Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-01-08

Innumerable stories are told in illustra-
tion of Scottish pertinacity. Andrew Mich
oil, of Kinross, was a litigant for thirty
years in the courts about !. hidden heap"
or dunghill. He was sensible man on
every other subject excepting this odori-
ferrous hobby. He used to carry about
with him plan of his :. midden," and was
grati6ed whenever he could find any one
who would listen to his explanation of the
case. He died in the debtors Jail.
A Scotch clergyman and a farmer had =
dispute about dog. The farmer refused
to compromise the case went to court it
was kept UP for seven years; the most
eminent lawyers were employed and the
clergyman carried the day. But as he
did not get the costs he was obliged to live
for thirty years ON one-third of his salary
before he was free from debt
Two men went to law about the owner
ship of an old hawthorn which grew on the
boundary line of their estates. After
going from court to court, the last Judge
ruled that both claimants had failed to e..
tablish their title; that the hawthorn
should be enclosed by a walled fence At
the expense of the htigants, and that each
party should pay his own costs. "What
these costs were is not related" says .
Scotch writer, {" but they were of an
amount sufficient to call for the sale Of
both estates.'
No wonder that in view of many such
cases, Lord Brougham defined lawyer to
be q" a learned gentleman who rescues your
estate from your enemies and keeps it him
self; :" and that Lord Cock burn, another
Scotch lawyer, should have said, "f any
man was to claim my coat, and believed
that he was not serious in his demand,
would rather part with it and my vest than
defend my title to it at the law"
One of the most comical stories of this
lovo of disputation and spirit of " ne'er
CLING in" is vouched for by Rev. DR..
Charles Rogers, in a volume Just issued.
He says it was related to him by the chief
magistrate of northern burgh:
"a married couple in the parish of
Farnell had lived together happily for sew
eral years. One evening, when they were
seated at their freside, mouse CHANGED to
run across the floor. There's moosie,'
said the wife, it cam frae below the bed
Na,' said the husband, lit cam oot below
the kist" (chest.) They began to debate
the point, keen argument ensued, and
angry words passed on both sides. The
controversy was resumed in the morning,
and continued, with increased violence,
from day to day, till the wife left the
house and returned to her friends. The
couple lived apart for twelve years, when,
On the intercession of friends, they became
reconciled. They resumed housekeeping
together, and during five years the voice Of
discord was unheard. At length the wife
ventured to refer to the cause of their long
estrangement. Wasn't it very absurd,
dear john said she, that we should haze
separated aboot sic a trifle as a moosie
comm frae below the bed? Il tell ye
that it cam oot below the kist, woman re-
torted the husband sharply. 1t did na do
that, john retorted the wife, mind
SCENT, as if 'twere yesterday, comm frae
under the bed.' The husband started to
his feet, and vehemently maintained that
his wife was speaking falsely. The spirit
of discord was again invoked. The parties
separated and were never reunited