Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-10-02


That our gudwife had puddins to max,
And she boiled them in the pan, o."
and then rang out the chorus, even the
old Mother Paterson joining in with
feeble treble
40 the burrin o. our door, weel, weel weel.
And the barrin q our door, weel!"
"Your health and song, Ronald !" she
cried, when he had finished-or rather
when they all had finished. Man, if
there was just u laddie here wi fiddle or
penny whistle, I'd get up and dance n
Highland schottische WI ye, auld as |
am ~
After luncheon they set out for further
explorations (having deposited the basket
in u secret place., and always Kate Men
zies' laugh was the loudest, her jokes the
merriest.
Aud, say ye'' Mother Paterson
can skip about like a twa-year- colt"
By-and-by they made their devious and
difficult way down the glen again and
they had tea at the inn and then they
set out to drive back to Glasgow, and
there was much singing the while. That
is, up to certain point; for this easy
homeward drive as it turned out, was
destined to be suddenly and sharply
stopped short, and that III a way that
might have produced serious conse-
quences. They We're bowling merrlly
along. taking very little heed of anything
on either size of them, when, as it CHANGED,
a small boy who had gone into a field to
recover a kite that had dropped there,
came up unobserved behind the hedge,
and threw the kite over, preparatory to
his struggling through himself, The
sudden appearance OF this white thing
startled the cob; it swerved to the other
side of the road, hesitated, and was like to
rear, and then, getting an inCautiouS cut
from Hates whip, away it tore, along the
highway, getting completely the mastery
of her. iionald got up behind.
"GiVe me the reins lass he called to
her.
"I'll manage him-the stupid beast 3"
she said, with her teeth shut lirm
But all her pulling seemed to make no
impression on the animal; nay, the trap
| was now sWaylng and Joltlng about in q
| most omnOus manner.
"lf ye meet anything, we're done for,
| Kate. Run the wheel into the hedge"
1t was excellent advice, if it could have
been properly followed; but unluckily,
just at the very moment when with all
/ her might and main she twisted the head
of the cob to the side of the road, there
happened to be n deep ditch there. Over
! the whole thing went-Ronald and Mrs.
| Menzies being pitched clean into the
| hedge Mother Paterson, not hanging on
| 81 wei, DtlllE dCIliitlly ucpOSlltu Oh inc
| other side, but in gradual fashion. Odd
| ly enough, the cob, with one or two paw
| ings of his fore feet, got on the road again,
and the trap rghted itself, while Il farm
! lad who had been coming along ran to
| the beasts head and held him. AS it
! turned out, there was no harm done at
all.
But that at first was apparently not
Kate Menzes impression.
Ronald. Ronald" she cried, and she
clung to him trantically Pm dying-Im
| dylng-kiss me ~
He had got Il grip of her, and was get
! ting her to her feet again.
"There's nothing the matter Wi ye,
woman he said, with unnecessary
"Ronald Ronald-Tm hurt-Pm dying
kiss me - she cried; and she would
have fallen away from him. but that he
gathered her up and set her upright on
! the road.
There was nothing the matter wi we.
| What ! tumbling into a hawthorne hedge ?
Pull yourself together, woman It's old
| Mother Paterson that may have been
hurt"
He left her unceremoniOusly-to get
over to the other side of the hedge: and
as he went Off, she darted IA look of anger
OF violent rage, eVen-toward him,
which happily he did not see Moreover,
she had to calm herself the farm lad was
looking on. And when at length Mother
PatersOn-who was merely terrified, and
was quite uniniured-was hoisted over or
through the hedge. and they all prepared
to resume their seats in the trap, Kate
! MenZles was apparently quite collected
and mistress of herself, though her face
was somewhat pale, and her manner was
| distinctly reserved and cold. She gave
the lad couple of shillings, got up and
took the reius, waited until the others
were seated and then drove away, with
out word. Mother Paterson was loud in
| her thanktulness over such a prOvidential
escape; she had only had her wrists
scratched slightly.
Ronald was sensible of her silence,
though he could not well guess the cause
of it. Perhaps the fright had sobered
down her high spirits at all events she
was now more circumspect with her
driving, and as her attention was so
much devoted to the cob, it was not for
him to interfere. AS they drew near
Glasgow, however, she relaxed the cold
severity of her manner and made few
observations; and when they came in
sight of St. RolloX, she even condescend-
ed to ask him whether he would not go
on with them to the tavern, and have
some supper with them, as usual.
ought to go back to my work." said
he, land that's the truth. But it would
be a glum ending for such an unusual
holiday as this"
"Your prospects are not so very GER
tain" said Kate, who could talk excel
lent English when she chose, and kept her
broad Scotch for familiar or affectionate
intercourse. An hour or two one way
or the other is not likely to make much
difference
" | am beginning to think that myself"
he said rather gloomily.
And then, with touch OF remorse for
the depressing speech she had made she
tried to cheer him little, and, in fact. in
sisted on his going on with them. She
even quoted couplet from his own song
to him
An hour or twa twill do nae harm
The dnts o. fortune to forget;
and she said that after the long drive he
ought to have famous appetite for sup
per, and that there would be Il good story
to tell about their being shot into haw
thorn hedge, supposing that the skipper
and Laidlaw and Jaap came in in the
evening
Nevertheless, all during the evening
there was certain restraint in her man,
ner Altogether gone was her profus,
friendship and her pride in East Lothian
| n 9TH hn i,,nI IL