New-York tribune., 1884-12-15
now rue cRoFftRS LIVE,
Hom Ias 81, Ln.,s Gassrs,

glom me ~ Li,asfs 0lS-ns
will describe a typical ldrlgil house, which
4, ocoupied 10y the aged daughter aud three grown-np
grandchildren OF a fisherman named John Macdonald,
Who has been dead tor many years. The croft upon
which t stands slopes routhward toward the Bay OF ulg
ana Is of some $40 that belong 10 Mi"F iIa,or o
Kimur II Is about two aud half acres IN extent ANA
tnys "A nominal rental of rather more than t1i tenn
porary iucOn o - per cent OH thht sum having nov
ever been during the last two or three years by
the proprietor Near the centre OF tho crolt Il sea OF
sticky mud and amii the slough are two very 'laa
stacks Of corn about niue feet high y SIX ieel III
diameter carefully thatchc, ANA covered win oii hets
prevent their being scattered to the WINS 'o % az
hand Is the hOuse-a hulans Ol rous uhi9' stoc. M
measuring perhaps ten Jeet 10y twenty anu very .nlny
hatch OF heather and finally win fragments OF coarse
netting weighted with humps OF gray trap lhe uoor ~
broken and VIII not Snut p,4pe'H5. ~ ,ir & - m az
has an Of not more than three square ieet FROM
the doorway and from small noe IN we low & I1qi, %
volumes OF peat escape au %c to ino
hut could for several minutes distinguish anything
within owing to the dense fumes that rGse If r" to Jc
smouldering on the foor IN tue nldo 9' te Gooy
room At eyes became accustomed To tic semi
mates of the howell They hudded together on low
black settle. warming themselves an greedy watclng
above the lire. contained quantity OF INN Drotu thc
main ingredients OF which we're as aiterwarl us
meal OF broth and oatcn cake, While the smoke cleI W
ward ard hung beneath the ROOF IN an impeherap,e @
cloud the whole making with the iestoOned fishing nets
am am tne id pe l,rei to paf if there had 'been
anv ioIy in the There no table; b at one
end " the room there shaky dresser on when was
tIns The inside OF tie hOuse divided by means VI
rotten partitions about feet in height into three small
chaDbcrs one being the ying-rOom second the pe9-
room and the third lumber and store room In the bed
room the clothes simply Old rags ana sacknlg
barely sufficient to cover poor humany ana the moor
throughout was formed far could see, o the nara
earth Yet this house OF the Macdonads was palace III
comparison with OF the huts visited elsewhere
ore had neither door nor window. crawlel MO- %
through an irregular aperture ess than three ieet hgh
and found my SELF among ducks that we're picking
Ip scraps from amid the garbage with whlch the lamp
nor was Uttered The sole erant OF THIS mover VAS a
old woman who had hacking cough IN an0tneF nlt the
ron-watcr rped from the broken roof aud Hooded the
only room 10 which seven people sat crouching.
one might reasonably expect ~ ma tha the peopie
who live in such wrecheduess are stunted ana evii-
IonLinr Bpt they not. They tick-set intell
gont race: ami some OF the girls are models OF oixO'
ness although before miile-age all the women become
hered They are ng-lved too. Their faus are tnat
thev ara idle and saturated with superstition ana preu
,lIce In only one OF at least a scDre OF crotefs
house, which entered did see any sign that the IN
mates regularly devoted themselves to remlnerauve
home employment In that one. two women we're Teav-
inc home-spun tweed and capital cloth they maze Oh
their awkward loOm am glad TO he aDie 70 say uiat
most OF the skye landlords wear this tweed wheh t9i
ca ref ~ hut II there wider demand there wOui
Le larger supply and the islanders would ne proper
tiopotrly benefited. Until quite recently there were
veovcrs I'm almost every township ana the ART might 10
o,silv revived crofterS can now get cheaper iha
srai for themselves from Manchester ana IL Il Almost
the richer classes who use tue tWeeu OF the
fcln md