The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1874-06-11
THE BEST MAN WINS
HER."

Hl0 away IN the l0Velieee pars OF
Perthshire, nesting among the often.
sung Braes of Balquhidder, lies Loeb
Voel, upon the shores Of which Rob
Roy lived and died and where, in the
quiet lonely kirkyard rests "Clap Alp
ms omen and her aid" There are
M'Gregors still in the claohan Of Bal.
quhidder, M'Gregors who speak with
glisteniBg eye and heightened color of
the chief, and amongst whom no tales
are SO popular as those which treat of
the wild days when the clan with the
"name nameless by day" was at once
the terror and protection Of the coun.
try. Every child knows the story Of
feuds between the M'Lareus and tho
M'Gregors, and how the Stewards Of
Appin, coming to help their kinsmen,
were met by tho ol.nsnse. at thu clach.
an, where Rob Roy challenged any ono
OF Appin to single combat, eager. by
every such personal hazard, to avert the
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, think
ing her brother was slain, sprang upon
the Duke, and, dragging him from his
horse, gave him such a taste Of tho
tenderness of the M'Gregors that he
took timely warning and retired, leav.
ing Rob to bury his mother in peace
and quiet.
Some ten years ago descendant of
Rob Roy's, Helen M'Gregor, was the
beauty of Balquhidder. Helen was q
fair, blue.eyed, golden.haired lassie,
with whom lite had been one long
laugh, and to whom the world seemed
to bear neither troWns nor clouds. Her
father, Tam M'Gregor, was farmer,
and well'to.do for his station !; his sons
helped him on the hills. aud Helen was
a tidy hand in the house, quite able to
take many cares from her mothers
shoulders.
Their cottage stood away from the
clachan, 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 bad kissed
the lake into ripple of delight, would
sigh, and whisper their pleasant songs
of brig ghter and warmer lands.
Tam's cottage had served the wants
of many generation Of M'Gregors, here
q little and there little being added,
as the owners family increased or his
fortunes prospered. The thatoh was
matted together by . aourishing
growth Of various plants, wallaowers
and house.leeks predominating. Roses
and honeysuckle Aourished in the mar
row border, and, clustering round the
windows, met gay and thriving geran.
iums, votive offerings from the garden
er at Glenbuckle, who was one of
Helen's many admirers. Helen, being
fancy-free herself, was wont to make
joke about love; and not caring for
either fairs or gatherings, escaped
much Of the gossip which attaches to
other girls. Yet, quietly as the little
maiden lived, she could no more avoid
lovers than can the violet hide away
her treasures from the bee. Glove
will venture in whar he darna weel bs
sesp," and according 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 stall
wart, wellto.do lads who would
take a place by the ingle.nook,
aud while talking TO the farm.
or Of the ewes, wool, and markets,
would hope to catch = stray glance,
kinder than usual, from Helen; who,
however, went on with her spinning as
if no eyes were seeking hers, and there
there were no such thing as love or
wooing. And many q lady doubtless
thought with Hobbie Elliott, that
"wbrllng = bit stick vi I thread trail.
ing to it," Was but poor and tiresome
work.