The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-10-17
TALES ef TINE BuRpERS
~ JOBS MAcKAY wILsoE.
THE VACANT CHAIR.

TOu have all heard of the Cheviot noun
taius. They are q rough, rugged, majestic
chain OF hills, which poet might tenn the
Roman wall Of nature crowned with snow,
belted with storms, surrounded by pastures
ana fruitful fields, and still dividing the
northern portion of Great Britain from the
~outhern. With their proud submits pier c
ing the clouds, and their dark rocky ds clivi-
ties frowning upon the glens below, they
appear symbolical Of the Wild and untama5le
spirits Of The Borderers who once Inhabited
their sides We say, you have all beard Of
the Cheviots, and know them 20 be very
high hills, like huge clasp riveting England
and Scotland tcgether but We are not
aware that you may have heard OF March
law, an old, grsy-looking farmhouse, sub
stantial as modern fortress, recently, and,
for aught We know TO the contrary, still IN
habited BY Peter Elliot, the proprietor 0
some five hundred surrounding acres. The
boundaries OF Peters farm, indeed, were de-
fin, d neither by fields, hedges, nor stone
walls. A wooden stake here, and a stone
there, at considerable distances from each
other. were the general landmarks; but
neither Peter nor his neighbors considered
tew acres worth qearreliBg about and their
sheep frequently visited each Others pas
lures IN q friendly way, harmonioussy shar-
ing q family dinner, in the same spirit a.
their masters made themselves free NJ each
others tables.
Peter was placed in very unpleasant cir
cumstsnces, owing to the situation Of March
Law House, which, unfortunately, was built
Immediately across the "ideal fine," dlvid-
ing the two Kingdoms; and bis misfortune
vas, that, being born within it, lie knew no.
whether be was an Englishman or Scotch
man. He could trace his ancestral line no
farther back than his great grandfather, who,
u appeared from the family Bible, had, To-
getheT with his grandfather aid father,
claimed MarchlaW as Laeir birthplace.
They, however, were not Involved in the
same perplexities their descendant The
parlor was distinctly acknowledged to be IN
Scotland, aud two-thirds Of tie kitchen weIe
ss certainly allowed TO be in England; has
three ancestors we're born IN the ro0.n over
The parlor, and, therefore, were Scotchmeh
beyond question but Peter, uBluckily,
being brought INTO the world before the
death OF his grandfather, his parents occu-
pied room immediately over the debatable
boundary hne which crossed the kitchen.
TIE room though scarcely eight 'eet square,
was evidently situated between the two
couniri+s but, no one beiGg sble to ascer-
tain what portion belonged to each, Peter,
after many arguments aud alteI cs tions upon
tie sublsc:, vas driven to The d.sagresable
altcrbailve Of coDfsssing he knew not wha.
country man be was. What rendered the
confession the more painful was, that 1t was
N =. L.
ScotchmaD. All his arabic land lay on the
Scotch side; his mother vas collateraily re-
lated to the S.uarts and few families were
more ancient or respectable than the EIlioss.
Peters speech. indeed, betrayed him 20 be
o walking partition between the two king
doms, q Iv,ng representation Of the Union ;
for IN one word be pronounced the letter '
with The broad, masculine sound Of the
North Briton. and in tLe next with the liquid
burr Of the Northumbrians.
Peter, or, If you prefer it, Peter Elliot,
EsQuire OF Marchlaw, in the counties Of Nor
ttunbsrIand aud Roxburgh, was for many
years, th. best runner, leaper, and wrestler
between Wooler and Jedburgh. Wbiried
from his hand, this ponderous bullet whizxsd
through the air like pigeon on the wing
and the best putter on the Borders quailed
from competition. As feather in his grasp,
be seized the unwieldy hammer, sweps n
round and round his head, accompanying
with agile limb is eveiatsons, swiftly a.
SWALLOWS play around circle, and huri<d Il
| from his hand like . shot from rife, ali
antagonists shrunk back, and the spectator
burst into . shous. swell done, Squire
the SQUIRE fos ever !" encs exclaimed . ser.
vile observer Of nties. ''SqaiSsl wha ass
| ,e sqsiring at p returned Peter. "Coa-
ioand ysi where vas ys when / was
chrissened S4aisef NV NAMES Peter klliol
l-your man, or ony bos3's man, ~ wAstsvsI
they like 70 q
| Psssr,s soul was free, boanding, and buoy.
ant, a. the wind that caEsoilso u 1sphys,
or shouted in burricsss, upon hss nsavs
hiils; and hss body was lhissesn Stone u
healthy sabstaHtiAl fesh. steeped 10 shz
spiriis of life. He bad been long married
buk marriage bad wroaghs no change upsn
hin. They who supposs thss wedlook usns-
| forms tbe inrk into an oWA offer m insolt =
the lovely bslngs who, brightsning our asr1.
est hours eifh the snii<s Of anscsson. to6ch
~ that thst only - 6bbscsuing m ths hss-
baDd uhsch b diegFscefni IN the msn,
NeaslY twenty pears *,ad passsd oxss then
/ bat janet ms still ~ kind, and, IN his eye
a beaulifuI - Hhso, hess0wine - hin ~
hand, ne Ansksd NJ soua 4 ~ silns
and b. vas stiIl - kappg, ~ gsneeoas, I'D
- free Nine iair chiiossn - erenn4 thsfz
aoasstie bearsh, aud one, 10 youneIing q
The fock, smiled upon ~ nothsx.s knes
Peter had never knows kosgo9 ( - ~