Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-05-15
CHAPTER II.
MEENIK

when Meenie takes the book every
things quite clear and when she's away
! Gamma make it ont at n ~
"Well, off wi ye now, lass, and sleep
over il if ! catch We waiting up for me a
gain yen get talking"
The little cdhCnded, freCkled faced
lassie was standing It The door hesitating.
"Ronald," said she, tindly, why do
ye call Meenie Miss Douglas? It's no
fiendly"
when yer" bit older, lass, yen I'M
ferstinl. " he said, with laugh.
The little gill was distressed in n vague
way, for she had formed wal IN affection
for Meenie Douglas, and 1t seemed hard
and strange that her own brother should
show himself SO distant in manner.
do you think she's prond2 for she's
not that" the little girl made bold to say.
"Have ye never heard o the Stuarts of
GlengaskY said he, aud he added, grimly:
my crTtes, if We were wo or three years
older, | III thinking Mrs. Douglas would
have told We ere now how Sir Alexander
used to call on them in Edinburgh every
time he came north. Most folk have
heard that story. But however, when
Meene as ye Ike to call her, goes to live
in Edinburgh or Glasgow, or some y the
big towns, of course she'll be Miss Douglas
to every one, as she Ought to he here only
that she's taken fancy to YOU, aud, my
lass, fairly spells yc With her Kindness
Now, oil with ye, and dnna fash your
her, If she's content to he Mecnie " you,
ye should be proud enough"
AS soon rs she was gone he stirred up
the peats, lit his pipe, and drew in IL chair
to the small table near the fire. 1t was
his first pipe that evening, and he wished
to have it in comfort Aud then, TO pass
the time, he unlocked and opened u drawer
In the table. aud began TO runiuage
through the papers collected thcre-.al
kinds of shreds and fragments they were,
scored ovei mostly i'll pencil, and many of
them bearing marks as If the writing had
been done outside in the rain.
The fact was that in idle times, when
there was no trapping 10 he done, or
shooting of noodle crows, or breaking in
of young dogs, he would while away many
an hour on the hill side or along the shores
of the lOch by strlnglng verses together.
They were done for ainusemeuts sake.
Sometimes lie jOtted them down, some
times he did not. If occasionally, when
lie had to write Ii letter to ii Trend Of his at
Tongue, or make some request of a
brother OF his at Glasgow, he put these
epistles into iingling rhyme, that was
about all the publication his poetical
Efforts ever achieved, ana he was most par
ticular to conceal from the gentry who
caIne down to the shooting any knowledge
that he scrubbed at all. He knew it woulu
be against him. He had no wish to figure
as one of those local poets (and alas they
have been and are too numerous in Scot
land) who, finding within them some
small portion of the atiiatus OF u Burns
or Motherwell, or Tannahill, are
seduced away from their lawful
employment, gain IA teeting popu-
larity i'll then native village, perhaps at
tain to the dignity of u notice i'll II Glasgow
or Edinburgh newspaper, aud subse-
quently and almost inevitably die OF drink
i'll the most ableCt misery OF disappOnt-
ment. No, if he had any ambition, it
was not III that direction, 1t WAS rather
that he should he known as the snIartest
deer stalker and the best trainer of dogs
in SutherlandShlre. He knew where his
strength lay and where he found content.
And then there was another reason why
he could not court newspaper applause
with THESE idle rhymes OF his. They were
nearly all about Meenle Doug las. Mecnle-
olatIy was written all across those sCIlb-
hled sheets And of course that was II dark
seCret known only to himself, and indeed
1t amused him, as he turned over the loose
leaves, to think that all the Stuarts Of
Gleugask aud Orusay (and that most
severe aud terrible of them all, Mrs Doug
lasJ could not in the least prevent his say
ing to Meeuie just whatever he pleased -
within the wooden confines OF tins drawer.
Aud what had he not said Sometimes it
WAS but bit of careless singing.
Hoses white. roses red.
Roses III the lane,
Tell me. roses red and white
WheIe Is Meenle ganet
-Ois she on Loeb Loyal's side.
Or up by Mudul Water?
In vain the wild doves in the woods
Everywhere have sought her.
Hoses white. roses red.
Roses ia the lane,
Tell me. roses red and white,
Where has Meenie gauef"
Well now, supposing you are far away
up on Ben Clebrig's slopes, gun over
your shoulder, and idly looking out for u
white hare or II ptarulSan, and If you
take TO hnnmlng these careless rhymes to
some such tune as Cherry Ripe" who is
to hinder1 The strongest of all the south
winds can not carry the tldings to Glen
gask. nor yet To OroSay's shores And sc
the whole country side-eVery hill and
stream and wood aud roCk-came to be
associated with Meenie and satural ed
with the praise and glory of her. Why
he made the very mountains tight about
her
ben LOYAL spake to Ben Clehrig
And they Numbered their note Of war:
You look down Oh your sheep and youi
sheep-iolds;
see the ocean afar.
"'You look down on the huts and halnlets,
And the trivial tasks of men;
see the great ships sailing,
Along the northern main.
ben tltbrlg laughed. ana inc laughter
Shook heaven and earth and sea:
There is something in that small hamlet
That is tar enough for me
"Ay. farer than all your sailing ships
Struck with the alOrning flame:
A fresh young Hover from the hand of Cod
Rose Meenie is hei namel'"
But al this moment, as he turned owe
this mass of scraps and fragments, Their,
was one, much NOR auducious than tn
rest. that he was in search Of, and when h
found 1t whimsical fancy got into hi
head If he were To make out IA fair cop,
of the roughly sCrawled lines, and folt
that up. and address 1t To Meenie, just u
see how it looked SOP He took out hi
blotting pad aud selected the best shee
OF note paper ht could lind and then h.
wrote with u touch Of amusement, AM
perhaps OF something else. too. i'll hi
mind, the whllel thus
20 wilt thou he my dear love2
(Meenie and Meeniel-
q wilt thou be my ain ove2
lNly sweet Meeuel.
Mere won wi me uUon the hil