Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-09-18
WHITE HEATHER.
PY WILLIAM BLACK,
AUTHOR or "IuptTn SHAKESPEARE" "A
PRINCEss or ruULE." MACLEOD
or DARE" ETC.

~, and whas lie wnen mes nj name,
mistress ?' Captain McTaggart said
"He's not fifty miles frae here, anyway"
she said And if was to tell we that
he's sitting not three yards away frae we
at this meeuit p
katie, woman. are We daft ?" Ronald
said, and he laughed, but his forehead
grew red ali the same.
" No. Pm no, she answered. con fidently.
ken what I'm saying as weel as most
folk. Oh, I've heard some o. the best o.
them-no at the Harmony Club, for
they're too high and mighty to let women
bodies in-but at the City Hall concerts
and in the theatres and I've got n good
enough ear, too ken what's what and |
ken if my cousin Ronald were to stand up
at the Saturday Evening Concerts, and
sing the song he sung in this very room
last night | tell We he would take the
shine out o some o them I"
d" He MIGHT gle us n screed now Mr..
Laidlaw suggested-his somewhat lack
lustre eyes going from his hostess to Ron
aid.
"Faith, now Ronald said, laughing;
there's been over great a flourish be-
forehand The fact is, Mrs. Menzies
here"
II thought telled we my name was
Kate :" she said, sharply
"kate, Cat, or Kitten, then, as We like,
woman, what | mean to say is that over
long a grace makes the porridoe cold.
Some other time-some other time, lass"
"Ay, and look here, Mr.. Jaap," contn-
ued the widow, who was determined that
her cousins superior qualifications should
not be hidden, "ye are aye complaining
that We Gamma get anything but trash to
set your tunes to. Well, here's my cous-
in dinna ken If he still keeps at the
trade but as a laddie he could Just write
'ye anything ye liked right aft the reel and
as good as Burns, or better. There's
your chance now. Everybody says your
.music's Just splendid-and the choruses
taken up in a meenit-but you just ask
Ronald there to gle we something worth
while making a song o.
Now not only did the old man express
his curiosity to see some of Ronalds
work in this way, and also the gratiiica-
ton it would give him to set one of his
songs to music, but Ronald was likewise
well pleased with the proposal His own
efforts in adapting tunes to his verses he
knew were very amateurish; and would
II not be new sensational little pride
commingled with the satisfaction, per
haps-to have one of his songs presented
with an original air all to itself, and per-
haps put to the test of being sung before
some more or less skilled audience ? He
knew he had dozens to choose from;
some of them patriotic, others cornwall,
others humorous in a kind of way; from
any of these the musician was welcome to
select as he liked. The love songs about
Meenie were a class apart.
And now that they had got away from
the threshed-out straw OF politics to more
congenlal themes these three curiOuSly
assorted boon companions proved to be
extremely pleasant and Cood-natured
fellows and when, at length, they said it
was time for them to he of to the musi-
cal club, they cordially invited Ronald to
accompany them. lie was nothing loath,
for he was curious to see the place and
If Mrs. MenZies grumbed little at being
left alone, she Cousoled herself by limiting
that her prOt'g" could teach them les
son if he chose TODD so.
"Whcn we've listened for while to
their squalling, Ronald, my man, list you
get up and show them how an East 10th
ian lad can do the trick
what 5 that, mistress ! thought We
said your cousin was 1rae the Hielans,'
the skipper broke in.
" Frae the lIielansy Frae East Lothian
| tell ye where | come frHe myself; and
where yen find the brawest lads and
lasses in the breadth o ScOtland,n she
added saucily.
And they dinna stay a at hame either"
remarked the biz skipper with much gal
lantry, as the visitors prepared to leave.
They went away through the noisy.
crowded, Glnrng streets, and at length
entered a spacious dark courtyard, at the
head of which was small and narrow
entrance. The skipper led the way but
as they passed up the staircase they be-
came aware of a noise of must overhead
and when they reached the landing, they
had to pause there, so as not to interrupt
the proceedings within 1t was abund-
antly clear what these were. A mans
voice was singing Green grow the rashes,
o" to smart and lively accompaniment
on the piano, while at the end of each
verse joined in a sufficiently enthusiastic
chorus
"Grecn grow the raShes. o.
u