Morris tribune., 1883-01-13

YOU'RE what they call leeterary
man, noo"
Just So" replied, smiling good ma
turedly, but feeling rather ashamed.
! "Atweel," said Sandie, relectively, rs
he swept up his pieces of sugar and put
them into a large jar, 'atweel, London's
big place, and they call it the centre of
ceeviliZataon; but'-here he shut the Ii
of the jar sharply" Mony things please
the iolks in Lon ION that wouldna gang
doom i'll Glasgow
! What he meant could hardly gather;
1t was Il mere general reflection, but
felt somehow that it had Il personal APP
| pllcatlon. A long pause enSued. | stood
awkwardly waiting III front of the count
| err, but Sandle did not seem inc med for
| further conversation. AT last, feeing
rather uncomfortable, | determined to
| put IN end to the interview.
We'll, I'll wish you good morning."
said, moving to the shop door.
Good morning" granted Sandie, not
raising his eyes from his desk and ledger
to which he had just gone.
II walked out of the shop indignant ut
| tho mans mperturbability. CHANGING
| back from the pavement, l saw Sandie' 8
face quietly regarding me over his ledger
and smiling-just as it had smiled
when | saw HIM reading my first effort
in literature. He was certainly quite
irreconCilable."
about this period of my career. as
YOU may remember, | was particularly
severe in my writings on the British
Philistine, and on the sordtd, self-con-
ceited, money grubbing secularity ofthe
trading classes in this country. | de-
nounced the hypOcrisies of SOdom and
the tleshpots of Gomorrah. The press
took up my cry, and Philistinism had a
bad time Of it. Poor idiots, they thought
that | had IL grievance against society.
Nothing of the kind. | was only trying
to have my revenge on Sandie Macpher-
sonw
'For wrestle as 1 might against him,
the man had mastered me. Folks might
compare me to John the Baptist preach
ing in the wilderness, they might say
that had come to preach honesty and
independence, pure living andhigh think
ing, to q rotten generation, but Sandie
Macpherson knew better. Sandy saw
through me. 1t was no use posing as II
great thinker and teacher before him.
| minded his words, 'Mony things please
the folk in London that would ma gang
doom in Glasgow 1t was humiliating,
to say the least of it. Much as despis-
ed the fellow, his attitude of iEvincible
stupidity was something Titanic. To the
bedside of the heather Emperor q slave
used to come each morning crying,
Philip, remember you must die! 10
my bedside for many Gay came the
spirit ofSandie, saying, Thomas Ercil-
dOune, remember you're poor Crea-
ture;' and I know 1t!
II thought to have my revenge on
Sandie at last, the day they made me
Lerd Rector ofthe Glasgow University"
"More proud and eNultant than you
can think, went down to my natal city
to deliver the recrorial address. l was
an old man by this time, and had great
name all over the world. Such a recep-
ton as they gave me! AS | stood
IN the large hall, with the Profess
Sors and citizens around me, the stu
dents in their thousands cheering me,
fine ladies in the galleries smiling down
upon me, felt that had reached the
height of my ambition. addressed
them like man inspired. | spoke of
my earl y days, my struggles, my fond
ness for the country OF my birth, and
was in the middle ola splendid perora-
ton, when, all Of a sudden, l became
conscious Of a mans face looking quietly
up at ne. One mans face in all the sea
Of faces! But , knew 1T o:n'y too Well-
Kind Of plying smile upon lt-WEOsc
face could it be but the one I had
dreaded all my life? The words went
0ut of my head, and ended feebly, sill.
ting dow n into my chair with a sigh Of
elief when had finished. q The
next day there was columns in the pa
oo.s, and in the course Of the long re-
port something to this effect: ''At
this point of his discourse, alIud-
ing to his early days in this
city, Mr. ErcildOune was vielbly atfC cted.
His emotion was touching to witness
and he almost broke down; but amidst
the loud cheering Of his enormous audi
ence he at last concluded his magniti-
cent address, 'Visibly affected, indeed!
and touching emotion!' They little
knew that my speech was nearly ruined
by the sinister influence Of Sandy Mac
pherson." ~~-.
The great man paused, half amused,
half angry, at the remembrance of his
odd experience. Reaching out his
hand, he took down pipe from the
mantel piece, filled andlitit. and smoke d
for some minutes in silence, with his
sad eyes fixed upon the fire. I sat
watching him reverently and wonder
ingly. At last he broke the silence:
Il never saw Sandie again after that"
About a year ago, however, an old
friend, a minister of the Kirk, coming
on visit from Glasgow, informed me
that my former schoolfellow, who was
one of his congregation, had recently
died. My friend had been with him
frequently during his last illness. l
asked, not without anxiety if the poor
fellow had still remembered me?"
My friend smiled.
"Oh, yes, he remembered you we'll"
he replied, ''and only few days before
his death he spoke about YOU"
Indeed! and what did he say?' [
said carelessly.
'Shall l give You his very words?"
asked my friend, laughing merrily.
Certainly"
'They're telling me- he said, that
Ercildoune has just written another
book. Lord, Minister, surely the world
has gone clean daft! What can folks see
in such silly sumph+ as yon?"
so Sandie passed away" concluded
tie philosopher, "and, now whatever hap
pens 10 me, know that my career must
be considered failure; for the one dream
of my existence, to make an impression
on Sandie Macpherson has been render
ed impossible forever"-Robert Bu-
chanan, in Belgravia.