The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-12-30
cHECK-n1ATING HIS HEIRS.

CHECE-nIATING HIS HEIRS.
You did not know the laird. Few
beyond the county did. BUTT does
not greatly matter; L knew him very
we'll, and hale, hearty old fellow he
was. He dwelt on his farm of Burn
bank, and grew on its broad acres
the finest and heaviest crops in the
country. At our agricultural shows,
his wheat, and turnips, and mangold
wurzel, invariably gained the first
prizes, and his kline and horses were
objects of universal admiration. He
was model Scottish farmer-a eau
tious, industrious man. In the sum-
mer months, he arose at 4, and dur
ing winter, was never abed after 5.
He detested lazy folks, and made his
ploughmen work, you may be sure.
Considering these characteristics, it
follows naturally that he was bache-
lor. That he was so, he made matter
of much self-congratulation. If any
one limited marriage to him, he
would draw himself to his full height
some five feet eight inches-regard
his form with considerable compla-
cency, and say, "No, thank ye! I
houp hae mair sense than ever to
dae ony sic daft thing. Nal ma! ye
dinna catch me marrying; 1 like over
weel to hae PAIGE O. min" Then he
would burst into a loud guffaw; and,
if he had half an hour to spare,
would regale his listener with series
of long and cad stories, each having
the moral, "Don't marry" There
was the famous history of his uncle,
the laird of Drumshlogie, who mar
ried termagant, and was compelled
to hang himself, to get beyond the
reach of her hands and tongue.
There was the narrative of his other
uncle, "auld Camsheerie, who was
all but ruined by the expensive ha-
bits of his wife and seven daughters.
There were also some painful stories
of old school-mates, who had rashly
dared the dangers of matrimony-all
had come to rue the day they mar
ried. Then Laird Thomson would
blow his nose, and sigh. 'Na! ma!
you wunna catch me marrying, 1
warrant ye."
His spinster sister Marjory was the
laird's house-keeper. Mistress Mario
ry was an old fashioned, kind-heart-
ed lady, much given to scolding the
servants, who, Notwithstanding.
were very much attached to her, for
she nursed them very tenderly when
they took i'll. Her brother would
say of her, "Noo there's oor Mar
jory; if ye heard her tongue, it jist
gands like bell-clapper the hale
blessed day. I believe an she had a
man she wad scarf his cen oct in n
week." But any one who had OBJ
served with what sisterly love she
tended him, and how her eyes spar
kled when lang syne was mentioned,
could tell how little truth was in the
lads remark. AS she often said,
she was emo fine lady" She clung
tenaciously to old customs, persisted
in dressing more with view to COM
fort than elegance, and spoke the
very broadcast of Doric. Rumor said
that the Tamsons were very wealthy,
and it was certain that they were
"weel aft" Under these circum
stances, it was natural that they
should have poor relations. And
poor relations they had. These lived
in the same parish, and consisted OF
cousin and his two sons and two
daughters. Beatson was their name
and poor enough and proud enough
they were. An unkind fate had
driven them to the loom, to which
however, they were not greatly at
tached, and they relied moro upor
what they could get from Burnbanl
than what they earned by their owr
exertions Gizel, the eldest, would
sometimes say, "They are our owl
relations, and we are their heirs; who
has better right to get from then
than we have?" And Annie, tn,
Youngest, prim-f faced damsel O
st-enteen, who affected curls ant
spoHe proper. would hint mysteri
ousiy, elf things had been as the,
ought to.ave been, Burbank would
have been sather's." It was neve
ascertained Why "things" had gon'