The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1867-07-11
THE Best Man Wins Her"

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Hid away in the loveiiest part Of Perth
shire, nesting among the Often-sung Brae
of Balquhidder, Loeb Voel, upon the shores
of which Rob Roy lived and died, and wher'
in the quiet, lonely kirk yard rests Cellar
Alpins omen and her aid There are Nc
Gregors still in the clachan of Balquihidder
McGregors who speak with glistening eye
and heightened color of the chief and among
whom no tales are SO popular as those which
treat of the wild days when the clan with
the name nameess by day" was at once
the terror and protection of the country. Ev.
cry child knows the story Of the feuds be
tween the McIareus and the McGregors,
and how the Stewards of ,AppiR, coming to
help their kinsman, were met by the clans
men at the clachan where Rob Roy chal
lenged any one of the Appin to single com
bat, eager, by ever such personal hazard, to
avert tn horrors of battle. They will tell
you, too, how the great Duke of Athol ex-
hausted his time and patience trying to
catch Rob Roy; and the story of the funeral,
when Lady Glenfalloch, thinking that her
brother was slain, sprang upon the Duke
and dragging him from his horse, gave him
such taste of the tenderness of the Nc
Gregors that he took timely warning and
retired, leaving Rob to bury his mother in
peace and quiet.
Some ten years ago a descendant of Rob
Roy's, Helen McGregor, was the beauty of
Balquihidder, Helen was fair, blue-eyed,
golden haired lassie, with whom life had
been one long laugh, and to whom the
world seemed to bear neither frowRs nor
clouds. Her father, Tam McGregor was
farmer, and welI-to do for his station; his
SONS helped him on the hills, and Helen was
tidy hand in the house, quite able to take
many cares from her mothers shoulders.
Their cottage stood away from the clach-
an, near the foot Of the Meal-mach. A
lovely little Stealing it was too, with high
gray rocks on one side, on the other an oak
and birch wood, among the branches Of
which the soft summer breezes, when they
had kissed the lake into ripple of delight,
would sigh, and whisper their pleasant songs
Of brighter and warmer lands.
Tam's cottage had served the wants of
many a generation of M Gregols, here lit
tie and there little being added, as the
owners family increased or his fortune pros
pered. The thatch was matted together by
fiourishing growth of various plants, walk
flowers aud house-eek predominating. Ro-
SEES and honeysuckle fourished in the mar
row border, and clustering around the win
dows met gay and thriving geraniuas,
votive offerings from the gardener at Glen
buckle, who was one of Helen's many ad-
mirers. Hden, being fancy-free herself
was wont to make a joke about love; and
not caring for either fairs or gatherings she
escaped much of the gossip which attaches
to other girls. Yet quietly as the little
maiden lived, she could no more avoid low
ers than can the violet hide away her treas
ures from the bee. Glove will venture
whar he darna weel be SEEM" aud accord
iDgly Helen's lovers were neither few nor
slack in making their way to the farm;
while, much to the girls discomfort, her
mother took pride to herself in counting the
stalwart well to do lads who while talking
to the farmer of the ewes, wool, and mar
kets, would hope to catch stray glance,
kinder than usual, from Helen; who, how
ever went on with her spinning as if nc
eyes were seeking hers, aud there was nc
such thing as love or wooiug. And many
lad doubtless thought with Bobbie Elliot,
that ''whirling bit stick wi thread trail
ing to it, was but poor and tiresome work
One man came oftener than the rest sc
often that it was whispered about tina;
Helen and Duncan were counting, nor <aid
Duncan attempt to deny what he wished in
his Utmost heart was true. He bad loved
Helen long, and had only waited for a farm
to enter the list openly Now he had q
farm and a decent house to take wife to-
be thought the light time had come; and
soon seeing he had the good will of both ia
tber and mother, he was content to wait pa
tiently until some happy day when Helen''
heart would waken up, and his love mee
its reward. And if Duncan was patient, il
was because, never having doubted his sue
cess, he experienced sort of qualification
in beating down his passion, or anticipating
from distance the time when Helen wout(
spin by his own hearth, and pay him bacl
tenfold for what she made him suffer now
The honest folk in Balquhidder Gale,
Helen lucky lassie, and watched the court
ing with general interest, not unmixed wit
envy, for Duncan. was one of the handsom
est and steadiest of the young men; nor
than that, and what perhaps went even fur
ther among the girls, Duncan was the cham
pion wrestler, runner, and hammer throwe
and twice had he carried off prizes from tn
Braemar Gathering. Duncan's courtin
had made no further impression on Hele
when the Gathering of 1856 drew on A.
the world went to Braemar that year, an
Duncan much to his surprise and the indie
nation of the Balquhidder people, was bea
en-, both in wrestling and throwing, by
newcomer, a young man who, by his supt
rior style Of dress and manner of spesc
was evidently from different part Of tt
country, if not indeed of different rank
life to that Of the irate young Highlands
aud when standing hot and angry after b
last failure. he was by no means comforte
by seeing Hele'ns cheeks redden before Il
gIances of the victor, who, cap in hand, II
troduced himself to Tam M'Gregor as Il
son of his old friend, Mel Leslie, and say
ing that he had come to the Gathering {
his way to Bal7uhidder his father havir
told him of the sheep farming there, az
how sor auld acquaintance sake, he mig
be lucky enough to get his lesson In Il
management OF focks from Tam himself
lesson he meant to put in practice as
farmer in Australia Tam was pleased
see bis friend bad not forgotten him, n
was he proof against the compliment nsat