The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-11-06
T 4LES OF THE BORDERS,
MY BLACK COAT:
TFE BREAKING OF the BRIDES CHINA.
BY JOHN MACKAY WILSON.

Gfnile reader, the simple circumstances
am hbout to relate to you, hang upon what
is Rrmed-a bad omen. There are few
amdhgst the uneducated who have not de
CRED Of faith in omehS; and even amongs
the better educated and well informed ther,
are snany who, while they profess to disbe
lievk them, and, indeed, do disbelieve them
yet Feel them in their hours Of solitude.
havk known individuals who, in the hour o
danEer, would have brsved the cannon,
moIth, or defed death to his teeth, who
nevertheless, would have buried their heads
in the bedclothes at the bowling of a dog a
midnight, or spent a sleepless night from
heating the tick, tick, Of the spider, or IL
unit king song OF the kitchen-6re musician
the Ijolly little cricket. The age Of omens
ows.ver, is drawing to a close; for truth in
its Progress is trampling delusion Of every
kind under its feet; yet, after all, though q
beliA in omens is . superstition, il is one
thai {csrries with it a portion Of the poetry
of Eur nature. But 10 proceed With our
storE.
Shveral years ago | was on my way from
B-t- to Edinburgh; and beirg as familiar
WITH every cottage, tree, shrub and whin-
bush on the Dunbar and Lauder roads as
with the face Of an acquaintance, | made
choice of the less-fre9uented path by Long
ford .acus. | always took a secret pleasure
Ia contemplating the dreariness Of wild
sprlading desolalion; and, next to looking
on khe sea when its waves dance to the mu.
sicb bf a hurricane, loved 70 gsz. on the
he'd covered wilderness, where the blue
hotzon only girded its purple bosom. Il
wae no season 10 look upon the heath in the
beRuty OF barrenness, yet purPosely diver
geA from the main road About an hour
thdkefOre, after had descended frOm the re
gioll OF the LammermOors, and entered the
Lokhans, ! became sensible | was pursuing
pkth which was not forwarding my foot
stebs TO E1inbrTgh. 1t was December; the
sud had Just gone down; | was not very par
tlat to travelling in darkness, neither did
wisb to trust to chance for finding a com-
for liable resting place for the night. Per
ceiling > farm-stesding and water-mil
abIut q quarter of q mile from the road,
resblved TO turn towards them, and make
induiries respecting Sthe right path, or, Al
leaIt, to request to be directed to the near
es4inn.
the "town," as the three or four houses
fuIon. The female inhabitants were cleanirg
ank securing, and running to and fro.
quickly learned that all this note OF prepara
tidn arose from the "maister" being to b'
married within three Gays. Seeing me Z
stAnger, he came from his house towards
mi. He was a tall, stout, good lookiag &
iOty-faced farmer and miller. HIS mannei
III accosting me partook more Of klndnesi
him civihty; and his inquiries were not ire'
frfm the familiar, prylug curiosity which
pRvss in every corner Of our island, and
Inust say, in the north 10 particular.
t'Where do you come fra, na-if It be
fair question ?" inquired he.
E'From B. was the brief and merely
ciIil reply.
t'An' hae ye come lrae there the day >
h4 continued.
-k'Yes," was the answer.
t'Ay, man, an ye come frae B, d
ydf" added he; "then, nae doot, yen ken I
pason they ca Mr.. ---?'
J'Did be come originally from DUnse 2
returned /, mentioning also the occupation
oisthe person referred to.
I'The vera same" rejoined the miller
I'd re We acquainted VII him, sir z"
! ri ought TO be-" replied /; the person yoI
speak Of is merely my father"
f'Your father ~ exclaimed be, opening
hA mouth and eyes to their full width, and
stlnding for 9 moment the picture Of sur
pAse-"Gude gracious ye dInna say sac
isl really your faitnerH L,sh, man, de
vt(u Lo ken, then, that Pm your cousin
YEve heard O. your cousin, Willie Stewart
Fifty times" replied !.
k'Wecl, I'm the vera man." said he
''kie's your hand; for, 'Ocsake, man, Pm a.
gkd as glad can be. This Is real eXIraordi
n4r' Pve often heard O. you-It will b,
ytu that writes the buiks-faith yen b.
afe to max something O. this. But cOm'
ada into the bOuse-ye dmna stir mil
ftfer for a week, at ouy rate"
ESo saying, and still grasping my hand, h
lt me 10 the farm hou>l On crossing tn,
ttkeshold-
\ E'Here, lassie," he cried, in a voice tha
bee roof and rafters ring, "bring ben th'
tHe tpeerits, and get on the kettle-here's
clusn that ne'er saw IN my life afore."
Ia few minutes served mutually to confirm
AID explain our newly discovered relation
sIp.
i"Man," said he, as we were filling q sec
Old glass, ''ye've just come in the very nicl
N time; am III tell ye how. Ye see Ia
QAun to be married the day alter the morn
sb' no haein' friend o Ony kin-kind il
l.is quarter, | had to ask an acquAintanc
NJ be the best man. Now, this was vexin
de mair than ye can think, particularly, y
de, because the sweetheart has aye bee
limiting to me that it wadna be lucky for On
10 to hae q bluld relation for = best mar
Aor that matter, indeed, lucG here, luc
tlere, | no care the toss up o ha'Penn
bout omens myself; but now that ye'v
fortunately come, I'd Pm q great de-
,lasier; an it will be ae cIaik out O. the way
Ior it will please her; an ye may guess, bs
Iveen YOU an me, that she's worth th
kleasin', or | wadna had her; so I'll ju
lteo over an tell the timer lad that | hae
tousin come to be my best man, an he
!hink naething OF"
On the morning of the third day, II
bride and her friends arrived. She was II
Anly child Of LammermOor farmer, an
q MAS in truth a real mountain h)wer-
, hea.h blossom for the rude health tn
laughed upon her checks approached near
D lkhe hue Of the heath, r-bell, titan the ro
Il Ihnd vermillion Of which poets speak 81
70 kwaa comelv wlthal Dossesslng An apDearant