke, and dis
appeared In rainbow hues, until the agltat-
| ed water rested once more in calm pool,
| dimplcd with sunlight, and overhung with
wild flowers. But terrible break and
| laundering fall at last approached with rich
! Duncan Steward from Locharbor Duncan
was well-to-do small tenant, with a num-
/ Der Of beeves and sheep was a thrifty
Ill faI
! bills from man or beast, but was contented
| with small profits, and ready cash secured
at once and boarded in safety with Garrick,
| Brown 4 Go. 5 Ship Bank, there to grow at
| interest while he was sleeping-thOUgh he
| generally was quite awake. He was a cous-
in of Mary's thrice removed, but close
| enough to entitle him to command hear
| ing in virtue of his relationship when he
came to court her {; and on this very GRAND
he arrived one day at the mause, where, as
! a matter Of course, he was Hospitality re-
ceived-alas for poor Donald Maclean.
Duncan had seen Mary but once, but hav
ing made up his mind, which it was not
difficult for him to do, as to her fair appear
ance, and having ascertained from others
that she was in every respect most prop
erly conducted girl and u most accomplish
ed servant, who could work In the field or
dairy, in the kitchen or laundry-that be-
side the fire at night her hands were the
most active in knitting, sewing, carding
wool or spinning, he concluded that she was
the very wife for Steward of Blairdin. But
would Mary take him A doubt never
crossed his mind upon that point.
His confidence did not arise from his own
good looks, for they, to speak charitably,
were doubtful even to himself He had
high cheek bones, small teeth, not innocent
- 4.
features were added a sufficient number Of
gray hairs sprinkled on the head and among
the bushy whiskers to testify how many
more years than those which numbered the
age Of Mary. But Duncan had money,
large amount of goods laid up for many
years, full barns and sheep folds He had
a place assigned to him at the Fort William
market, such as well known capitalist has
in the City of Exchange. He was thus the
sign of power which tells in every class of
society.
Are no fair merchants daughters, we
would respectfully ask, affected in their
choice of husbands by the state of their
funds Has corrOnet no influence over
feelings? Do the men of substance make
their advice to beauties without it, with no
sense of the weight of argument which is
measured by the weight of gold in their
proffered hand ? Do worth and character,
and honest love and sufficient means, always
get fair play from the fair, when opposed by
rivals having less character and less love,
but with more than sufficient means? Ac-
cording to the reader replies to these ques-
tions will be his opinion as to the probabili-
ty of Duncan winning Mary, and Of Mary
forsaking poor Donald and accepting his
highly respectable and wealthy rival.
1t must be mentioned that another power
IL. 1H
and that was an elder sister of Mary's who
lived in the neighborhood Of the farm, and
who was supposed by the observing DANES
of the district, to have set her cap at Dun
can. But it was more the honor of the con-
nection, than love which had prompted
those gentle demonstrations on the part of
Peggy. She wished to give him hint as
it were, that he need not want a respectable
wife for the asking altho' she was quite
happy and contented to remain in her moth
ers house and help to manage the small
craft, with its COW, pigs, poultry, and pota-
toes. Duncan, without pledgiDg himself,
sometimes seemed to acknowledge that 1t
might be well to keep Peggy on his lst-as
reserve corps IN case he might fail IN his
first plan of battle. The fact must be con-
fessed that such marriages of convenlences
were as common in the Highlands as else@
| where. Love no doubt In many cases, car
ried the day there, as it viii do in Green
land, London or Timbuctoo. Nevertheless,
the dog team, the blubber, the fishing tack
le of the Nile, at times, tell very powerful
ly on the side of their possessor, who is yet
wantingin the emotions and SO viii the
cowries and cattle of Africa, and the West
end mansion and carriage of Londen. The
| female heart will everywhere, in Its own
way acknowledge that love is all very
with that prudential " but" depend upon
the blubber, cowries, and carriage are sure
to carry the day, and leave poor love to
| leave off with clipped wings ~
Duncan Blairdhue, so believed, when he
proposed to Mary, through the minister 8